Natasha Richardson & Claire Goulding
Chamomilla recutita (Chamomile)
Plant Profile
Names: Chamomilla recutita, Matricaria recutita or Matricaric chamomilla, Manzanilla.
Element: Fire
Planet: Sun
Magical uses: Money, Sleep, Love, Purification, Increase passion, Empower young girls, Hung above cribs for strength
Key words: Gentle, Child-like, Playful, Cheerful, Strong.
Tissue type: Irritation, Constriction and Stagnation
Qualities: Hot and Dry
Actions: Anti-inflammatory, Antimicrobial, Antiseptic, Anti-peptic ulcer, Anodyne, Antispasmodic, Bitter tonic, Carminative, Vulnerary, Mild nerve sedative, Antihistamine, Analgesic, Decongestant, Relaxant.
Physical Uses: Colic, Tension, IBS, Constipation, Diarrhoea, Gastritis, Ulcers, Crohn’s disease, Nausea, Motion sickness, Fever, Diverticulitis, Colitis, Sore throats, Sinusitis, Coughs, Cystitis, Heartburn, Nausea during pregnancy, Painful periods, Delayed menses, Hot flushes, Mastitis, Pre-menstrual headaches, Migraines, Neuralgia, Carpal tunnel syndrome, Toothache, Teething, Earache, Cramp, Rheumatism, Gout, Eczema, Psoriasis, Hay fever, Asthma, Wounds, Ulcers, Urticaria, Cysts, Sores, Burns, Scalds, Impetigo, Blisters, Sore nipples, Eye infection & Conjunctivitis (pink eye).
Emotional Uses: Mental tension, For people who whine about things, Suitable for babies of all ages, Prickly over-sensitive volatile people.
Parts used: Aerial parts.
Known constituents: Volatile oils, flavonoids, coumarins, plant acids, fatty acids, cyanogenic glycosides, salicylate derivatives, choline & tannin.
Legend & Tradition
The word chamomile comes from the Greek khamaemelon meaning “earth apple”. This is due to it’s fruity fragrance. In the language of flowers Chamomile means patience or energy in adversity. This is because it derives strength from being trodden on. (Grieves, 1992).
Medicinal Uses
NERVES
The connection from the gut to the mind is incredible and this is sometimes strongest in children. They communicate through their tummies and bowels. Even low level stress may cause chronic constipation.I believe it was low level stress that was causing constipation in these cases and Chamomile was just the right thing for them.
DIGESTION
Chamomile is also pro-biotic, helping to balance the bowel flora which is upset by IBS. It can be used to relieve; gastritis, ulcers, crohn’s disease, colic in infants and other digestive problems (Karbalaei & Nourafshan, 2009).Bitter tastes are crucial to the digestive system. They encourage the intestines to contract and relax in the waves called peristalsis and they help us create bile in preparation for breaking down foods in the stomach. It will aid in both constipation and diarrhoea and is often used in IBS for this reason (Sebai et al., 2014).A strong infusion will bring out the bitter properties of the herb and makes a good aperitif 30 mins before a meal. It is this preparation that also has an emmenagogue effect. This means it will help bring on a period and potentially a miscarriage in early stages of pregnancy. Chamomile is otherwise perfectly safe to drink through pregnancy, just don’t infuse it for over 5minutes to be on the safe side. Grieves says the strong infusions can be emetic, though I’ve never experienced this.
IMMUNE
As an antiseptic it is useful against colds and flus but especially useful for thrush in women. It helps alleviate fever, sore throat, sinusitis, coughs and cystitis. A worthy herb for first-aid in every home. (Scherrer et al., 2005)
REPRODUCTIVE
The relaxing effects help to relieve nausea during pregnancy and uterine contractions in painful periods. It is a very gentle emmenagogue and very useful when menses is delayed due to stress. It reduces menopausal symptoms where stress is a major contributor to hot symptoms. It also relieves mastitis, pre-menstrual headaches and migraines. (Srivastava et al., 2010)
IMMUNE
Its antihistamine action makes it useful in treating eczema, asthma and hay fever. (Karbalaei & Nourafshan, 2009).
SKIN
It’s also great for wounds, ulcers, sores, burns, sore nipples and scalds when applied in a cream or poultice. Another way to use it externally is in the form of a douche for cystitis and thrush and as an eyewash for eye infections, inflammation or irritations. (Martins et al, 2009).
Safety Considerations
Avoid long infusions of the herb during the first trimester.
References
Ferreira, E. B., Vasques, C. I., Jesus, C. A. C., & Reis, P. E. D. (2015). Topical effects of Chamomilla Recutita in skin damage: A literature review. Pharmacologyonline, 3(2015-), 123-130.
Karbalaei, D. S. & Nourafshan, A. (2009). Antiulcerogenic effects of Matricaria chamomilla extract in experimental gastric ulcer in mice.
Lo, C. M., Han, J., & Wong, E. S. (2020). Chemistry in Aromatherapy–Extraction and Analysis of Essential Oils from Plants of Chamomilla recutita, Cymbopogon nardus, Jasminum officinale and Pelargonium graveolens. Biomedical and Pharmacology Journal, 13(03), 1339-1350.
Martins, M. D., Marques, M. M., Bussadori, S. K., Martins, M. A. T., Pavesi, V. C. S., Mesquita‐Ferrari, R. A., & Fernandes, K. P. S. (2009). Comparative analysis between Chamomilla recutita and corticosteroids on wound healing. An in vitro and in vivo study. Phytotherapy Research: An International Journal Devoted to Pharmacological and Toxicological Evaluation of Natural Product Derivatives, 23(2), 274-278.
Sebai, H., Jabri, M. A., Souli, A., Rtibi, K., Selmi, S., Tebourbi, O., ... & Sakly, M. (2014). Antidiarrheal and antioxidant activities of chamomile (Matricaria recutita L.) decoction extract in rats. Journal of ethnopharmacology, 152(2), 327-332.
Scherrer, A. M., Motti, R., & Weckerle, C. S. (2005). Traditional plant use in the areas of monte vesole and ascea, cilento national park (Campania, Southern Italy). Journal of ethnopharmacology, 97(1), 129-143.
Srivastava, J. K., Shankar, E., & Gupta, S. (2010). Chamomile: A herbal medicine of the past with a bright future. Molecular medicine reports, 3(6), 895-901.
