Chamomile

Chamomile is not one interchangeable botanical product. German chamomile is Matricaria chamomilla L., commonly referenced under the synonym Matricaria recutita L.; Roman chamomile is Chamaemelum nobile (L.) All. A comparable lot needs the accepted scientific name, growing and processing origins, flower-head or leaf content, whole, cut or powdered form, herbal-tea, medicinal, extract or essential-oil intended use, moisture, stems and other foreign matter, total and acid-insoluble ash, volatile oil and marker content where specified, pesticide, microbiological, heavy-metal and authenticity results, crop and packing dates, package and lot, quantity, currency, Incoterm, destination, delivery window and information vintage.

Editorial evidence reviewedReviewed 2026-09-14Release 2026-09-19-batch-230

Market value

$900M

Producing countries tracked

6

Grading systems

1

Active supply risks

6

Trade corridors

5

Latest reviewed evidence

The WHO Flos Chamomillae monograph for German chamomile flower sets source-reference ceilings of 10 percent stems, 2 percent other foreign organic matter, 13 percent total ash, 4 percent acid-insoluble ash and 12 percent moisture, with not less than 0.4 percent volatile oil. Brazil's 2019 pharmacopoeial monograph separately specifies at least 0.4 percent volatile oil and at least 0.25 percent apigenin-7-O-glucoside for its named dried Matricaria flower drug. These are dated medicinal-plant quality references, not current lot results, universal food standards, clinical claims, supply volumes or prices.

WHO German-chamomile stem ceiling

10

percent, maximum · WHO Flos Chamomillae monograph, Volume 1 published 1999

WHO German-chamomile other-foreign-matter ceiling

2

percent, maximum · WHO Flos Chamomillae monograph, Volume 1 published 1999

WHO German-chamomile total-ash ceiling

13

percent, maximum · WHO Flos Chamomillae monograph, Volume 1 published 1999

WHO German-chamomile acid-insoluble-ash ceiling

4

percent, maximum · WHO Flos Chamomillae monograph, Volume 1 published 1999

WHO German-chamomile moisture ceiling

12

percent, maximum · WHO Flos Chamomillae monograph, Volume 1 published 1999

WHO German-chamomile volatile-oil floor

0.4

percent volume per weight, minimum · WHO Flos Chamomillae monograph, Volume 1 published 1999

Brazilian Pharmacopoeia apigenin-7-O-glucoside floor

0.25

percent, minimum · Brazilian Pharmacopoeia 6th edition monograph, 2019

German and Roman chamomile remain separate species

Kew accepts Matricaria chamomilla L. and Chamaemelum nobile (L.) All. as different species in the Asteraceae family. EMA likewise maintains separate medicinal-product records for Matricariae flos and Chamomillae romanae flos. Codex's herbal-tea classification places both under chamomile code DT 1110, but a shared commodity grouping does not make their botanical identity, chemistry or specification interchangeable. Atlas retains the scientific name and source synonym on every record.

Flower heads, cut tea, powder, extracts and essential oil are different products

EMA defines Matricaria flower as the flower heads of Matricaria recutita and describes comminuted flower, dry or liquid extracts and other preparations as distinct forms. Codex classifies dried leaves or blossoms intended for brewing under its herbal-tea subgroup, while pharmacopoeial monographs address medicinal plant material. Atlas preserves plant part, whole, cut or powder form, extraction solvent and ratio, carrier, oil or marker basis, intended use and destination regime before comparing quality or trade evidence.

A pharmacopoeial threshold is not a certificate or a health claim

WHO and ANVISA reference limits define named medicinal plant material and analytical expectations. They do not prove that an untested shipment complies, that a food or cosmetic destination accepts it, or that the lot has a medical effect. Atlas attaches each identity, moisture, ash, volatile-oil, apigenin, pesticide, microbiological, heavy-metal or adulteration result to a representative sample, laboratory, method and test date. Medicinal authorization and public-health claims remain outside a commodity certificate unless separately evidenced and legally reviewed.

Quality references do not establish a delivered chamomile price

The cited limits describe identity and quality for dated reference scopes, not current crop size, available inventory or value. A delivered estimate still needs permitted current observations for the exact species, flower content, form and intended use, growing and processing origins, crop and packing dates, lot-linked identity and quality tests, package and quantity, currency, Incoterm, destination, delivery window, freight and information vintage. Atlas withholds a physical estimate when those observations or usage rights are missing.

Questions procurement teams ask

Are German and Roman chamomile the same product?

No. German chamomile is Matricaria chamomilla, commonly referenced under the synonym Matricaria recutita; Roman chamomile is Chamaemelum nobile. A shared common name or Codex group does not make their specifications interchangeable.

Does the WHO 0.4-percent volatile-oil floor apply to every chamomile product?

No. It belongs to the WHO Flos Chamomillae reference for named German-chamomile flower material. A tea, Roman chamomile, extract, essential oil, food or cosmetic product needs its own applicable identity and specification.

Does a pharmacopoeial limit prove a chamomile shipment complies?

No. A monograph sets reference requirements. Compliance requires representative sampling, botanical authentication, method-linked lot results and the current rules for the actual destination and intended use.

Which fields make chamomile offers comparable?

Accepted scientific name and source synonym, growing and processing origins, flower-head or leaf content, whole, cut or powdered form, tea, medicinal, extract or oil intended use, extraction basis where applicable, moisture, stems and other foreign matter, total and acid-insoluble ash, volatile oil and marker content, pesticide, microbiological, heavy-metal and authenticity results, crop and packing dates, package and lot, quantity, currency, Incoterm, destination, delivery window and evidence date.

Sources and provenance

Figures retain their source, period and review date. Corroboration is not promoted to primary evidence.

WHO monographs on selected medicinal plants, Volume 1 — Flos Chamomillae

World Health Organization · Primary WHO medicinal-plant monograph for German-chamomile flower identity, foreign matter, ash, moisture and volatile-oil reference limits; published in 1999 and not a current food standard or lot certificate · accessed 2026-09-14

Brazilian Pharmacopoeia — Camomila, flor PM023-00

Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency (ANVISA) · Primary 2019 Brazilian pharmacopoeial monograph for dried Matricaria flower, including volatile-oil and apigenin-7-O-glucoside floors; medicinal scope is not transferred to food or other uses · accessed 2026-09-14

Matricaria chamomilla L. — Plants of the World Online

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew · Primary botanical authority accepting Matricaria chamomilla and recording Matricaria recutita among its synonyms; botanical identity alone does not establish grade or use compliance · accessed 2026-09-14

Chamaemelum nobile (L.) All. — Plants of the World Online

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew · Primary botanical authority for accepted Roman chamomile identity and synonym context; it is distinct from German chamomile · accessed 2026-09-14

Matricariae flos — herbal medicinal product

European Medicines Agency · Primary EU medicines-agency record distinguishing Matricaria flower heads, comminuted material and extracts and explicitly limiting its summary to medicinal-product assessment · accessed 2026-09-14

Revision of the Classification of Food and Feed — teas and herbal teas

Codex Alimentarius Commission, FAO/WHO · Primary Codex committee document classifying dried German and Roman chamomile leaves or blossoms under herbal-tea code DT 1110 and defining the analysed portion; a classification is not a lot result or price · accessed 2026-09-14

Grading systems

National and regional grading frameworks defining tradeable quality.

Country-level production, share of global output, exporter/importer status.

Active and seasonal supply-side risks — weather, disease, geopolitical, regulatory.

Required export and import documents per origin-destination corridor.