Chamomile
Latin: <i>Matricaria discoidea</i> (Wild) or <i>Matricarita recutita</i> (German)<br/> Pineapple weed
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Description
The heads of this plant are a yellowy green. When crushed, it smells like pineapple. It likes to grow in traffic areas where people gather and along walking paths. (Gray, p. 60)
The kind without petals is Wild chamomile (Matricaria discoidea) which is also called false chamomile and pineappleweed. If there are white petals, it's German chamomile (Matricaria recutita). (Gray, p. 59)
We didn't actually plant the chamomile on purpose in the garden. It volunteered on its own! Chamomile is a member of the Aster family, just like Brown-Eyed Susan, Coneflower, Fringed Aster, Goldenrod, Ox-eye daisy, Sage, Smooth Aster, and Yarrow.
Food
The flower heads can be eaten raw.
Because of its similarity to German chamomile, Wild chamomile may contain vitamin A and C and calcium, magnesium, and potassium. (Gray, p. 61)
Medicine
heartburn, gas, menstrual cramps, colic, sore muscles, itching, inflammation of a wound, sedative or for anti-anxiety
It's well-known that chamomile tea will relax you before bed. The leaves contain apigenin which has been shown to act as a sedative or for anti-anxiety (Foster & Duke, p. 122).
Wild Chamomile tea, in small amounts, can also help a teething or colicky baby (Gray, p. 60). You can put the chamomile tea (not too hot!) in a bottle with honey to calm the baby (Métis Elder, published in Marles et al., p. 133).
Wild Chamomile tea is good for heartburn, gas, and menstrual cramps (Gray, p. 60). It can also treat urinary problems associated with the kidneys (Siegfried, 1994, as cited in Marles et al., p. 133).
As a wash or poultice, wild chamomile can treat sore muscles, itching, or to alleviate the inflammation of a wound (Gray, p. 61). To treat eye infections, squeeze a small flower and drop the fresh juice directly into the eye (Cree Elder, published in Marles et al., p. 133).
References
Foster, S. and Duke, J. A. (2014). Peterson Field Guide to Medicinal Plants and Herbs of Eastern and Central North America, Third Edition. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
Cree Elder, Athabasca River region, Alberta. Interviewed 1994, published in Marles et al., 2012.
Gray, B. (2011). The Boreal Herbal - Wild Food and Medicine Plants of the North - A Guide to Harvesting, Preserving, and Preparing. Whitehorse, Yukon: Aroma Borealis Press, co-published by CCI Press, Canadian Circumpolar Institute, University of Alberta. http://borealherbal.com
Métis Elder, Elizabeth Métis Settlement, Alberta. Interviewed 1994, published in Marles et al., 2012.
Marles, R. J., Clavelle, C., Monteleone, L., Tays, N., and Burns, D. (2012). Aboriginal Plant Use in Canada's Northwest Boreal Forest. Edmonton, AB: Natural Resources Canada.
"Wild Chamomile". (n.d.) Retrieved from University of Alberta Indigenous Teaching & Learning Gardens website: https://sites.google.com/a/ualberta.ca/our-garden/our-plants/pineapple-weed (Accessed April 2020)