QUALITY OF CHAMOMILE TEAS - ESSENTIAL OIL CONTENT AND ITS COMPOSITION

Chamomile, a medicinal plant, with a history going back to the time of Egyptian pharaohs, is used in phytotherapy today and, unequivocally, will be used in the future. In the world market, the dry plant flowers, Chamomillae flos, are an important medicinal plant trade item. The annual consumption of chamomile flowers is several thousands of tons. GC analyses of the dry chamomile flowers of different origin, obtained from the commercially available teas, has demonstrated considerable variance in medically effective components. In addition, the constituents of chamomile essential oil differ from those of chamomile teas. Quality is important in the use of the flowers for tea production and for the pharmaceutical and cosmetic products, as shown by dissimilar pharmacodynamic effects. INTRODUCTION In the story of Peter Rabbit, a young rabbit named Peter develops a classic case of indigestion after eating his way through Mr. MacGregor's garden and barely surviving a frightening chase by the farmer before finding his way safely home. To cure the indigestion, his wise mother treats Peter with a cup of chamomile tea and puts him straight to bed. The chamomile tea referred to in this tale is brewed from the flowers of the chamomile (Matricaria recutita L.) plant (syn. camomile). This, the chamomile flower, was sacred to the ancient Egyptians and Romans and indeed, revered so much by the Egyptians that they consecrated the flower to their gods and dedicated the blossom to the Sun - the highest of all honors within their culture. Although generally considered a weed in Europe, the curative power was known historically used in traditional medicinal practices of various countries for many years. The popularity of chamomile grew throughout the Middle Ages, a time when people turned to chamomile as a remedy for numerous medicinal complaints, including nausea, nervousness, child ailments, skin diseases, and other similar afflictions. Recent and on- going research identifying specific anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiallergenic, and sedative properties of chamomile have validated the long held reputation of the plant and appear to be contributing to the popularity of this herb. Common on many family tables throughout Europe, chamomile tea offers a delicate flavor with a fruity aroma reminiscent of apples. Of course, the flavor of chamomile tea depends mainly upon elusive aromas of the flowers that are dependent on the characteristic quantity and composition of the essential oil. Today, most health stores, pharmacies and groceries offer a wide variety of chamomile teas produced by various tea companies. The raw chamomile used for processing of these teas originates from a number of different localities and sources (Salamon and Danielovic, 1998) and raises a question about the quality of the teas and remedies listed in the European Pharmacopoeia (Schilcher, 2005). The present research investigated qualitative-quantitative characteristics encountered in chamomile raw material used for herbal tea production and commonly sold in the market stores or chains in Slovakia.