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The Soothing Nature of Chamomile
In the childhood tale of Peter Rabbit, Peter eats himself sick in Mr. McGregor's garden, then gets chased out at the wrong end of a hoe. His mother, a wise rabbit, gives him chamomile tea. Chamomile helps treat indigestion, wounds, and jangled nerves.
Common Uses- External wound treatment
- Stomach distress
- Ulcers
- Stress and anxiety
- Insomnia
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Few people who sip chamomile tea as a pleasant-tasting beverage with hints of apple flavor appreciate its usefulness in herbal medicine.
In Germany, where herbal medicine is more in the mainstream than it is in the U.S., one pharmaceutical company markets a popular chamomile product called Kamillosan. Germans use it externally to treat wounds and inflammations, and internally for indigestion and ulcers. Research supports all these uses. [1, 2]
Chamomile oil applied to the skin has an anti-inflammatory effect, largely because of a substance that it contains called apigenin. [3] The presence of this substance largely explains studies showing that chamomile reduces the time it takes for burns to heal. The herb also helps kill Staphylococcus bacteria that can contribute to wound infections. For cuts, scrapes, or burns, brew a strong tea, cool it, and use it in compresses or wet dressings. [4]
Many studies have validated chamomile's traditional use as a digestive aid. Several chemicals in chamomile oil (primarily bisabolol) have strong relaxing, antispasmodic action on the smooth-muscle lining of the digestive tract. [5, 6]
Chamomile also helps prevent stomach ulcers and speeds their healing. In one experiment, two groups of animals were fed a chemical known to cause ulcers. Those also given chamomile developed significantly fewer ulcers. Then the animals that developed ulcers were divided into two groups. Those fed chamomile recovered more quickly. [7, 8]
Chamomile's long history as a tranquilizer also has a scientific basis. German researchers showed that apigenin binds to the same cellular receptors as the Valium family of tranquilizers, and has a similar effect, but with less sedation. [9] Japanese researchers exposed experimentally stressed laboratory animals to chamomile oil vapor, an aromatherapy treatment. Compared with unexposed animals, those who inhaled chamomile vapor showed a significant decrease in stress hormone levels. [10] Try chamomile tea when you feel anxious, or add a handful of chamomile flowers to a hot bath and inhale its calming aroma. [11]
Sources
1 Berry, M. "The Chamomiles," The Pharmaceutical Journal 2-11-95. p. 191.
2 Wren, R.C. Potter's New Cyclopedia of Botanical Drugs and Preparations C.W. Daniel Co., Saffron Walden, Essex, England, 1988, pp. 70-71.
3 Fuchs, J. and R. Milbradt. "Skin Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Apigenin in Rats," Arzneim-Forsch Drug Res. (1993) 43:370.
4 Berry, M. "The Chamomiles," The Pharmaceutical Journal 2-11-95. p. 191.
5 Ibid.
6 Duke, J. The Green Pharmacy. Emmaus, PA: Rodale Press, 1997. p. 275.
7 Ibid.
8 Berry, M. "The Chamomiles," The Pharmaceutical Journal 2-11-95. p. 191.
9 Viloa, H., et al. "Apigenin, a Component of Matricaria Recutita Flowers, Is a Central Benzodiazepine Receptors-Ligand with Anxiolytic Effects," Planta Medica (1995) 61:213.
10 Yamada, K., et al. "Effects of Inhalation of Chamomile Oil Vapor on Plasma ACTH Level in Ovarectomized Rats Under Restriction Stress," Biological and Pharmacological Bulletin (1996) 19:1244.
11 Duke, J. The Green Pharmacy. Emmaus, PA: Rodale Press, 1997. p. 297.
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Use
"Chamomile" is not one herb, but two -- German (or Hungarian) chamomile, and Roman (or English). The two plants are botanically unrelated, but they both produce the same type of light blue oil, and are used interchangeably. [12, 13]
Chamomile has been used medicinally for more than 2,000 years. The ancient Greek physician Dioscorides and the Roman naturalist Pliny recommended it for headaches, kidney, liver, and bladder problems. India's ancient Ayurvedic physicians used it similarly. [14]
Germans have used chamomile since the dawn of history for digestive upsets and also as a menstruation promoter and treatment for menstrual cramps. [15]
London herbalist Nicholas Culpeper (1652) recommended chamomile for fevers, digestive problems, aches, pains, jaundice, kidney stones, "dropsy" (congestive heart failure), and "to bring down women's courses" (menstruation). [16]
British and German immigrant groups introduced both chamomiles into North America, though most of the chamomile grown here today is the German variety. [17]
Nineteenth-century "Eclectic" physicians, forerunners of today's naturopaths, recommended chamomile poultices to speed wound healing. They prescribed chamomile tea for digestive problems, malaria, typhus, menstrual cramps, menstruation promotion, and for all birth-related difficulties: to quiet fetal kicking, stop premature labor, relieve sore breasts and nipples, suppress milk production, and relieve infant colic. [18]
Chamomile also has a long history as a cosmetic. It has been used in shampoos since the days of the Vikings because it reputedly adds luster to blonde hair. Its apple-like aroma is the fragrance in many herbal skin-care products. [19]
Instructions
For a beverage tea, use prepackaged tea bags or 2 heaping teaspoons of dried flowers per cup of boiling water. Steep to taste.
For a medicinal tea, use 2 to 3 heaping teaspoons of flowers per cup of boiling water. Steep 10 to 20 minutes. Drink up to 3 cups a day.
When using a tincture, use 1/2 to 1 teaspoon up to 3 times a day.
To add chamomile to a bath, tie a handful of flowers into a cloth and run your bath water over it. [20]
Sources
12 Berry, M. "The Chamomiles," The Pharmaceutical Journal 2-11-95. p. 191.
13 "Chamomile." Lawrence Review of Natural Products 3-1991.
14 Kowalchik, C. and W.H. Hylton. Rodale's Illustrated Herbal Encyclopedia. Emmaus, PA: Rodale Press, 1987, pp. 80-82.
15 "Chamomile," Lawrence Review of Natural Products 3-1991.
16 Culpeper, N. Culpeper's Complete Herbal. Facsimile of the 1826 edition by Pitman Press, Bath, Avon, U.K., 1981, p. 32.
17 Kowalchik, C. and W.H. Hylton. Rodale's Illustrated Herbal Encyclopedia. Emmaus, PA: Rodale Press, 1987, pp. 80-82.
18 Felter, H.W. and J.U. Lloyd. King's American Dispensatory. Facsimile of the 1898 edition by Eclectic Medical Publications, Portland, OR, 1983. pp. 1246-1247, 1342.
19 Kowalchik, C. and W.H. Hylton. Rodale's Illustrated Herbal Encyclopedia. Emmaus, PA: Rodale Press, 1987, pp. 80-82.
20 Consensus of sources.
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Allergic reactions are possible, especially in people sensitive to ragweed pollen. [21]
Germany's Commission E considers chamomile safe, even for pregnant and nursing women. [22]
Sources
21 "Chamomile," Lawrence Review of Natural Products 3-1991.
22 Blumenthal, M. The Complete German Commission E Monographs: Therapeutic Guide to Herbal Medicine. English translation by the American Botanical Council, Austin, TX, 1998, p. 107.
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Anon. "Chamomile." Lawrence Review of Natural Products 3-1991.
Berry, M. "The Chamomiles," The Pharmaceutical Journal 2-11-95. p. 191.
Blumenthal, M. The Complete German Commission E Monographs: Therapeutic Guide to Herbal Medicine. English translation by the American Botanical Council, Austin, TX, 1998, p. 107.
Culpeper, N. Culpeper's Complete Herbal. Facsimile of the 1826 edition by Pitman Press, Bath, Avon, U.K., 1981, p. 32.
Duke, J. The Green Pharmacy. Emmaus, PA: Rodale Press, 1997. p. 275, 297.
Felter, H.W. and J.U. Lloyd. King's American Dispensatory. Facsimile of the 1898 edition by Eclectic Medical Publications, Portland, OR, 1983. pp. 1246-1247, 1342.
Fuchs, J. and R. Milbradt. "Skin Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Apigenin in Rats," Arzneim-Forsch Drug Res. (1993) 43:370.
Kowalchik, C. and W.H. Hylton. Rodale's Illustrated Herbal Encyclopedia. Emmaus, PA: Rodale Press, 1987, pp. 80-82.
Viloa, H., et al. "Apigenin, a Component of Matricaria Recutita Flowers, Is a Central Benzodiazepine Receptors-Ligand with Anxiolytic Effects," Planta Medica (1995) 61:213.
Wren, R.C. Potter's New Cyclopedia of Botanical Drugs and Preparations C.W. Daniel Co., Saffron Walden, Essex, England, 1988, pp. 70-71.
Yamada, K., et al. "Effects of Inhalation of Chamomile Oil Vapor on Plasma ACTH Level in Ovarectomized Rats Under Restriction Stress," Biological and Pharmacological Bulletin (1996) 19:1244.
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