Chamomile
Chamomile in the ingredient trade usually means German chamomile, the flower heads of Matricaria chamomilla, grown in Egypt, Eastern Europe and Argentina. Roman chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile) is a separate plant used mostly for essential oil. Chamomile is sold as whole or cut dried flowers for tea, flower powder, extracts standardized to apigenin, and steam-distilled essential oil, which is blue in German chamomile.
Suppliers sell different products under the same name. Specify the one you need.
Dried flower heads for tea, graded by flower content, color and fines.
Milled dried flowers for capsules and powders; not standardized.
Dry extract sold on a percentage of apigenin or apigenin-7-glucoside by HPLC.
Steam-distilled oil; German chamomile oil is blue from chamazulene, Roman chamomile oil is pale and ester-rich.
Flowers, extract or oil from certified organic production, common in tea.
Compare each result with your own specification when the lot arrives.
Keep flowers and powder sealed, dry and dark, away from heat that drives off volatile oil. Essential oil goes in full, closed, light-blocking containers. Shelf life or retest date comes from the supplier.
Flower-to-stem ratio, oil content and color vary with origin and harvest. Record species (German or Roman), origin and supplier lot, and check pesticide results on each lot.
Facts from regulators and standards bodies, each linked to its source.
21 CFR 182.10 lists both German or Hungarian chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla L.) and English or Roman chamomile (Anthemis nobilis L.) among spices and natural seasonings and flavorings generally recognized as safe for their intended use.
Source: ecfr.gov (opens in a new tab)Health Canada's natural health product monograph for German chamomile (oral) lists the dried flower of Matricaria chamomilla as the source material.
Source: webprod.hc-sc.gc.ca (opens in a new tab)The EU Novel Food status Catalogue (entry POL-NF-15346) lists the aerial parts, including flowers, of Matricaria chamomilla as not novel in food.
Source: ec.europa.eu (opens in a new tab)This is general information, not regulatory advice. Status differs by country and by how the ingredient is used, so check the rules for your product and market.
Manufacturers and distributors whose own websites say they sell it.
Distributor · Norway, IA
Frontier Co-op is a member-owned cooperative in Norway, Iowa, that sources and sells bulk herbs, spices, teas and botanicals by the pound, with a separate wholesale site for business buyers.
Suppliers are in alphabetical order and none pays to appear. Each claim is checked against the supplier’s own website on the date shown. Ask for the specification sheet and a recent COA before you order, and confirm details with the supplier.
Common forms include whole or cut flowers, flower powder, standardized extract, essential oil and organic. Ask each supplier for the specification sheet of the exact grade they quote.
Expect identity (HPTLC or microscopy), apigenin assay (HPLC), essential oil content and profile, pesticide residues, microbiology and heavy metals, each with its method, specification and result for that lot.
Keep flowers and powder sealed, dry and dark, away from heat that drives off volatile oil. Essential oil goes in full, closed, light-blocking containers. Shelf life or retest date comes from the supplier.
21 CFR 182.10 lists both German or Hungarian chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla L.) and English or Roman chamomile (Anthemis nobilis L.) among spices and natural seasonings and flavorings generally recognized as safe for their intended use. Health Canada's natural health product monograph for German chamomile (oral) lists the dried flower of Matricaria chamomilla as the source material. The EU Novel Food status Catalogue (entry POL-NF-15346) lists the aerial parts, including flowers, of Matricaria chamomilla as not novel in food.
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