If you are lucky enough to find a place where pharmaceutical chamomile grows, be sure to collect and dry its flowers. After all, chamomile is a universal medicine against inflammation, irritation and colds.
Ordinary chamomile, which grows in courtyards, is not suitable for medicinal purposes. You need a pharmacy chamomile, you can find it anywhere: by a pond, a river, a road, or in a field and forest. It's just that it is not so common.
Pharmacy chamomile differs from the usual appearance and smell. It reaches a height of 20-40 cm and exudes a strong aroma. Despite the fact that medicinal chamomile begins to bloom in May, it acquires healing properties only by the beginning of June. Flowering usually ends in September.
How to collect chamomile
It is not recommended to collect chamomile near roads, railways, landfills, etc. Flowers perfectly absorb odors and toxic substances.
You should go to pick chamomile early in the morning in dry weather. It is in the morning that the processes of photosynthesis are activated inside the plants and more nutrients are produced.
Pull flowers carefully without damaging the roots. This will save the plant and it will bloom next year. Choose juicy healthy chamomiles, they contain much more nutrients than wilting ones.
How to dry chamomile
Before you dry the chamomile, you need to sort it out. Separate flowers from stems and leaves, remove low-quality specimens, remnants of the earth, and other plants.
The medicinal properties of the harvested chamomile depend on the quality of drying, so you need to carefully choose a place. Do not dry flowers in the sun. When exposed to light and heat, they will start to deteriorate.
Choose a dark, dry place. An attic, closet, or a place behind a sofa is perfect. Arrange the flowers on paper and turn over several times a day.
Another way to dry chamomile is to hang flowers plucked along with the stems "upside down". Tie them into bunches and place them at a distance of 20-30 cm from each other. Make sure that the sun's rays do not fall on the plants.
If you did everything correctly, the flowers will not change their color and smell as a result of drying. They will only decrease in size and weight by 70-75%.
Go through the plants again and wrap them in cardboard boxes or cotton bags. You can use glass jars, just cover them with a cloth and wrap with thread instead of a lid. But it is better not to store flowers in metal containers. Chamomile needs to "breathe", otherwise its broth will acquire an unpleasant bitter taste.
Medicinal chamomile, dried in bunches, can hang on the wall for up to a year and a half, retaining its properties.
