Chamomile, dried flowers
Chamomile
Chamomile is a herbaceous plant that belongs to the aster family. During flowering, white narrow petals are formed. The color is collected in yellow baskets. Chamomile grows in wastelands, meadows and fields. In total, there are about twenty varieties of chamomile. The most popular type is pharmacy. Flowers are collected from late spring to mid-autumn during flowering. It is harvested with a special comb or just by hand after the petals are fully open.
How is drying
The collected plant should be laid out on a canvas and dried in a dark, well-ventilated room for a week. If available, you can use a special dryer, where the plant is exposed to a temperature of 40 degrees. After that, dried chamomile is stored in linen bags or paper for a year and a half.
What is in the chemical composition:
- coumarins;
- tannins;
- carotene;
- prohamazulene;
- essential oil;
- ascorbic acid;
- flavonoids;
- mineral salts;
- glucose;
- choline;
- vitamins A, B9, B5, B2, B1.
As for the pharmacological action: dried chamomile has a sedative, antiseptic, choleretic, bactericidal, analgesic, diaphoretic, anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic effect. Freshly prepared tincture can reduce allergic reactions and improve the activity of the digestive glands.
The use of chamomile tincture
In order for the tincture to be beneficial, it should be remembered that the product, which is kept on vodka, does not need to be diluted, and if it is an alcoholic solution, it must be diluted in half with water before use. In traditional medicine it is used for rinsing the mouth with sore throats or stomatitis. Also tincture treats scratches, ulcers, irritations. Enemas are used for prostatitis and hemorrhoids.
As for cosmetology: dried flowers are poured boiling water, infuse and wipe the face with this solution. You can always buy a ready-made recipe at the pharmacy, and you can prepare the broth yourself. The price of pharmaceutical drugs is reasonable. In Ukraine, chamomile grows in ecologically clean areas of the Kherson region in Transcarpathia. It is collected during the flowering period, phytocollection is prepared and stored in dry, well-ventilated rooms. After the expiration date it is better not to use grass, because the useful properties are lost.