Common Name: Mayweed

General Information

Anthemis cotula is an annual plant with a branched stem that can grow up to 60cm tall[].
The plant is often seen as an inferior form of chamomile and is sometimes harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine and food.
The plant has spread widely through human activity and has become a weed in many areas of the globe.

Known Hazards

The whole plant is penetrated by an acrid juice, touching or ingesting the plant can cause allergies in some people[, ].

Botanical References

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Range

Most of Europe, including Britain, east to N. and W. Asia.

Habitat

Waste places usually on heavy soil[, ].

Properties

Weed Potential	Yes
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Annual
Height	0.60 m
Pollinators	Flies, Beetles, Self
Self-fertile	Yes
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Prefers a sunny position and a well-drained soil that is neutral to slightly acid[, ]. Succeeds in heavy clay soils.
Bees dislike this plant[].
The leaves contain glands which release a most disagreeable odour when the plant is handled and can cause allergic reactions in people.

Edible Uses

The herb is used as a flavouring in Peru[]. It is aromatic. Caution is advised, there are some reports of toxicity.

A herb tea is made from the flowers in a similar way to camomile tea[] and it has a similar though weaker effect medicinally[]. The odour is not very pleasant and so it is not commonly used[].

Medicinal

Mayweed is closely related to camomile, but is far less effective as a medicine[]. It has been used as an antispasmodic and to induce menstruation and was traditionally used to treat supposedly hysterical conditions related to the uterus[]. It is rarely used in contemporary herbal medicine[].

The whole plant is antispasmodic, astringent, diaphoretic, diuretic, emetic, emmenagogue and tonic[, ]. It is used internally as a tea, which can be made either from the flowers or the whole plant, though the flowers are less unpleasant and so are more commonly used[]. An infusion is used in the treatment of a variety of complaints such as rheumatism, epilepsy, asthma, colds and fevers[].
Applied externally, it is used as a poultice on piles or to draw splinters out of the body, and can also be applied to the bath water[, ].

The leaves are rubbed onto insect stings[].
Some people are allergic to the plant and this remedy could give them painful blisters[].

This herb is contraindicated for pregnant women or nursing mothers[].

Other Uses

The growing and the dried plant is said to repel mice and fleas[, ], it can also be used as an insecticide[, , ].

A gold dye is obtained from the whole plant[, ].

Propagation

Seed - best sown outdoors as soon as it is ripe. Most of the seed germinates in the autumn.