Chamomile – 2025 Herb of the Year
Each year the International Herb Association selects one herb to celebrate as the Herb of the Year. Selected plants must be outstanding in at least two of three major categories: decorative, culinary or medicinal. The 2025 Herb of the Year is Chamomile.
There are two distinctly different plants that both share the common name Chamomile. German Chamomile (Matricaria camomilla/recutita) and Roman Chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile). While their flowers and foliage are similar in appearance, they differ in size, life cycle, and use, so we will address each separately.
German Chamomile is a self-seeding annual plant
Decorative: Small daisy-like flowers over fragrant ferny foliage to 30” tall
Culinary: Flowers and foliage can be dried and used to make a tea, which is consumed for its calming, sedative properties
Medicinal: Believed to have anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, anti-allergenic, and sedative properties
Roman Chamomile is a hardy perennial plant
Decorative: Small daisy-like flowers over low growing, fragrant apple-scented foliage. Height 6”-10”. Can be used to create a “Chamomile Lawn”, a fragrant, no-mow, eco-friendly alternative to turfgrass.
Culinary: Used for making tea.
Medicinal: Said to reduce fever, stomach upset, headache, and inflammation. The foliage contains fragrant essential oils that lend their scent to perfumes and are used in aromatherapy as a calming agent to reduce stress and promote sleep.
By Zannah Crowe
