Chamomile

Latin Name
Matricaria recutita

General Description
Of the three types of chamomile plant, the most popular and thoroughly studied is German chamomile, used medicinally around the world for thousands of years. Modern herbalists have identified elements in the oil of the chamomile flower that appear to calm the central nervous system, relax the digestive tract and speed the healing process.

Target Ailments
Taken internally for:

• Stomach cramps, gas and nervous stomach, indigestion, ulcers, menstrual cramps, insomnia, colic and bladder problems.
  

Applied externally for:

• Swelling and pain in the joints, skin inflammation and sunburn, cuts and scrapes, teething pain, varicose veins, hemorrhoids and sore or inflamed eyes.

Used as a gargle for:

• Gingivitis and sore throat.

Preparations
Over the counter:
Available as prepared tea, tincture, essential oil and dried or fresh flowers.

At home:
Tea: 8 oz. boiling water poured over 2 tsp. chamomile flowers and steeped for 10 minutes. 1 cup consumed three or four times daily, or diluted and used as an eye compress.
Compress: Fresh tea (less than 24 hours old) strained through a coffee filter and diluted with an equal amount of water. (Unused portions should be refrigerated, and diluted tea brought to room temperature before using it.) For a compress, liquid poured on a cloth and applied to the closed eye. Discontinue if your eye becomes irritated.
Fomentation: Applied three or four times daily to sore muscles; sore, swollen joints; varicose veins; and burns and skin wounds.
Herbal bath: Bathwater run over 2 or 3 oz. chamomile flowers tied in cloth, or no more than two drops essential oil of chamomile added to bathwater.

Special Information

• Allergies to chamomile are rare. However, anyone allergic to other plants in the daisy family (chrysanthemums, ragweed and asters, for example) should be alert to possible allergic reactions to chamomile, ranging from contact dermatitis to anaphylaxis (itching, rash and difficulty breathing).