Chamomile has been called "the plant's physician" - medieval herbalists noticed that ailing plants recovered when chamomile grew nearby. The ancient Egyptians dedicated it to the sun god Ra, and it was one of the nine sacred herbs in Anglo-Saxon medicine. Its name comes from the Greek "ground apple" - walk through a chamomile meadow and you'll release that sweet, apple-like scent from beneath your feet.
It's botanical name 'Matricaria' comes from the word mother, and relates to the herb being used for possibly relieving cramping in the uterus.
Why Beer Makes Medicine
Here's the beautiful alchemy: alcohol is one of nature's finest extractors of plant compounds. While water draws out sugars and some flavonoids, alcohol captures the essential oils, bitter compounds, and fat-soluble constituents that water alone cannot reach. When you ferment chamomile, you're not just making a pleasant drink - you're creating a more bioavailable medicine.
The stems and leaves contain different compounds than the flowers: more chlorophyll, more bitter principles, different volatile oils. Using the whole plant means you're capturing the full spectrum of what chamomile offers. Traditionally, brewers understood that the bitterness of herbs wasn't just for flavour - those bitter compounds stimulate digestion and enhance absorption of nutrients.
Add to this the acidification that happens during fermentation, and you're essentially creating the same kind of extraction that herbalists achieve with vinegar tinctures - making minerals and certain alkaloids more available to the body.
Jeff and I made this beer after New Years - we had loads of chamomile that we'd picked earlier and hung to dry and it was getting in the way of our life - the flowers shedding yellow dust all over the outdoor bench. It was time to do something with it. I was sitting and reading Stephen Buhner and Jeff asked if there was anything with Chamomile and lo' and behold there was. He got to work - he loves to brew - and this is what we made! It's GORGEOUS. Feels more alcoholic than Stephen said it would be... maybe it's the relaxative effect of the herb? I'm a fan. We only have 5 bottles left and I am eyeing off the chamomile in the garden making sure we get some more. This doesn't have the chamomile tea taste you'd expect - it does have that aroma initially, and is certainly floral - but refreshing and bright. Do it. You can halve this recipe to fit into your pots and jars. Beer brewing does not always have to be in large amounts!
Additional sugar for bottling (1 teaspoon per bottle)
Directions
Heat 4-5 litres of water to a gentle boil (whatever your pot can handle)
Stir in the sugar until dissolved, then add the chopped chamomile - flowers, stems, leaves and all. As you add the plant material, notice the colours: golden flowers, bright green stems, silvery leaves. You're capturing sunshine and earth in liquid form.
Simmer for one hour.This is your first extraction, water pulling out the water-soluble compounds.
Let cool and strain through muslin, pressing well to extract every drop. Pour into your fermenter and top up with remaining cool water to bring temperature to 25-30°C.
Sprinkle yeast over the surface, cover loosely, (if you have a fermenter use an airlock - or a tub with a lid)
Ferment for 3-7 days. During this time, the yeast creates alcohol and acids, which continue extracting and transforming the plant's constituents. The beer will shift from sweet to dry, from simple to complex.
Bottle and add aboutt a teaspoon of sugar per 750-1 litre bottle for carbonation, lid and leave for at least a week at room temperature, then refrigerate.
Expected result:A more robust, herbaceous beer with pleasant bitterness from the stems and leaves balancing the floral sweetness of the flowers. The green parts add depth and a slightly earthy, grassy note. The alcohol content (around 2-3%- could be more) preserves the herbal compounds while making them more bioavailable than a simple tea ever could.
Recipe Note
This is fermentation as folk medicine - the way our ancestors understood it, long before we separated "beverage" from "remedy."
Stephen Buhner says "... it's use in beer and ale makes it a good medicinal ale for gastric problems, ulceration, nervousness and tension, and respiratory infections."
Science tells us mugwort contains thujone, artemisinin, and volatile oils that are both medicinal and psychoactive in the gentlest way - dream-inducing, moon-aligned, doorway-opening. But you don't need to know the chemistry to work with it. You just need to listen. Or sit near it.
