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    Chamomile

    Common · Matricaria

    Healing · Alchemical · Magical · Defensive

    Terrain Grassland, Hills, Urban

    Description

    Chamomile is an annual herbaceous plant with a straight, thin stem, pinnately dissected leaves, and white petals surrounding a yellow center.

    Location and Habitat

    It is found in meadows, fields, along roadsides, and in gardens throughout much of Europe, Asia, and in some regions of North America.

    Rarity and Availability

    Chamomile is a widely distributed plant and easily accessible in nature.

    Effects and Uses

    Chamomile is used in medicine and cosmetology. It has anti-inflammatory, soothing, and antiseptic properties. It is used to prepare teas, infusions, and decoctions.

    Harvesting & Preparation

    • A DC 10 Wisdom (Nature) check or Wisdom (Survival) check recognizes this common "white-petaled, yellowcentered" herb as chamomile.

    Items & Effects

    • Chamomile Tea. A simple infusion brewed from fresh or dried chamomile flowers.
      • Creation. Requires 10 minutes and a DC 10 Wisdom (herbalism kit) check. One batch yields 2-3 cups.
      • Use (Ingested).
        • Soothing Warmth. Each creature that drinks a cup gains advantage on the next saving throw to resist being frightened or charmed within the next hour.
        • Gentle Rest. Drinking this tea before a short rest grants an additional +1 HP per Hit Die spent (once per rest).
    • Fairy’s Tear Tincture. A more potent concoction, said to harness the fairy’s sorrow-turned-healing energy.
      • Creation. Requires 1 hour of careful brewing and a DC 12 Wisdom (herbalism kit) check or Intelligence (Arcana) check.
      • Use (Ingested). Heart’s Ease: For 1 hour, the drinker has advantage on saving throws against effects causing the frightened condition or emotional distress (e.g., certain enchantment spells).
    • Robert’s Sachet. A small pouch of dried chamomile believed to guide lost souls home.
      • Creation. Requires 4 hours, a DC 14 Wisdom (herbalism kit) check, and genuine sentimental intent (a personal vow or token of home).
      • Use (Carried/Worn).
        • Road Home. Once per day, the bearer can gain advantage on any Survival check made to navigate back to a known location (e.g., childhood home, beloved village).
        • Beacon of Reunion. If two creatures carry matching Robert’s Sachets, each knows the direction of the other so long as they’re on the same plane and within 10 miles.
    • “He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not” Petal Reading. A simple act of plucking chamomile petals to lay bare the heart’s question.
      • Mechanics.
        • Takes 1 minute to pluck petals. You pose a yes/no question about personal relationships or emotional truths.
        • Roll a DC 10 Charisma (Performance) check. On a success, the GM provides a subtle hint or omen (not definitive prophecy, but a clue).
        • On a failure, you receive no clarity.

    Lore

    Among the ancient Slavs, chamomile was one of the seven sacred plants: oak, hazel, willow, chamomile, hops, mistletoe, and loosestrife. The name "chamomile" comes from the Latin word "romana," which means "Roman"; in medieval medical literature, chamomile was called the "Roman flower."

    In English folklore, there is a legend about chamomile. Long ago, there lived the Roberts family, who had lost their father—a mother with her two children, a son and a daughter— living in their uncle’s house. The children were still young and played in the meadow near the house, gathering chamomile flowers and weaving them into wreaths. One day, Robert (the son) grew older and told his sister that it was time for him to become an assistant to their uncle, who had grown old, and that their family had become a real burden for him. As Robert prepared to leave, he promised his sister that he would bring her as much gold and silver as there were chamomile flowers in that meadow. His sister, Eliza, hearing such words, began to cry and tried to dissuade her brother. But he reassured her, saying that God would surely take care of him.

    At first, Eliza regularly received letters from her brother. But after several years, their uncle died, and the letters stopped coming. Eliza and her mother sold the house and moved to another place, unreachable by any road, where they bought a very small cottage. Eliza missed her brother deeply and feared that she would never see him again because Robert wouldn't be able to find his way to them. Then she thought of the chamomile flowers that Robert loved so much. She found them in a field, dug up all the roots, and planted them around the house. Over time, the chamomile grew so abundantly around the cottage atop the hill that from afar it looked like a snow-white carpet.

    From Witch’s Herbs 5E, p. 24 · Fern Flower Press