Although chamomile tea is the most frequently used form of the herb, scientific literature on its healing properties shows that the tea contains only a fraction of the available essential oils. Chamomile extract can be found in a wide variety of products. Besides tea, the list includes skin creams, throat sprays, and pain relieving creams. Traditionally chamomile tea is considered to be a general tonic, said to be especially useful for aiding digestion, quieting tired nerves, soothing inflammation and fighting infection.Dr. James Duke, U.S. Department of Agriculture, in his Handbook of Medicinal Herbs lists a variety of applications for the chamomile flower. Internally, it works to relieve and prevent spasms and relieve abdominal gas. It also has diuretic, expectorant, sedative, stimulant and tonic properties. It is also a botanical that can dispel worms. Externally it is used and a counterirritant liniment for bruises, hemorrhoids, inflammations and sores. Dr. Dukes adds that the hot aqueous extract of the whole plant is said to cure digestive tract tumors.
Much of scientific understanding of chamomile's healing effects has come from West German studies. A noted West German mataoligist treated several dozen patients suffering form stasis dermatitis, a skin condition characterized by erythema (a redness of the skin caused by congestion of the capillaries) and scaling of the legs. The patients applied a chamomile cream and experienced a "rapid improvement along with a regression of the inflammation...within just two days."
At an international chamomile research conference in Frankfurt, scientists reported significant relief from burns, diaper rash, and serious leg ulcers using chamomile. For burns or diaper rash, use cool chamomile tea or add chamomile flowers to bath water. Chamomile is also useful for soothing babies with upset stomach or colic and for helping them to sleep.
The active components of chamomile include alpha bisabobol, chamozulene, polyines, and flavonoids. No single factor has been shown to possess all the major healing properties of whole chamomile. The consensus is that each major constituent is effective f or specific conditions, and plays a supportive role in others.
A special commission appointed by the Federal German Health Office has stated that chamomile flowers contain a complex of active principles that when used together "combat inflammation, stimulate the regeneration of cell tissue, and promote the healing of refractory wounds and skin ulcers."
Chamomile may cause allergies in susceptible people because it is a flowering plant. However if you can open a box without suffering allergic symptoms, you will probably be fine.
Nutrition News© 1990 VOL XIII. No. 7 Siri Khalsa, Riverside, CA 93507 ISSN 8756-5919