CHAMOMILE or Camomile Flowers, the flores anthemidis of the Pharmacopoeia, are the capitula or flowerheads of Anthémis nobilis (Nat. Ord. Compositae), a plant indigenous to England and Southern Europe. It is extensively cultivated for medicinal purposes in Surrey, at several places in Saxony, and in France and Belgium,—that grown in England being much more valuable than any of the foreign chamomiles brought into the market. In the wild plant the florets of the ray are ligulate and white, and contain pistils only, those of the disc being tubular and yellow; but under cultivation the whole of the florets tend to become ligulate and white, in which state the flowerheads are said to be double. The flower-heads are destitute of pappus; they have a warm aromatic odour, which is characteristic of the entire plant, and a very bitter taste. In addition to a bitter extractive principle, they yield about 2 per cent, of a volatile liquid, which on its first extraction is of a pale blue colour, but becomes a yellowish brown on exposure to light. It has the characteristic odour of the flowers, and consists of a mixture of butylic and amylic angelate and valerate. Angel ate of potassium has been obtained by treatment of the oil with caustic potash, and angelic acid may be isolated from this by treatment with dilute sulphuric acid. Chamomile is used in medicine in the form of an infusion, made with ½ oz. of the flowers to 10 oz. of boiling distilled water. An extract is also prepared by evaporating the infusion, and subsequently adding 15 minims of the essential oil for each pound of flowers used. It is an aromatic tonic and stomachic, and the infusion, if given warm and in large doses, acts as an emetic. The oil is stimulant and carminative, and forms a useful adjunct to purgative ...