ABSTRACT
Classification and Nomenclature Scientific name: Matricaria recutita L. (formerly Chamomilla recutita [L.] Rauschert; Matricaria chamomilla [L.]); other recognized species: Anthemis nobilis (Roman chamomile, camomile) (Heneka, 1993) Family name: Asteraceae (Compositae) Common names: chamomille, German chamomile, camomile, Matricaria, Matricaria flos, Hungarian chamomile flowers (Bradley, 1992), wild camomile, bitter chamomile, Hippocrates chamomile, scented mayweed, sweet false chamomile (Heneka, 1993)
Description
Chamomile was so revered by the Egyptians for its ability to cure malarial symptoms that they dedicated the plant to their many gods. In England, chamomile was used and grown for many centuries. The Greeks named it
kamai (ground-apple), and the Spanish, who made sherries flavored with the plant, named it manzanilla (little apple), because of the strong, yet agreeable apple-like odor given off by the herb (Grieve, 1980).
