Chamomile

Chamomile was described in ancient medical writings and was an important medicinal herb in ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome.

Matricaria chamomilla. Photo: kallerna/Wikipedia

Some commonly used species include:

• Matricaria chamomilla (synonym: Matricaria recutita) – often called "German chamomile" or "Water of Youth"
• Chamaemelum nobile – Roman, English, or garden chamomile; also frequently used (C. nobile Treneague is normally used to create a chamomile lawn)

Description

Matricaria chamomilla is a member of the Asteraceae family, native to southern and eastern Europe. It can be found on all continents, has a branched, erect and smooth stem, and grows to a height of 15–60 cm (6–23.5 in). The long and narrow leaves are bipinnate or tripinnate.

The flowers are borne in paniculate flower heads (capitula). The white ray florets are furnished with a ligule, while the disc florets are yellow. The hollow receptacle is swollen and lacks scales. This property distinguishes German chamomile from corn chamomile (Anthemis arvensis), which has a receptacle with scales.

The flowers bloom in early to midsummer and have a fragrant aroma.

The flowers contain a blue essential oil, which gives them a characteristic smell and interesting properties. This color characteristic of the oil, attributable to the chamazulene it contains, explains why the plant is also known by the common name blue chamomile. The fruit is a yellowish-brown achene.

A number of other species' common names include the word chamomile. This does not mean they are used in the same manner as the species used in the herbal tea known as "chamomile". Plants including the common name chamomile, of the family Asteraceae, are:

• Anthemis arvensis – corn, scentless or field chamomile
• Anthemis cotula – stinking chamomile
• Cladanthus mixtus – Moroccan chamomile
• Cota tinctoria – dyer's, golden, oxeye, or yellow chamomile
• Eriocephalus punctulatus – Cape chamomile
• Matricaria discoidea – wild chamomile or pineapple weed
• Tripleurospermum inodorum – wild, scentless or false chamomile

Uses

More than 120 chemical constituents have been identified in chamomile flower, most of them found in the essential oil. Chemical constituents of the essential oil include: the terpenes bisabolol, farnesene, and chamazulene; the flavonoids apigenin, quercetin, patuletin, and luteolin; and coumarin.

Today, chamomile is promoted for sleeplessness, anxiety, and gastrointestinal conditions such as upset stomach, gas, and diarrhea. It is also used topically for skin conditions and for mouth sores resulting from cancer treatment.

Chamomile has historically been used in making beer and ale. Unlike for tea, in which only the flowers are used, the whole plant has been used to make beers and ales, adding a bitter flavor component favored by craft breweries and homebrewers.

How Much Do We Know?

Not much is known about the health effects of chamomile because there are few studies on chamomile in people for individual conditions. Also, some studies look at products made of chamomile plus other herbs, so it is difficult to know chamomile’s role from those studies.

What Have We Learned?

Some preliminary studies suggest that a chamomile dietary supplement might be helpful for generalized anxiety disorder.

Some research has found that products containing certain combinations of herbs that include chamomile may be of benefit for upset stomach, for diarrhea in children, and for infants with colic. But chamomile alone has not been shown to be helpful for these conditions.

There’s very little information on chamomile’s effect on insomnia. A 2019 review of six small studies included only one study on insomnia. That one study found that chamomile had no benefit for insomnia. The same 2019 review looked at five studies on chamomile’s effect in non-insomnia populations.

The review concluded that chamomile might help improve the individual component of sleep quality over a 4-week period in people without insomnia.

What Do We Know About Safety?

Chamomile is likely safe when used in amounts commonly found in teas. It might be safe when used orally for medicinal purposes over the short term. The long-term safety of using chamomile on the skin for medicinal purposes is unknown.

Side effects are uncommon and may include nausea, dizziness, and allergic reactions. Rare cases of anaphylaxis (a life-threatening allergic reaction) have occurred in people who consumed or came into contact with chamomile products.

People are more likely to experience allergic reactions to chamomile if they’re allergic to related plants such as ragweed, chrysanthemums, marigolds, or daisies.

Interactions between chamomile and cyclosporine (a drug used to prevent rejection of organ transplants) and warfarin (a blood thinner) have been reported, and there are theoretical reasons to suspect that chamomile might interact with other drugs as well.

Chamomile is not recommended to be taken with aspirin or non-salicylate NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), as it may cause drug–herb interaction.

Little is known about whether it’s safe to use chamomile during pregnancy or while breastfeeding. (National Institutes of Health/Wikipedia)

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