Chamomile: So Much More Than A Sleep Herb.
Chamomile is one of those herbs most people think they already know very well. It is often placed in the “gentle bedtime tea” category and left there, as though its only real purpose is to help us relax before sleep. But when you really have a good look at the latest research, chamomile is far more impressive than that.
Chamomile’s chemical constituents and biological activities, mean that this little flower has an enormous range of potential therapeutic actions. It has been studied for inflammation, oxidative stress, allergies, pain, infections, digestive conditions, blood sugar, blood pressure, liver protection, central nervous system disorders, wound healing and even cancer research. All of this shows that chamomile is not “just a calming tea.” She is an amazingly chemically complex medicinal plant with actions that reach across many of our body systems.
The medicinal activity of chamomile comes from its wide range of naturally occurring plant chemicals. Chamomile contains flavonoids, terpenoids, coumarins, volatile oils and many other bioactive compounds. These are the compounds that give chamomile its therapeutic uses. Chamomile works through a whole network of plant compounds acting together. This is one reason it has such a broad range of traditional and modern uses.
🌿Chamomile is a powerful anti-inflammatory with a special affinity for the digestive tract. Inflammation is part of the body’s natural healing response, but when it becomes excessive or chronic it can contribute to many health conditions. Traditionally chamomile’s anti-inflammatory activity have been used with conditions such as colitis, arthritis, skin inflammation and inflammatory digestive disorders. This is why chamomile is often considered both a digestive herb and a skin herb as well as a nervous system herb.
🌿 Chamomile has antioxidant properties. The antioxidant properties of Chamomile are so important because oxidative stress sits underneath so many chronic disease processes. Oxidative stress happens when unstable molecules called free radicals damage cells, proteins, fats and DNA. Over time, oxidative stress is associated with ageing, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, liver damage, neurodegenerative disease and cancer development. Chamomile contains antioxidant compounds, especially flavonoids and phenolic compounds, that help neutralise free radicals. In simpler terms, chamomile helps protect cells from damage.
🌿 Chamomile has anti-allergic actions. Allergic responses involve immune cells called mast cells. Mast cells release histamine and other inflammatory chemicals when the body reacts to allergens. Histamine is what contributes to symptoms such as itching, redness, swelling, runny nose, sneezing, hives and allergic irritation. German chamomile may help reduce mast cell-mediated allergic responses. In plain English, this means chamomile may help calm the type of immune reaction involved in allergies.
This is especially relevant for conditions such as allergic skin reactions, itching, hives, allergic rhinitis, inflammatory skin irritation and possibly other histamine-related patterns. Combined with Chamomiles anti-inflammatory and digestive carminative actions means that Chamomile may benefit allergies related to leaky gut.
🌿 Chamomile is a Digestive and Gut Protector Chamomile is one of the classic digestive herbs, and many studies support many of these traditional uses. It has been used for indigestion, gas, bloating, nausea, colic, stomach cramps, diarrhoea, irritable digestive patterns and inflammatory gut irritation. Research suggests it may reduce spasms, calm inflammation and protect the lining of the stomach and intestines. One of the most interesting areas is gastric ulcer research. Chamomile has shown protective effects against stomach lining injury, including alcohol-induced gastric damage. This may be due to its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and mucus-protective effects. The stomach lining relies on mucus as a protective barrier. When that barrier is damaged, irritation and ulcers can occur. Chamomile appears to help defend this tissue rather than merely dulling discomfort.
🌿 Chamomile has powerful antimicrobial, Antibacterial and Antifungal actions. Chamomile extracts and essential oil have shown activity against several microorganisms in laboratory studies. This includes bacteria associated with skin infections, digestive infections and other microbial imbalances. Her antimicrobial effects are likely due to constituents such as alpha-bisabolol, chamazulene and other essential oil compounds. Chamomile has also been studied for antifungal activity, including activity against Candida species. In one study Chamomile was found to be more effective against Heliocobacter pylori infections than antibiotics due to her antimicrobial actions combined with her anti-inflammatory and digestion enhancing properties.
🌿 Chamomile has hepatoprotective activity, meaning liver-protective effects. The liver is one of the body’s major detoxification and metabolic organs. It is vulnerable to oxidative stress, inflammation, alcohol, medications, toxins and metabolic disease. Chamomile’s antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds may help protect liver tissue from damage. Some studies suggest chamomile may reduce markers of liver injury and oxidative stress. Chamomiles value appears to come from its ability to calm inflammation and protect tissues from oxidative damage.
🌿 Chamomile has also been studied in relation to diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome refers to a cluster of issues that often occur together: high blood sugar, insulin resistance, high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol or triglycerides and increased abdominal fat. These factors increase the risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Studies show chamomile’s potential antidiabetic effects, including lowering blood glucose, reducing oxidative stress and improving diabetes-related markers. Some of the studies suggest chamomile may help reduce intestinal glucose absorption, meaning less sugar may be absorbed from the gut into the bloodstream.
One review also notes potential protective effects on organs affected by diabetes, including the liver and kidneys. This matters because long-term high blood sugar can damage blood vessels, nerves and organs through inflammation and oxidative stress.
🌿Chamomile can help with central nervous system disorders. Because Chamomile is a nervine tonic, her nervous system actions go way beyond sleep and anxiety. Chamomile contains antioxidant and neuroprotective compounds, especially apigenin, and her compounds are being seriously studied for neuroprotective effects, especially where inflammation and oxidative stress damage the brain and nervous system. Chamomile’s calming effects are still one of her best-known actions, as well as her anxiolytic activities, Anxiolytic simply means anxiety-reducing. Apigenin from Chamomile appears to interact with the benzodiazepine receptors in the brain. These are the same general receptor systems targeted by some pharmaceutical anti-anxiety medicines.
Clinical studies have looked at chamomile for generalised anxiety disorder, often called GAD. GAD involves persistent worry, tension, restlessness and difficulty calming the nervous system. Chamomile extract and infusions have shown benefit in some studies for reducing anxiety symptoms. Chamomile has also been studied for sleep quality, including in elderly people and postnatal women experiencing sleep disturbance. Its effects are not like a heavy sedative. It seems more suited to people whose sleep is affected by stress, worry, nervous tension or emotional unrest. This is why chamomile is such a valuable herb for the modern nervous system, it does not simply “knock you out.”
🌿 Chamomile is being studied in Anticancer and Antiproliferative Research. Antiproliferative means helping to slow or inhibit abnormal cell growth. In cancer biology, uncontrolled cell proliferation is one of the defining features of tumour development. Chamomile compounds, especially apigenin, have been studied for their effects on cancer-related pathways. Research suggests apigenin may influence inflammation, oxidative stress, programmed cell death and abnormal cell growth. Programmed cell death, also called apoptosis, is the body’s natural process for removing damaged or abnormal cells. Cancer cells often avoid this process, allowing them to survive and multiply. Some studies suggest apigenin may help encourage apoptosis in abnormal cells.
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The next time you are drinking a cup of humble chamomile tea, you may not realise you are drinking a powerful anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-allergic, antimicrobial, antifungal, analgesic, antispasmodic, liver-protective, blood-sugar-supportive, blood-pressure-supportive, neuroprotective and wound-healing super hero. That she has been studied in relation to anxiety, sleep disturbance, digestive inflammation, ulcers, diarrhoea, allergies, skin irritation, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, hypertension, liver injury, epilepsy, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, cerebral ischemia and cancer biology. That she has such an extraordinary range for such a gentle and familiar herb.
Perhaps this is why chamomile has remained one of the most beloved medicinal plants in the world. She is soft and healing, but incredibly strong at the same time. Gentle, but not insignificant. Simple enough to sit in a teacup, yet complex enough to interest scientists across multiple fields of medicine. You may drink her for one reason, yet behind the scenes she is doing all these other wonderful things.
Chamomile reminds me that some of the most powerful herbs are not always the flashest or the latest thing. Sometimes they are the ones we have underestimated because we have known them for so long..... Chamomile has stood the test of time because she is pleasant tasting, has a lack of negative side effects and numerous medicinal actions.
Give her a try, your body will thank you.
Kim