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54 Tea & Coffee Trade Journal | www.teaandcoffee.net W ithout ever losing momen- tum, the chamomile and chrysanthemum flowers have self-sewn and flourished under the pan- oply of Western and Eastern medicinal herbs since ancient times. Both flowers appear in a variety of forms, but with chamomile there are two main a types. Roman chamomile (Chamaemelum Nobile) is native to Western Europe and North Africa, flowering in late spring or early summer and, after drying, becom- ing lovely little balls of white petals sur- rounding a bright yellow center. Ancient Romans enjoyed chamomile as a beverage and as incense. All chamomile flowers and leaves have a specific and intense taste and aroma reminiscent of apples; in fact the word "chamomile" derives from the ancient Greek "kamai-melos" or "ground grown apple," and the Spanish call cham- omile "manzanilla," which translates to "little apple." German chamomile (Matricaria recutita) is indigenous to Southern Europe and the Middle East. It flowers with small yellowish petals and looks slight- ly unkempt after drying. One of the first recorded men- tions of German chamomile occurs in a document dat- ing back to 1550 BC known as the Ebers Papyrus, which indicated that in ancient Egypt chamomile was used to honor the gods, embalm the dead and cure the sick. Chamomile infusion drinkers have traditionally used the herbal remedy to detoxify the liver and gallbladder and stimulate appetite, as well as ward off ills like coughing or bronchitis, fever, rashes and inflamed skin. Research also sug- gests that chamomile has antioxidant and anti-microbial effects. Chrysanthemums (Chrysanthemum morifolium), or "Jü Hua" in Chinese, were revered as one of the noblest plants by the educated elites in ancient China and highly valued for their medicinal properties. The botanical name as used in the West derives from ancient Greek "krushos" mean- ing gold and "anthemon" mean- ing flower. The earliest record of the cura- tive benefits of c h r y s a n t h e - mum flowers is found in the ancient Chinese annals "Ben Cao Jing," or "Materia chamomile & chrysanthemum The Unending Age of Chamomile and Chrysanthemum Chamomile and chrysanthemum are pretty, white and yellow flowers that bear characteristic aromas, and both belong to the Asteracea, or daisy, family. Both have been dried to prepare soothing cups for thousands of years. Today, both continue to thrive in the West and in the East, loose, in bags for infusions but also in ready-to-drink (RTD) formats. By Barbara Dufrêne Photos courtesy of Barbara Dufrêne