Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla), also known as Chamomilla recutita, is a calming and cozy herb with a long history of traditional use.
About Chamomile
- Family: Asteraceae
- Part used: Flower tops
- Botanical Description: Chamomile is an annual herb that has white petals and a yellow center.
- Habitat: It is native to Europe and temperate Asia, and has slowly been introduced to the temperate areas of the Americas, North and South, and Australia.
- Harvest: During late spring and all through summer
- Preparations: hot infusion, tincture, essential oils, lotions/creams
Indications
- Anti-inflammatory
- Carminative
- Nervine
- Adaptogen
- Gentle bitter
- Anodyne
Chamomile in Action
General
Fevers:
Research has shown that chamomile has anti-inflammatory effects, in which the flavonoids have the ability to interfere with leukocyte adhesion and interfere with adhesion protein in endothelial cells. (McKay & Blumberg, 2006)
Bacterial infections:
In chronic rhinosinusitis due to the anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial effects of chamomile, a study found that chamomile extract improved symptoms of chronic rhinosinusitis significantly. (Nemati, et. al., 2020) A systematic review found that chamomile was effective against gram negative bacteria, due to its volatile oils and flavonoids. (Miraj & Alesaeidi, 2016) This study also found that using chamomile extract as a mouth rinse was beneficial to reduce microbes. (Miraj & Alesaeidi, 2016)
Allergies:
A review article found that there might be potential anti-allergic activity in chamomile by reducing histamine release. (McKay & Blumberg, 2006) There are some claims indicating that chamomile might cause allergies.
Chamomile is also useful for Chronic pain or inflammatory conditions.
Gastrointestinal System
Dyspepsia:
A study found that STW 5, a fixed combination of several herbs including chamomile, is better at treating dyspepsia symptoms than placebo, especially when symptoms were associated with gastro-esophageal reflux. (Melzer, et. al., 2004)
Diarrhea:
In patients with acute diarrhea, an extract of a combination of herbs, including chamomile, was found to be effective and safe to use for these patients. (Miraj & Alesaeidi, 2016)
Respiratory System
Common cold:
A study looked at symptomatic relief of the common cold using chamomile extract in a steam inhalation, and found that with increasing milliliters, participants had significantly reduced their cold symptoms. (Saller et al., 1990)
Integumentary System
Eczema:
In a review article, it was found that chamomile cream is as effective as hydrocortisone cream to treat eczema. There is conflicting studies about the efficacy of the use of chamomile topically to reduce inflammation. (Tabassum & Hamdani, 2014)
Skin rash:
In a study looking to prevent radiation dermatitis in head and neck cancer patients, they compared chamomile gel to a urea cream. There was no significant difference in the development of grade 1 radiation dermatitis, but for grade 2, in patients using chamomile gel it took longer to develop and patients reported that they occurred less often compared to the patients using urea cream. (Ferreira et al., 2020)
Psychological
Anxiety:
A study showed statistically significant effects of chamomile in pill form to treat generalized anxiety disorder compared to placebo during an 8 week period. (Amsterdam et al., 2009) Another study showed that in burn patients, using chamomile and lavender essential oil with massage was found to reduce anxiety and improve sleep quality. (Rafii, et. al., 2020)
Insomnia:
A study found that chamomile could offer benefits to sleep latency and night time awakenings. No statistical significance was found, but the measures were only slightly less than those seen in other sleep drug treatments. (Zick et al., 2011) A systematic review and meta-analysis found that chamomile can improve sleep quality, especially reducing the number of nighttime wakings. (Asma, et. al, 2024)
Contraindications
- Not to be used in 1st trimester of pregnancy
Adverse Reactions
- Caution if allergy to salicylates
- Nausea
Energetics
Chamomile is calming, moistening, and cooling. Often indicated when a person has any gastrointestinal issues, fever, or anxiety. Personally, it brings warming, and feelings of comfort.
References
Amsterdam, J. D., Li, Y., Soeller, I., Rockwell, K., Mao, J., & Shults, J. (2009). A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of oral Matricaria recutita (chamomile) extract therapy of generalized anxiety disorder. J Clin Psychopharmacol, 29(4), 378-382. https://doi.org/10.1097/JCP.0b013e3181ac935c
Asma Kazemi, Sara Shojaei-Zarghani, Parham Eskandarzadeh, Mohammad Hashem Hashempur, Effects of chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla L.) on sleep: A systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials, Complementary Therapies in Medicine, Volume 84, 2024, 103071, ISSN 0965-2299, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctim.2024.103071
Awaad, A. A., El-Meligy, R. M., Zain, G. M., Safhi, A. A., Al Qurain, N. A., Almoqren, S. S., Zain, Y. M., Sesh Adri, V. D., & Al-Saikhan, F. I. (2018). Experimental and clinical antihypertensive activity of Matricaria chamomilla extracts and their angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitory activity. Phytotherapy research : PTR, 32(8), 1564-1573. https://doi.org/10.1002/ptr.6086
C. (2020, June 10). How to Make a Tincture for Anxiety. Permacrafters. https://www.permacrafters.com/how-to-make-a-tincture-for-anxiety/
Daneshfard, B., Shahriari, M., Heiran, A., Nimrouzi, M., & Yarmohammadi, H. (2019). Effect of chamomile on chemotherapy-induced neutropenia in pediatric leukemia patients: A randomized triple-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial. Original Research Article, 10(1), 58-69.
Dai, Y. L., Li, Y., Wang, Q., Niu, F. J., Li, K. W., Wang, Y. Y., Wang, J., Zhou, C. Z., & Gao, L. N. (2022). Chamomile: A Review of Its Traditional Uses, Chemical Constituents, Pharmacological Activities and Quality Control Studies. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland), 28(1), 133. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28010133
Ferreira, E. B., Ciol, M. A., de Meneses, A. G., Bontempo, P. de S. M., Hoffman, J. M., & Reis, P. E. D. do. (2020). Chamomile Gel versus Urea Cream to Prevent Acute Radiation Dermatitis in Head and Neck Cancer Patients: Results from a Preliminary Clinical Trial. Integrative Cancer Therapies, 19. https://doi.org/10.1177/1534735420962174
German Chamomile. (2020). Natural Medicines. https://naturalmedicines.therapeuticresearch.com/databases/food,-herbs-supplements/professional.aspx?productid=951#mechanismOfAction
Keenan, ND, B. (2017). Matricaria chamomilla (Linne) (Chamomile). Bastyr University, Department of Botanical Medicine.
Melzer, J., Rosch, W., Reichling, J., Brignoli, R. and Saller, R. (2004), Meta-analysis: phytotherapy of functional dyspepsia with the herbal drug preparation STW 5 (Iberogast). Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics, 20: 1279-1287. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2036.2004.02275.x
McKay, D. L., & Blumberg, J. B. (2006). A Review of the Bioactivity and Potential Health Benefits of Chamomile Tea (Matricaria recutita L.). Phytotherapy Research, 20(4), 519-530. https://doi.org/10.1002/ptr.1900
Miraj, S., & Alesaeidi, S. (2016). A systematic review study of therapeutic effects of Matricaria recuitta chamomile (chamomile). Electronic Physician, 8(9), 3024-3031. https://doi.org/10.19082/3024
Mollabashi, E. N., Ziaie, T., Bekhradi, R., & Khalesi, Z. B. (2020). Do Chamomile effect on duration, amount of bleeding, and interval of menstrual cycles? Journal of Pharmacopuncture, 23(1), 25-29. https://doi.org/10.3831/KPI.2020.23.004
Nemati, S., Yousefbeyk, F., Ebrahimi, S. M., FaghihHabibi, A. F., Shakiba, M., & Ramezani, H. (2020). Effects of chamomile extract nasal drop on chronic rhinosinusitis treatment: A randomized double blind study. American journal of otolaryngology, 42(1), 102743. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjoto.2020.102743
O’Connor, K. (2020, October 7). DIY Tummy-Soothing Glycerite for the Whole Family. Herbal Academy. https://theherbalacademy.com/tummy-soothing-glycerite/
Rafii, F., Ameri, F., Haghani, H., & Ghobadi, A. (2020). The effect of aromatherapy massage with lavender and chamomile oil on anxiety and sleep quality of patients with burns. Burns : journal of the International Society for Burn Injuries, 46(1), 164-171. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.burns.2019.02.017
Saller, R., Beschorner, M., Hellenbrecht, D., & Buhring, M. (1990). Dose-dependency of symptomatic relief of complaints by chamomile steam inhalation in patients with common cold. European Journal of Pharmacology, 183(3), 728-729. https://doi.org/10.1016/0014-2999(90)92527-P
Tabassum, N., & Hamdani, M. (2014). Plants used to treat skin diseases. Pharmacognosy Reviews, 8(15), 52-60. https://doi.org/10.4103/0973-7847.125531
Zick, S. M., Wright, B. D., Sen, A., & Arnedt, J. T. (2011). Preliminary examination of the efficacy and safety of a standardized chamomile extract for chronic primary insomnia: a randomized placebo-controlled pilot study. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 11(1), 78. https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6882-11-78
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