Matricaria chamomilla or Matricaria recutita are commonly used Latin names, but chamomile is a friendly herb and probably prefers its common name. Chamomile is part of the Asteraceae family which contains other familiar plant friends like echinacea.

Chamomile has a long traditional use in western herbal medicine. Historically it was considered a soothing and sedative plant that could be used as a tea or tincture to treat delirium, hysteria, nightmares, diarrhoea in children, and griping stomach pain, but it was also added to baths and poultices as a topical application.

Modern use of chamomile has a great deal of overlap with historical use. This plant continues to work with an affinity to the digestive and nervous systems in a gentle yet effective way, with actions including nervine tonic, anxiolytic, mild bitter, digestive, anti-inflammatory, and spasmolytic (reduces spasming pain in the gut, for example). Research supports the use of chamomile in the treatment of acute, uncomplicated diarrhoea, infantile colic, menopause, menstrual pain, anxiety, and non-specific gastrointestinal complaints. Clinical trials support the topical application of chamomile to support wound healing and soothe conditions such as eczema or dermatitis.

What makes chamomile so effective?

Key compounds include a range of flavonoids and essential oils. The essential oils are particularly interesting; if you rub the leaves or flowers of a fresh chamomile plant between your fingers you will be rewarded with a beautifully sweet scent, almost reminiscent of apples. Multiple essential oils combine to create this unique aromatic signature. Concentrated chamomile essential oil is a vivid deep blue colour due to a phytochemical called chamazulene.

Chamomile is a versatile herb that you can easily use at home to treat the very young, the very old, and anyone in between. Some ideas for use include:

• As a tea, either as a stand-alone herb or mixed with other medicinal plants to help potentiate its actions.
  • Mix with ginger, fennel, or liquorice (or all of the above) for a soothing digestive tea
  • Combine with relaxing herbs like lemon balm, tulsi, or passionflower to relax after a stressful day. Chamomile is not a true sedative, so you can take it in the daytime without feeling like a zombie. I can vouch for its efficacy as a tonic before public speaking.
  • If you make a tea with chamomile or any other herb rich in essential oils, use a teapot with a lid (or cover your cup) to avoid losing the benefits of the oils. (The lid traps the oils in the vessel, and you can tip them back into the tea).
• As a topical application:
  • Brew a batch of chamomile tea and soak cotton makeup pads or a face washer in it and use it as a compress over your eyes to reduce itch and irritation after a windy day at the beach or during allergy season.
  • Plonk a chamomile tea bag on an itchy bug bite after brewing yourself a cuppa.
  • Add a generous scoop of loose tea into a fine mesh bag or thin sock then add it to the bath if you have irritated skin or eczema (great for kids or grown-ups).
• Use the beautiful blue essential oil in a diffuser or dabbed sparingly on your pulse points.
• As a herbal tincture prescribed by your naturopath or herbalist. This is one of the nicer-tasting herbs, so it is always a pleasant addition to a mix.

While chamomile has an excellent safety profile, not every plant works for every person, and it is always good to check if chamomile is the right herb for you with a qualified health professional (like a naturopath or herbalist), particularly if you are taking any prescription medications or have underlying health conditions. Allergies to chamomile are possible, so if it is a new herb to you, experiment gently at first to see how your body reacts. As with any herbal medicine, try to use the highest quality plant matter you can, organic when possible, and from a trusted supplier so that you know you are getting the real deal.

Interested in the power of herbs? You might enjoy these blogs on:

• Herbs for women's health
• Herbs for mental health
• Herbs for digestion

Happy home herbal experimentation!

References

Bone, K., & Mills, S. (2013). Principles and practice of phytotherapy: Modern herbal medicine (2nd ed). Churchill Livingstone, Elsevier.

Grieve, M. (2016). A modern herbal: The medicinal, culinary, cosmetic, and economic properties, cultivation, and folklore of herbs, grasses, fungi, shrubs, & trees with all their modern scientific uses: complete volume.

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

Niazi, A., & Moradi, M. (2021). The effect of chamomile on pain and menstrual bleeding in primary dysmenorrhea: A systematic review. International Journal of Community Based Nursing and Midwifery, 9(3), 174–186. https://doi.org/10.30476/ijcbnm.2021.87219.1417

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