Chamomile tea (Χαμομήλι), Greek chamomili

Enjoy a hot cup of chamomile tea, a soothing, fragrant herbal tea that is the Greek mother’s answer to anything that ails you. Learn all about this tea, and how to make it.

What is chamomile tea?

Chamomile tea is made from the dried family of daisy plants called Asteraceae.  You can drink it because it is delicious, but you can also try it because it reportedly has many medicinal properties.  Chamomile tea is said to treat inflammation, insomnia, muscle spasms and skin disorders, along with other aches and pains.  

Growing up in a Greek home, a sore throat, tummy ache, or nagging cough were always invitations to brew a pot of chamomile tea and to serve it, usually, with a heaping teaspoon of Greek honey.  This herbal concoction is of course free of caffeine, making it pretty perfect for any age.  

Where to find it

You can find chamomile tea in prepared tea bags, alongside your Earl Grey and English Breakfast varieties. My parents never use chamomile tea bags, so for me these seem somewhat strange.  Luckily, I am able to easily find loose, dried chamomile flowers.  Occasionally, my mother grinds these flowers up to create a coarse, powder-like tea (which is probably similar to what you would find if you opened up one of those tea bags). She does this in order to make it easier to store the chamomile, usually in an old honey jar, in the refrigerator.

Helpful hints

Chamomile tea is purported to have medicinal properties. You can try using chamomile tea topically to help alleviate any skin ailments. Have a rash, a pimple, some eczema?  Try applying a clean cotton pad soaked in cooled chamomile tea to the area.

Chamomile tea and pregnancy

If you are pregnant at any age however (congratulations!), you should speak to your doctor before enjoying chamomile tea; certain varieties had been found to cause uterine contractions and induce miscarriage.  Chamomile is good…but nothing is worth that risk!

Using ground up chamomile tea

If you have on hand the loose, ground up chamomile tea, use a very fine sieve to keep the tea from getting into your cup as you pour.

How to serve it

I like to serve chamomile tea with a bit of honey to sweeten it. Some people add a bit of milk (I don’t) and use sugar instead of honey – you can really prepare it any way you like.

Chamomile is a really delicate tea in my opinion, so if I am going to nibble something with it, I usually prefer a delicate treat, something like Tahini honey cookies or Vegan shortbread cookies.

Related recipes

Looking for some more more soothing drinks? Try these:

Milk and coffee The drink of our childhoods! This is a nostalgic and wonderful soothing and delicious drink.

Greek Mountain tea (Tsai tou vounou) A great Greek tea from the mountains of Greece.

Hot toddy If you are feeling somewhat under the weather, a warm and soothing concoction of lemon juice, honey, water and alcohol is a great idea! This will help you sleep, and hopefully have you wake up feeling better!

We love hearing from you!  If you have made our recipes, or if you have a question or comment, or simply want to say Hi!,  please leave a comment and star rating below! Also be sure to follow along with us, on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest.  We have lots of fun over there.

This post may contain some affiliate links, which means that we make a small commission off items you purchase at no additional cost to you.

Thanks for sharing!