It is a low-growing plant, creeping or trailing, its tufts of leaves and flowers a foot high. The root is perennial, jointed and fibrous, the stems, hairy and freely branching, are covered with leaves which are divided into thread-like segments, the fineness of which gives the whole plant a feathery appearance. The blooms are borne solitary on long, erect stalks, drooping when in bud. With their outer fringe of white ray-florets and yellow centres, are remarkably like the daisy. There are some eighteen white rays arranged round a conical centre, botanically known as the receptacle, on which the yellow, tubular florets are placed. The fruit is small and dry, and as it forms, the hill of the receptacle gets more and more conical.
Herb Effects
Achic, anodyne, antispasmodic, tonic, diuretic, emmenagogue, emetic (plant); anticancer, stimulant and carminative (flower); sedative, antiinflammatory and antidiuretic (oil).
In cases of ordinary indigestion, such as flatulent colic, heartburn, loss of appetite, sluggish state of the intestinal canal, and also in gout and periodic headache, and is an appetizing tonic, especially for aged persons, nerve disorders, as a carminative and stimulant (flower).
Contraindication
Raises the possibility of assisting premature natural termination.
Reference
Chandel et al., Biodiversity in Medicinal and Aromatic Plants in India.
Johnson T. CRC Ethnobotany Desk Reference (www.herbweb.com/herbage). Rucker G. Mayer R. Lee KR. [Peroxides as plant constituents. 6. Hydroperoxides from the blossoms of Roman Chamomile.