What Is Chamomile Used for? Potential Benefits Side Effects Types and More

Traditional medicine has relied on chamomile for thousands of years to treat nervousness and stomach upset. Chamomile's calming and soothing effects have made it a popular treatment for stomach problems and sleeplessness in various cultures. Some research suggests chamomile has health advantages; these studies often include chamomile in conjunction with other herbs. The difficulty is isolating the effects of any plant in a combination product, as with any such product.

It has been demonstrated that a product containing chamomile and other herbal remedies may alleviate gastrointestinal distress, including heartburn, nausea, and vomiting. Babies who are colicky may benefit from yet another concoction that includes chamomile.

Cancer therapy might cause mouth sores, but a chamomile mouthwash could help. There is some evidence that chamomile may assist with illnesses more than only sleeplessness and anxiety. It may also help with things like children's diarrhea and hemorrhoids. Chamomile's anti-inflammatory and wound-healing properties may come in handy when applied topically. It has been demonstrated in certain studies to have a similar effect as hydrocortisone cream for eczema.

Possible Advantages

Anxiety

The Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database, which ranks the efficacy of natural treatments based on scientific evidence, lists chamomile as a possible effective treatment for anxiety. Studies have indicated that it has considerable advantages in this regard.

One of the most frequent anxiety disorders, mild to moderate generalized anxiety disorder, was studied in the first randomized controlled study of chamomile extract in 2009. During eight weeks, study participants consumed 200-1,100 mg of chamomile. Several studies have shown that chamomile extract has antidepressant properties and calming benefits.

Tummy Troubles

Studies in animals have shown that chamomile helps reduce the growth of Helicobacter pylori, a bacterium that can cause stomach ulcers. Research is required to establish this usage. However, chamomile is thought to effectively decrease smooth muscle spasms associated with certain gastrointestinal illnesses such as inflammatory bowel disease.

Healing a Wound

Applying chamomile directly to a wound may hasten the healing process. Substances in chamomile have been shown in studies to inhibit the formation of ulcers, decrease inflammation, and kill bacteria and viruses, including Staphylococcus aureus, the bacterium responsible for staph infections.

Preliminary research comparing chamomile and corticosteroids for treating ulcers in test tubes and animals found that chamomile promoted quicker wound healing: Compared to animals given corticosteroids, chamomile-treated animals showed full wound healing nine days earlier.

Chamomile was also effective in treating wounds in human beings. Four of five patients in the chamomile and lavender oil group healed completely. In contrast, the fifth patient made progress toward recovery, according to the results of a short study that examined the effectiveness of the combination of these essential oils on patients with chronic leg ulcers. Another research found that chamomile helped cure skin blemishes better after surgery than using 1% hydrocortisone ointment. Applying chamomile compress to a wound for an hour daily will give you quicker healing results than hydrocortisone once daily. Nonetheless, additional research is required.

Eczema

Nevertheless, further study is needed to determine the efficacy of chamomile in treating minor skin irritations, including sunburn, rashes, blisters, and even eye inflammations.

Moderate success in treating eczema with chamomile used topically has been shown. A commercial chamomile cream was more effective than a low dosage in a partly double-blind experiment conducted as a side-by-side comparison.

Diabetes

There is evidence that drinking chamomile tea may help people with diabetes control their blood sugar. Thirty-four adults who drank chamomile tea three times a day after meals for eight weeks exhibited a statistically significant drop in indicators for diabetes and total cholesterol compared to those who drank water. As a bonus, it showed some ability to combat obesity. Researchers stated that bigger and longer trials are required to examine the utility of chamomile in treating diabetes. However, they believe it might be an effective addition to current medications.

Oral Health

Initial research on the effectiveness of chamomile mouthwash has shown that it greatly reduces gingivitis and plaque compared to controls, perhaps due to its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects.

How dangerous is it to take chamomile?

The vast majority of professionals agree that chamomile is risk-free to use. The effects of this drug include sleepiness and, at high enough dosages, nausea and vomiting. In addition, it may cause allergic responses in persons sensitive to other daisy family members. However, this is a very uncommon occurrence. Anyone allergic to ragweed, daisies, marigolds, chrysanthemums, or chamomile should stay away. Allergic eczema and eye irritation have been linked to using chamomile in skin treatments. Whether long-term chamomile consumption has any negative consequences is unknown.

If you have health issues, talk to your doctor before taking chamomile. There is little coumarin in chamomile, and this compound may have minor blood-thinning effects. However, this is typically only seen in high doses over extended periods. Concerns regarding chamomile's probable interactions with anesthetic medicines have led to a two-week ban on its use before surgery.

The Procedure of Choosing and Preparing

Teas, liquid extracts, capsules, or pills are all made from the chamomile plant's blooming tips. The plant may also be taken internally, used as a mouthwash, or administered topically as a cream or ointment.

One heaping teaspoon of chamomile flowers may be used to brew a cup of tea by steeping them in five to ten minutes of boiling water. Commercial teas are also readily available. We also provide chamomile in convenient pill form.

The cooled tea is prepared similarly when used as a mouthwash or gargle. Feel free to gargle as frequently as you want. German chamomile liquid extract (tincture) may prepare an oral rinse by dissolving 10 to 15 drops into 100 milliliters of warm water.

Chamomile dose varies from person to person. Studies often employ different dosages. To reduce anxiety, some people have taken capsules containing 220 to 1100 mg of German chamomile extract once or twice a day for eight weeks.

What makes Roman chamomile distinct from German chamomile?

The chamomile plant is the source of chamomile oil. The chamomile plant is botanically linked to the daisy. The flowers of the chamomile plant are used to produce oil.

You may come across one of two chamomile variants −

• Roman chamomile

• German chamomile

You can tell the two plants apart by their look. Also, their active substances have somewhat different chemical compositions. Both types have been the subject of study. Chamazulene, the active component mainly studied, is more abundant in German chamomile.

Conclusion

While chamomile's traditional medical uses have been supported by research, and it is helpful in several human applications, further study is required. Chamomile, when consumed as a tea, may be a beneficial and calming supplement to almost any diet.