Family: Asteraceae
Genus: Matricaria
Species: chamomilla
Synonyms: Matricaria recutita, Chamomilla recutita
Common Names: Chamomile, German chamomile, Amerale, Babunnej, Bayboon, Camomile, Chamomile, Kami-Ture, Manzanilla Dulce, Manzanilla, Papatya
Part Used: Whole herb, flowers

Quoted References

1. "Chamomile has calming and soothing properties. It is used for nervousness, headaches, anxiety, and hysteria. It is also beneficial for colds and flu. Its antispasmodic properties (See herbal fact at the bottom of this page.) benefit cramps and spasms , probably due to the easily assimilable form of calcium found in it. One tablespoon steeped in a covered cup of boiling water with two slices of fresh ginger is reported to be a very effective treatment for menstrual cramps and other pains and spasms. Chamomile is frequently used for digestive complaints and taken regularly will gently regulate the bowels. The same tea may be used for minor digestive problems such as acid indigestion and gas, weak stomach, stomach pains, lack of appetite, and colic p ain. It is also effective against intestinal parasites, like worms. Chamomile has tonic, diaphoretic (causes sweating), and analgesic (pain-relieving) properties."

2. "Chamomile is a slightly bitter herb that helps soothe nerves, increase mental awareness, settle the stomach and promote digestion. It is used as a tea to calm hyperactive children, menstrual cramps, and asthma. It is a diuretic and has been used for b ladder problems. It helps with fevers, colds, headaches, insomnia, rheumatism, relieving gas and expelling worms. Chamomile is good for the liver and lungs and helps reduce jaundice, swelling, and ease withdrawal from drugs. It acts as a mild laxative and can bring on menses. It is good for crying, whining babies and helps soothe the pain of teething. Chamomile can be used as a mouthwash for gingivitis and externally for inflammation."

4. "Medicinal Action: and Uses: Tonic, stomachic, anodyne, and antispasmodic. It has a wonderfully soothing, sedative and absolutely harmless effect."

5. "A good nerve tonic, sleep aid, appetite stimulant, and digestive aid. Relieves the bladder, colds, asthma, colitis, diverticulosis, fever, headaches, hemorrhoids, muscle cramps, and pain. Effective in the treatment of rheumatism, arthritis, worms, and jaundice. Warning: Do not use for long periods of time. Do not use if allergic to ragweed."

7. "Chamomile is renowned for its medical and household uses. The apparently endless list of conditions it can help all fall into areas that the relaxing, carminative and anti-inflammatory actions can aid. It is an excellent, gentle sedative, useful and saf e for use with children."

14."Chamomile contains a wide variety of active constituents, each of which comes to the fore under certain conditions and plays an important supportive role in other situations. Thus bisabolol is thought to be the major anti-inf lammatory constituent, but the total anti-inflammatory effect of whole chamomile depends upon the presence of the flavonoids, such as apiginine and luteoline. Likewise, for years researchers attributed the antispasmodic effect to the flavonoids, but it h as recently been demonstrated through numerous trials that other constituents also contribute substantially to the total sedative action. Furthermore, the importance of chamazulene and its precursor, matricine, has been demonstrated in virtually all of the actions of chamomile. Chamomile is as much used as a carminative as a mild sedative. One of the most amazing things about chamomile is that, in spite of the fact that the herb was being used throughout Europe and North America for the treatment of a cute and chronic gastrointestinal inflammatory conditions, for heartburn, for constipation, for stomachache, and so forth - in spite of all that, it wasn't until 1979 that experimental verification of its protective and healing effect on the mucosa of th e GI tract was reported."

15. "German Chamomile is classed as sedative, anodyne carminative, and tonic. It has a well-established reputation as a remedy for soothing the nerves, strengthening digestion, and relieving certain forms of colic."

18."Another extremely popular herb for the treatment of indigestion, as well as various other conditions, is chamomile. . . Its popularity as a traditional medicine is so great that in Germany it was declared the medicinal plan t of the year for 1987.50 The literature on the chamomiles is extensive. Die Kamille, a 152-page book by H. Schilcher, provides comprehensive coverage. 51 Mann and Staba's 1986 review is the most recent one in the English language. 52 It provides 220 references to various agro nomic, botanical, chemical, and pharmacological aspects of the herbs. The chamomiles are used internally for digestive disturbances. Like peppermint, they possess carminative (antispasmodic) effects, but unlike peppermint, they exert, in addition, a pronounced anti-inflammatory activity on the gastrointestinal tract. In this country, chamomile tea is most widely used for this purpose. The German Commission E considers German chamomile effective internally for gastrointestinal (GI) spasm and inflammatory conditions of the GI tract. It was also found to be effective when used as a mouthwash for irritations and minor infections of the mouth and gums."

ETHNOBOTANY: WORLDWIDE USES
Dominican Republic	Carminative, Cicatrizant, Diarrhea, Spasm, Tea
Elsewhere	Ache(Ear), Ache(Stomach), Anodyne, Antiphlogistic, Antiseptic, Bruise, Carminative, Colic, Convulsion, Debility, Dentition, Depurative, Diaphoretic, Diuretic, Eczema, Expectorant, Fever, Hair-Wash, Hysteria , Inflammation, Intestinal-Tonic, Liqueur , Malaria, Nervine, Neuralgia, Pile, Poultice, Sedative, Sclerosis, Shampoo, Sore, Spasm, Stomach, Tumor(Intestine), Vermifuge Wound
Europe	Cancer, Carminative, Diaphoretic, Liqueur, Nervine, Perfume, Sedative, Spasm, Stimulant, Tea, Vermifuge
Mexico	Colic, Gastritis, Nerve, Spasm, Stomachic, Tonic, Sudorific
South America	Cancer(Liver), Stomachic, Tonic, Sclerosis
Turkey	Antiphlogistic, Antiseptic, Carminative, Digestive, Discutient, Diuretic, Emollient, Expectorant, Fever, Sedative, Tonic

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† The statements contained herein have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The information contained in this plant database file is intended for education, entertainment and information purposes only. This information is not intended to be used to diagnose, prescribe or replace proper medical care. The plant described herein is not intended to treat, cure, diagnose, mitigate or prevent any disease. Please refer to our Conditions of Use for using this plant database file and web site.

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