Chamomile Essential Oil - Roman and German

The two types of chamomile essential oil used in aromatherapy - Roman and German - have different chemical compositions and different properties. (You might hear of a Moroccan chamomile, but it's not true chamomile, according to Kurt Schnaubelt, Ph.D.)


German Chamomile
By H. Zell (Own work)
[CC-BY-SA-3.0] The common method of extraction for both essential oils is steam distillation of the plant's flowers. German chamomile oil is deep blue, while Roman chamomile oil is pale yellow occasionally tinged with blue.

Roman Chamomile Oil

Roman chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile) is a small perennial herb, with daisy-like flowers, that grows only 4 to 12 inches tall and has an apple-like scent. Roman chamomile essential oil contains about 80 percent esters, making it a gentle, calming oil, appropriate even for young children.

The Fragrant Heavens states that Roman chamomile encourages relaxation, stillness, calmness, softness, gentleness, serenity, spiritual awareness, emotional stability, inner peace, understanding, and cooperation.

Other possible uses for Roman chamomile essential oil include menstrual pain, menopause, PMS, stress, tension, and anxiety. Use it to make a relaxing bath or footbath or to make a massage oil blend.

Roman chamomile also soothes all types of skin, and may help skin conditions such as acne, dermatitis, and eczema.

German Chamomile Oil

German chamomile (Matricaria recutita) has smaller daisy-like flowers than Roman chamomile but is a larger plant, growing to 20 inches. The main chemical component is sesquiterpenes, which makes German chamomile an excellent essential oil for skin care. It may help most skin conditions.

Here's a skin care toner for normal skin:

6 drops lavender
1 drop clary sage
1 drop German chamomile
4 drops lemon
2 fluid ounces distilled water

Add essential oils to distilled water in a spray bottle. Essential oils and water will separate, so shake the bottle vigorously before spraying this blend onto clean skin. Source: Aromatherapy for Common Ailments.

German chamomile also helps fight inflammation. Possible uses include abscesses, boils, colic, cuts, cystitis, dermatitis, insect bites, sprains, strains, and wounds.

The Fragrant Heavens says that German chamomile encourages communication, relaxation, understanding, organizaation, empathy, patience, and calm.

You can get both German chamomile and Roman chamomile from Young Living. (To order, please use Sponsoring Distributor Member Number 1030500 or contact me for more information.)