* Please Note: This information is based partly on Traditional Medicine which uses natural materials to support health. This information has not been evaluated or approved by the FDA. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These products are intended to support general well being and are not intended to treat, diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or cure any condition or disease. If conditions persist, please seek advice from your medical doctor.
Description
Name
Two different plants share the name chamomile, and a third, with a different name, contains many of the same chemicals. All three belong to the Compositae family of plants. The most widely used chamomile is known as the German or Hungarian chamomile (Matricaria recutita or Chamomilla recutita, or Matricaria chamomilla). The other chamomile is sometimes called Roman or English chamomile (Chamomillae romanae flos, Chamaemelum, Anthemis, Anthemidis flos,) and sometimes, just plain chamomile. A third, and very closely related plant is a flowering herb known as yarrow or milfoil (Archillea millefolium). In France the plant is variously referred to as Chamomille, Vvraie, and Petite Chamomille; in German, Kamille or Echte Kamille.
Source
The German chamomile is the main one grown commercially, both in Europe and the United States. It can be grown from seeds planted in any garden. Indeed, given half a chance, it will grow like a weed, which is exactly what has happened in Boulder, Colorado, where the Celestial Seasonings Company, a manufacturer of herbal teas, is located. Reportedly, seeds that have escaped from the factory have taken root all along the roadsides. Not only is German chamomile easier to grow, it also contains more of the oils that give chamomile its unique medicinal properties. Dried flowers of English chamomile have an oil content of .5 to 1.0 percent. German chamomile may contain twice that amount. Once the oil is distilled from the flowers, it takes on a characteristic blue color. Seven distinct groups of chemicals have been found in the oil, but their effects are only beginning to be understood.
History
Europeans have used chamomile, in one form or another, to treat just about every sort of affliction. Culpeper's Complete Herbal, published in 1827, recommends it for "drying and binding," claims "it is excellent for treating hemorrhoids," and that "it induces sleep and lessens bleeding. An ointment of the leaves cures wounds, and is good for inflammation, ulcers, fistulas, and all such runnings as about with moisture."
Traditional Claims
Chamomile is used as an antispasmodic, sedative, diuretic and demulcent.
Commission E Recommendations
Chamomile is recommended for the treatment of anogenital irritation, bad breath, gastrointestinal tract inflammation, gastrointestinal spasm, inflamed gums, oral or pharyngeal inflammation, mucous membrane irritations, chronic respiratory infection, skin injury or irritation, spasms, and as a gargle or mouthwash.
Proven Effects
All of the active components in chamomile flowers are in the oil, which means that teas brewed from chamomile will contain only small amounts of the active components. Culpeper's claims are, however, at least partially true. Chamomile does have anti-inflammatory properties and it has also been shown to exert antibacterial effects. These two actions have been attributed to the molecules that give the oil its blue color, and to another molecule contained in the oil called bisabolol. The latter, along with a flavonoid molecule called apigenin, are thought to account for chamomile's ability to calm the stomach ("spasmolytic" actions). Bisabolol, because of its anti-inflammatory properties, is also said to aid in wound healing and in the treatment of chronic skin conditions such as eczema. Sugar residues contained in the oil (polysaccharides), help stimulate the immune system.
Flavonoids found in chamomile oil (apigenin) are increasingly being recognized for their important beneficial effects. Flavonoids exert multiple actions, and their presence helps explain some of the beneficial results that chamomile users have been reporting for years. For example, chamomile is widely used to treat insomnia. Now it turns out that the apigenin molecule has a shape a bit like the shape of the active ingredient in synthetic sleeping pills and tranquilizers such as Valium and Halcyon. Because of the structural similarities between apigenin and Valium, apigenin is able to attach at the same sites in the brain as Valium and probably exerts the same effects. Other studies suggest apigenin prevents the reuptake of neurotransmitters, which means that it acts in the same way as Prozac-like drugs.
Chamomile's ability to reduce inflammation is also thought to be a result of its apigenin content. Like some of the anti-inflammatory drugs just now reaching the market, apigenin blocks the cytokine pathway and prevents inflammation from occurring. Other studies have shown that some components of chamomile oil prevent mast cells from releasing histamine, and since histamine is what causes many of the symptoms associated with allergic reactions, this may explain why many people claim that chamomile gives them relief from their allergies.
Chamomile is also said to be an antiseptic, but when this claim was tested in controlled trials, it turned out that iodine (povidine-iodine, known as Betadine) was far more effective at killing bacteria than chamomile. Similar claims, that chamomile can prevent the inflammation of the mouth (stomatitis) in patients undergoing chemotherapy, also failed to stand up in control trials.
Chamomile is widely used in the cosmetics industry and can be found in shampoos, hair rinses, and even as a vegetable hair dye. Perhaps the most controversial benefit claimed for chamomile is the prevention of heart disease. A famous study published in the Lancet in 1993 found that high intakes of flavonoids, like the apigenin contained in chamomile, prevented heart disease. Even the vapors of chamomile oil appear to have beneficial effects. Although many of the claims made by aromatherapists remain unproven, studies in animals have shown that inhalation of chamomile oil vapor can, at least partly, block the hormonal response to stress.
Dosage
Europeans have access to more dosage forms than Americans. In Germany, France, and England, chamomile is sold in rinses, gargles, ointments and alcohol extracts. Dried flowers can be added to bath water to relieve skin conditions, but it would take several pounds of flowers to produce much of a result. A standard packet of chamomile tea contains about 2 grams of the powdered flowers. In Germany, government-required labeling, which allows manufacturers to claim that their chamomile-containing products are good for bloating, flatulence, and gastrointestinal disorders, specifies that one tablespoon (2-3 grams) of flowers should be allowed to steep in hot water for 5-10 minutes before being passed through a tea strainer and drunk four times a day. External preparations are formulated to 3-10 percent herb.
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Directions
Hot tea brewing method: Bring freshly drawn cold water to a rolling boil. Place 1 tea bag for each cup into the teapot. Pour the boiling water into the pot, cover and let steep for 2-4 minutes. Pour into your cup; add milk and sugar to taste.
Iced tea brewing method: (to make 1 liter/quart): Place 5 tea bags into a teapot or heat resistant pitcher. Pour 1 1/4 cups of freshly boiled water over the tea itself. Steep for 5 minutes. Quarter fill a serving pitcher with cold water. Pour the tea into the serving pitcher straining the tea bags. Add ice and top-up with cold water. Garnish and sweeten to taste.
Cautions
Concerns
Allergic reactions to chamomile, though uncommon, are a cause for concern. During hay fever season, especially in Europe, some allergy sufferers attempt to relieve redness and itching by rinsing their eyes with chamomile tea. Unfortunately, chamomile tea also iontains chamomile pollens and those pollens are very similar to pollens of other common allergens. Someone allergic to one of the related pOllens could have an unpleasant, though certainly not life-threatening, reaction. Whether or not life-threatening allergic reactions ever occur is unclear. But if they do, they must be incredibly rare. A few such reports can be found in the older literature, but none has appeared for the last 15 years. Given that millions of people use chamomile on a daily basis, it is hard to imagine that this particular herb poses much of a danger.
Warnings
Individuals with serious hay fever symptoms should see their physicians before self-medicating with chamomile. Newer treatments may go a long way towards eliminating the problem, and a physician can arrange tests to see whether an individual is allergic to chamomile, and determine whether chamomile can be safely used.
Drug Testing
None of the chemicals found in chamomile oil has ever been known to cause a false positive result on any of the standard urine drug screening tests.
Additional Information
TerraVita is an exclusive line of premium-quality, natural source products that use only the finest, purest and most potent ingredients found around the world. TerraVita is hallmarked by the highest possible standards of purity, potency, stability and freshness. All of our products are prepared with the highest elements of quality control, from raw materials through the entire manufacturing process, up to and including the moment that the bottles or bags are sealed for freshness and shipped out to you. Our highest possible standards are certified by independent laboratories and backed by our personal guarantee.
TerraVita exists to meet and ensure your family's health and wellness without the harmful effects or chemicals and prescription medications. We strive to make all of our products affordable and reliable and are constantly searching the market to maintain our affordability and to look for new ways to serve you and the ones you love. TerraVita has become a trusted household name for many families and can bring you and yours the very best herbal supplements, blends, teas and spices that are on the market today.
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These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Products are intended to support general well being and are not intended to treat, diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or cure any condition or disease. If conditions persist, please seek advice from your medical doctor. The essence of the current American rule on Traditional Uses is, as stated by FTC, "Claims based on historical or traditional use should be substantiated by confirming scientific evidence, or should be presented in such a way that consumers understand that the sole basis for the claim is a history of use of the product for a particular purpose."
