Chamomile Blog Post | Rooted Being

Chamomile

BY THEASHEN MOODLEY

Key Definitions

Anti-inflammatory herbs – help the body combat inflammation. Often used for relief of pain and discomfort.

Antispasmodic herbs – prevent or ease spasms or cramps in the muscles. They reduce muscular tension in the body and will sometimes ease psychological tension as well.

Bitters – remedies with a bitter taste. Their broad effects on tone and function offer an opportunity to treat the whole body. Among the actions of bitters, they stimulate appetite, stimulate the release of digestive juices from the pancreas, aid the liver in detoxification (and increase the flow of bile), help regulate the secretion of pancreatic hormones, and help the gut wall repair damage.

Carminative herbs – ease discomfort caused by flatulence.

Emmenagogue – Plants that are used to treat conditions of the female reproductive system. Strictly speaking, emmenagogues are remedies that stimulate menstrual flow and activity.

Hypnotics – nervine remedies that help induce a deep and healing state of sleep.

Nervine – plant remedy with some kind of beneficial effect on the nervous system.
Sesquiterpenes – molecules that have demonstrated therapeutic potential in decreasing cancer progression.

Introduction

Chamomile is part of the Asteraceae family, which consists of several daisy-like plants. German Chamomile (Latin name: Chamomilla recutita) and Roman chamomile (Latin name: Chamaemelum nobile) are the most common species to be found in herbal products and drinks (NCCIH, 2020). This write-up is focused on German Chamomile because it is well-researched and frequently used in herbal products.

Chamomile tea has been used across Europe as a digestive remedy, with its therapeutic uses being well documented. The combination of chamomile’s antispasmodic, antiseptic, carminative, anti-inflammatory and mild bitter actions make it well-suited for digestive issues (Hoffmann, 2003).

Constituents, Actions & Indications

Constituents

Sesquiterpenes (chamazulene, alpha-bisabolol, bisabolol oxide); sesquiterpene lactones (matricin, matricarin); flavonoid glycosides (6% to 8%): apigenin, luteolin, quercetin, isorhamnetin; volatile oil (proazulenes, farnesine, sprioether); bitter glycosides (anthemic acid); coumarins (Hoffmann, 2003) (Chevallier, 2016).

Actions

Nervine, antispasmodic, carminative, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, bitter, vulnerary, antiallergenic and relaxant (Hoffmann, 2003) (Chevallier, 2016).

Indications

Insomnia, anxiety, menopausal depression, loss of appetite, dyspepsia, gastric ulcers, diarrhoea, colic, aches and pains of flu, migraine, neuralgia, teething, vertigo, motion sickness, conjunctivitis, inflamed skin, urticaria, bites and stings, congestions and hay fever, eczema, indigestion, insomnia, mild asthma, morning sickness, sore and tired eyes, sore nipples, and stomach spasms (Hoffmann, 2003) (Chevallier, 2016).

Scientific Research

Studies completed by Dai, et al., 2022; El Mihyaoui, et al., 2022 and Bayliak, et al., 2021 describe the beneficial effects of Chamomile on humans. The following summarises their findings:

Anticancer activity: Chamomile has been shown to increase the death of cancer cells and tissue, and decrease the reproduction, migration, colonisation, invasion and attachment of cancer cells.
Antibacterial activity: Chamomile has been shown to treat hives, kill bacteria associated with yeast infections and control functions within bacteria.
Anti-inflammatory activity: Chamomile may offer relief from pain, fever and inflammation.
Antirombotic activity: Chamomile may help reduce the formation of blood clots, which aids in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases.
Antioxidant activity: The constituents of Chamomile help your body fight off harmful free radicals, which are linked to diabetes and cancer.
Hypoglycaemic activity: Chamomile can increase glucose tolerance and insulin secretion.
Antihypertensive activity: Chamomile can offer assistance in the treatment of high blood pressure.
Hypolipidaemic activity: Chamomile offers cholesterol-lowering properties.
Anti-allergy activity: Chamomile may relieve, control or prevent allergic symptoms.
Antidepressant activity: Chamomile may offer relief from clinical depression.
Organoprotective effect: Chamomile may offer protection to the liver, lungs, kidney and digestive system.
Genitoprotective effect: Chamomile may improve reproductive function.
Neuroprotective effect: Chamomile has been shown to have antiparkinson’s activity and may improve formaldehyde-induced memory impairment.
Analgesic activity: Chamomile may reduce migraine and breast pain.
Antidiarrheal and antispasmodic activity: Chamomile may relieve diarrhoea and stomach spasms.
Cosmetic activity: Chamomile in cosmetics may repair sensitive skin, eliminate acne and moisturise skin.
Anti-obesity activity: Chamomile has shown promise in preventing and treating obesity.

Chamolmile Flowers in a Bowl next to Tinctures

Preparations & Dosage

Chamomile may be used fresh or dried in infusions. Tinctures are an excellent dosage to ensure that all constituents are extracted and available. Chamomile essential oil is valued in aromatherapy (Hoffmann, 2003).

Infusion – infuse 2 to 3 tsp of herb in 1 cup of boiling water for 10 minutes. Use a covered container. Drink 9 to 15 g of herb, 3 to 4 times a day (Hoffmann, 2003) (De La Foret, 2017).

Tincture – for irritable bowel syndrome, take 1 tsp diluted with 100 mL water 3 times a day (Chevallier, 2016). Use a tincture that has a ratio of 1:5 and uses 40% ethanol (De La Foret, 2017).

Cream – rub on sore or itchy skin (Chevallier, 2016).

Essential oil – for diaper rash, combine 5 drops with 1 tbsp carrier oil and apply (Chevallier, 2016).

Bath infusion – to relax irritable and overtire children, infuse 4 tsp dried herb in 500 mL water and strain into a bath (Chevallier, 2016).

Ointment – rub onto sore or inflamed skin (Chevallier, 2016).

Shop our Chamomile-infused Activated Charcoal Detoxifying Facial Scrub and Rawbiotics DAILY.

Chamomile Tea Blend with Roses and Vanilla Recipe

This recipe was taken from De La Foret, 2017.

Ingredients

1 tbsp dried chamomile
1 ½ tsp oatstraw (Avena sativa)
1 ½ tsp vanilla bean, minced
Honey to taste (optional)

Instructions

Bring 1 ½ cups of water to a boil. Steep the herbs, covered, in the just-boiled water for 15 minutes. Strain.
Add honey if desired.

Image source: De La Foret, 2017.

Safety Considerations

Chamomile may cause allergic reactions in people sensitive to plants in the Asteraceae family (Hoffmann, 2003) (Gardner & McGuffin, 2013).

Contraindications

Due to the emmenagogue effect internal consumption of the plant should be avoided in excessive doses in early pregnancy. Infusion of the flowers near the eyes due to possible irritations. Rare cases of allergic hypersensitivity skin reactions to the flowers have been reported (Brinker, 1998).

Drug Interactions

A liquid extract of flowers helps prevent ulcer formation induced by ethyl alcohol, while the volatile oil component bisabolol inhibits ulcer formation caused by indomethacin (Brinker, 1998). Chamomile may have the potential to interact with warfarin due to the coumarin effect.

Adverse Events

N/A

Disclaimer

The information presented in this post is intended as an informational guide. The remedies, approaches and techniques described herein are meant to supplement, and not to substitute for, professional medical care or treatment. They should not be used to treat a serious ailment without prior consultation with a qualified health care professional.

References

Bayliak, M. et al., 2021. Chamomile as a potential remedy for obesity and metabolic syndrome. EXCLI journal, Volume 20, p. 1261.
Brinker, F., 1998. Herb Contraindications and Drug Interactions. 2nd ed. Oregon:Eclectic Medical Publications.
Chevallier, A., 2016. Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine. 3rd ed. New York: DK Publishing.
Dai, Y. et al., 2022. Chamomile: a review of its traditional uses, chemical constituents, pharmacological activities and quality control studies. Molecules, 28(1), p. 133.
De La Foret, R., 2017. Alchemy of Herbs. 1st ed. California: Hay House Inc.
El Mihyaoui, A. et al., 2022. Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla L.): a review of ethnomedicinal use, phytochemistry and pharmacological uses. Life, 12(4), p. 479.
Gardner, Z. & McGuffin, M., 2013. Botanical Safety Handbook. 2nd ed. Boca Raton: CRC Press.
Hoffmann, D., 2003. Medical Herbalism: The Science and Practice of Herbal Medicine. 1st ed. Vermont: Healing Arts Press.
NCCIH, 2020. Chamomile. [Online] Available at: https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/chamomile [Accessed 28 May 2024].

Back to blog

Your cart is empty

Sale