Chamomile

Matricaria chamomilla

Also: German chamomile, Matricaria recutita

WarmingNeutral moistureRelaxing

Settles the belly and the nerves in one cup.

Small white daisies around a hollow, domed yellow center, smelling of green apple. Chamomile calms the whole nervous system by way of the gut, which makes it the herb for upset that starts in the stomach and spreads.

Energetics: Warming, neutral, relaxing
Taste: Bitter, aromatic, sweet
Family: Asteraceae (daisy family)
Parts used: Flowers

Medicinal uses 8

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Traditional useLab and mechanism studiesClinical studies

Indigestion & bloatingTLC
Relaxes spasm in the gut wall, moves gas, and eases bloating, especially when nerves are part of the picture.
Anxiety & stressTLC
Calms agitation, particularly the kind that lands in the stomach and pulls downward.
Trouble sleepingTLC
Helps an already tired body wind down and fall asleep.
Menstrual crampsTLC
Loosens uterine cramping the same way it loosens the gut.
Rashes & eczemaTLC
As a compress or wash, soothes inflamed, itchy skin and sore, puffy eyes.
Loose bowelsTLC
Settles nervous, cramping, downward-rushing bowels.
Muscle tension & spasmTLC
A strong cup or a warm chamomile bath unclenches muscles held tight by stress.
PMS & cycle irritabilityTLC
Eases the irritability and low spirits before a period; a trial found it helped the emotional side of PMS.

Preparations

A covered tea of the flowers, tincture, infused oil, and compresses.

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Cautions

People allergic to ragweed and other daisy-family plants occasionally react to chamomile.
The essential oil is far more concentrated than the tea and is used differently.

Medication interactions

Practitioner Practitioners are able to see the 2 types of medicine flagged for chamomile, each with the mechanism and what to do. The plain-language cautions above stay open to everyone.

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Pregnancy & breastfeeding

PregnancyOccasional tea

An occasional cup of tea is the traditional use. Chamomile carries an old reputation for bringing on menstruation, and one observational study linked heavy daily use with preterm birth, so medicinal doses and the essential oil wait until after pregnancy.

BreastfeedingOccasional tea

A cup or two is a long-standing use, and chamomile has a history with colicky babies. Large amounts can make a nursing baby drowsy.

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Folklore

Chamomile takes its name from the Greek khamaimelon, ground apple, for the scent that rises when the plant is crushed underfoot, and Spanish speakers kept the apple in manzanilla. Gardeners planted it beside sickly plants and called it the plant's physician. Elizabethan households laid whole lawns of the low Roman species, which grows thicker the more it is walked on. The Anglo-Saxon Nine Herbs Charm, copied out around the year 1000, names it among the nine plants sung over a wound.

How to grow

An easy annual. Scatter seed on the surface in spring or fall and press it in without covering, since it needs light to germinate. Give it full sun and light soil and it will self-sow. Pick the flower heads every few days, once the white petals lie flat or begin to fold back.

In the wild

Native to southern and eastern Europe and western Asia, now naturalized along field edges, roadsides, and waste ground across the temperate world. Its petal-less cousin, pineapple weed (Matricaria discoidea), grows in packed dirt and gravel and smells of the same green fruit.

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