Chrysanthemum and Chamomile: Flower Teas Flowers are a valuable
ingredient for making herbal teas. The two most popular teas
with flowers used as single herbs are chamomile in the West and
chrysanthemum in the East. Other flowers, such of hibiscus,
rose, lavender, orange, and tilia (linden), are used as flavor
ingredients for a wide range of herbal beverage teas, while
jasmine and osmanthus flowers impart an exotic flowery taste and
aroma to green tea. Both chamomile and chrysanthemum are in the
same plant family: Asteraceae. There are two types of chamomile
commonly used for teas, the “true” chamomile, or German
chamomile, Matricaria recutita, which is most widely used and
the basis of descriptions of chamomile below, and Roman
chamomile, Chamaemelum nobile. There are also two basic types of
chrysanthemum used in China (among several distinguished
varieties): the standard herb, Chrysanthemum morifolium (known
simply as juhua) and the “wild” chrysanthemum, Chrysanthemum
indicum (yejuhua). The British doctors