Crushing on Chamomile
Plant medicine contemplations + reflections
I’d love to share about some of the things I’ve been exploring lately. For my whole adult life, I’ve been endlessly curious about health and wellness. I want to try All. The. Things. What’s come up most recently (well, one of the things anyway) is that I’d been hearing so many stories over the last 10 years or so about trippy plant medicine journey’s with Ayahuasca or mushrooms and I was curious. I kept checking in with myself to see if it felt right for me and it never did. I had this underlying fear that they may be too much for me… like they’d blow a circuit in my mind and have a psychotic break from which I’d never return, but yet, some of the breakthroughs sounded amazing!
In 2020 I finally started to feel the call to work with plant medicine so I asked my herbalist, who studied for years in the Amazon, for her plant medicine recommendation and she said, “Why don’t you start with Chamomile.” I giggled thinking she was joking. She was not. I didn’t even know what she meant by that. I wasn’t going to see God by drinking a cuppa Chamomile!
Fast forward a year and a half, I’m working at an herbal apothecary and we are planning out our December subscription offering. I'm not the one who typically makes these decisions but I hear, as if whispered in my ear, “Chamomile.’ I decided to chime in with my suggestion and there was agreement. Chamomile would be the theme of December. I was now officially “working” with Chamomile, though I didn’t really know what it would be like to “work” with an herb. I’ve been hanging around herbalists and this lingo was something that I never quite understood.
Chamomile continued to whisper in my ear and had me making a tincture (which is delicious!), a glycerite (also delicious!), and a chamomile and rose infused body oil (which is luxurious!). This is how working with Chamomile started.
I added the tincture to my glass of water each day, which added not only a delicious yet subtle flavor, but also medicinal support.
I used the glycerite in my tea as a sweetener and the chamomile rose infused oil I used on my skin. It’s so lovely that I’ll be making another batch soon!
In the past I had only ever known to use Chamomile as a cup of tea in the evening to wind down but it can be used in a variety of formulations. Below are the formulations I have recently made and/or been working with:
Chamomile Flower Essence - Chamomile flower essence reminds us that the sun is always shining, even behind the clouds. It is helpful for those times when our inner weather feels easily clouded. Use whenever you feel a build up of nervous tension to help it disperse and to not get lodged in your nervous system. It helps to ease nerves and tension while gently supporting emotional regulation. Brings on a serene, sun-like disposition and emotional balance. Use this essence when you’re feeling easily upset, moody or irritable; to help release emotional tension, especially in the stomach or solar plexus.
Infused oil - I made a Chamomile and Rose infused body oil that I’ve been using for the past month and I love it! My skin had been really dry so after showering I use a combination of this oil as well as a lotion for a double dose of emollients. Chamomile reduces inflammation, redness and signs of aging.
Chamomile Glycerite - Chamomile has been used as a traditional medicine for thousands of years to calm anxiety, settle stomachs and aid in restful sleep. It is one of the most ancient medicinal herbs known. It can be used in tea, water, cocktails, on pancakes or anywhere you want to add a sweet and soothing touch.
Tincture - lastly I made a Chamomile tincture which tastes delicious - so good that I’m in the process of making my second batch. A tincture can be taken internally as a dropperful into a glass of water or tea. The delightful and mild taste of Chamomile adds just a little somethin’ somethin’ to a plain glass of water. It’s also great to use in cocktails and mocktails if that’s more your thing.
The theme for December in the apothecary subscription was Sacred Play and Amusement - I found Chamomile reminded me of the fun of play and creativity. It can look so many different ways and in the seriousness of life I’d forgotten about play. I’d forgotten that play leads to relaxation, which then can lead to evolution and innovation. It’s when we are in a relaxed state that we can see other perspectives. Chamomile is known for helping with insomnia, anxiety and digestive issues. What I never really thought about is that we can’t truly play when we are in a state of stress or anxiety. When we cannot digest life, it is difficult to be playful. I noticed how it’s been so challenging to digest so much of what has happened in the world in the past few years. There has been so much fear and generalized anxiety being circulated in the collective that most of us can’t help but feel the impacts of that, to say nothing of being more directly affected by the events that have transpired. Pick your trauma, it can be big T or little t… Maybe we should have dosed the collective with Chamomile for the past few years. New perspectives would have been super helpful! Mass relaxation would have also been a pleasant side effect ;).
To me Chamomile holds the energy of childlike innocence. the softness, the delight, the joy and balance of energy to both play hard and rest hard, something I found I was denying myself as an adult. Taking it all too seriously.
Overall Chamomile has been an absolute delight to work and play with. It has added a sweetness and softness to my December. I did dabble a bit with Psilocybin (mushrooms), more on that later, and though I found it to be helpful, there was a price to pay. So far, Chamomile has only been a delight.
My plant medicine journey with Chamomile was not quite what you’d get from an Ayahuasca ceremony in the jungles of the Amazon or a magic mushroom trip, but it was subtly impactful. I’m pretty new to “working” with plant allies on a conscious level so it really is an experiment to learn what that even means. It’s been fun!