Chamomile, My Chamomile

Bee's Eye  View of  Chamomile  Patch

       Peter Rabbit's mother knew her herbs!  After an exciting (and stressful for a bunny) day in Mr. MacGregor's garden, Peter needed something to calm him down so he could fall asleep.  His mother made him a cup of chamomile tea and put him to bed.  So ends one of the best loved children's picture books.

  My chamomile is starting to bloom  and every morning I find a few minutes to go outside, pick a handful of the apple-scented flowers, rinse them off and put them in my favorite drying spot.  By the end of the summer, I'll have enough chamomile to last all winter.

  I use a  teaspoon of the chamomile  flowers with a teaspoon or two of lemon balm per cup of boiling water for a ticket to a good night's sleep or to calm a grumpy stomach.

  Chamomile  can also be used as an ingredient in skin lotions and creams and the tea makes a wonderful hair rinse for brunettes.

  This herb is easy to grow from seed in a sunny corner of the yard and it will reseed itself for years.

PS----  Chamomile is a member of the infamous ragweed family of plants.  If you are allergic to ragweed, you may be allergic to chamomile too.


Today's Tip -  Try a little of Peter Rabbit's favorite tea to relax and "sleep tight"  as my mother used to say.