Matricaria chamomilla, more commonly known as chamomile, is an Asteraceae family flowering herb native to Europe and Western Asia, and now widely cultivated in temperate climates worldwide. The dried flower heads have a sweet, apple-like aroma. Its taste is mildly bitter & slightly sweet. It's known for anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, anxiolytic, sedative, carminative, and antimicrobial properties. The primary active constituents include apigenin, sesquiterpenes (alpha-bisabolol), and chamazulene formed during distillation. Clinically, chamomile is used for anxiety, mild insomnia, dyspepsia, colic, irritable bowel symptoms, menstrual cramps, and for inflammatory skin conditions. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial found that chamomile extract produced modest but significant reductions in symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder compared with placebo PMID: 19593179. Historically, chamomile was revered in ancient Egypt as a sacred herb of the sun god Ra. It was used in medieval Europe as a strewing herb to calm both people and livestock. And its apple-like scent gave rise to its Greek name translating to ground apple.