Chamomile Uses - Exposed

Chamomile, and the products that are derived from it, such as chamomile tea and more recently, chamomile capsules, has three primary uses. The most popular use is as an anti-infective agent. Believed to work like vitamin C, many use it to boost their immune system to help ward off viral and bacterial infections.

Others use chamomile to ease stomach cramps and indigestion. For these purposes, chamomile tea is commonly ingested.

Chamomile has also been used as a topical anti inflammatory. Crushed into a paste, and applied to burns, rashes, or ulcers, it is said to help prevent infection, and soothe the discomfort.

Also, the essential oil can be used to help alleviate and minimize the symptoms of eczema.

The History:

This herb is most likely prehistoric…but we can’t be sure, just because it’s been used for longer than people have had a written language. The first appearance of it in civilization is from the ancient Egyptians. They used it to help cure fevers. It was used in the middle ages to help improve the atmosphere of festivals, and in beer until hops were discovered to be better for beer. Also, it was monks in the middle ages that found sick plants often got better when chamomile was planted around them. It is known as “the plants doctor”.

The Real Deal:

Well, with all the rumors, and widespread use of Chamomile and Chamomile tea, one would think that there is really something to Chamomile…except there has not been one study that conclusively proves anything, at least not to U.S. Government standards. The National Institute of Health has found only one condition Chamomile stimulates: allergies, including allergy induced Anaphylactic attacks.

There is one study in particular that proves interesting. 14 men and women drank 5 cups of german chamomile tea, and over a 2 week period, there were some biological changes. Their urine was found to contain increased levels of hippurate, which is a byproduct of the breakdown of plant based phenolics, which have been associated with boosting the immune system.

There were also increased levels of glycine in the urine. Glycine is an amino acid that has been shown to relieve muscle spasms. This, some believe, may be why Chamomile can help an upset stomach.

This study was conducted in the U.K, and was published in the American Chemical Socities “Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry”

Now, the problem with the study isn’t that it’s flawed…albeit has a small test sample. It reports a biological change in urine content due to ingesting chamomile. The real problem with the study is that it’s inconclusive. Just because a byproduct of a chemical found in plants that may possibly boost the immune system is found in urine, does not mean chamomile is directly or indirectly preventing infection and illness.

For the same reason, finding an amino acid in urine does not mean that amino acid is indeed providing stomach relief.

Furthermore, there was no statement on the relative wellness or resiliency to illness of the subjects in the study. Granted, it may be hard to “prove” someone is actively resisting illness, but since there is no direct correlation in white blood cell count, or stomach reaction, such observations would be the other way to have conclusive evidence.

For these results to be conclusively positive, they need to be more closely related to the stomach and the immune system. What comes out in ones urine does not prove what it does, and where it works, while in the body…if it does anything at all

Chamomile Exposed:
So, to summarize, the only thing science knows for sure is that Chamomile causes the body to excrete chemicals associated with immune boosts and decreased muscle spasms. We just don’t know how they tie in together…so it may do something, it may do nothing. We do know it can cause extreme allergic reactions. Further science is needed to prove the benevolent rumors that surround this plant.