Chillin' Out with Chamomile (Matricaria Recutita)

• Folk Names: Camomyle, Chamaimelon, Ground Apple, Heermannchen (German), Manzanilla (Spanish), Maythen, Whig Plant
• Gender: Masculine
• Planet: Sun
• Element: Water
• Powers: Money, Sleep, Love, and Purification

Chamomile grows wild and we often mow right over it, without realizing what it is or its great benefits. Here is a whole new way to look at this wild flower. This aromatic, slightly bitter tasting herb is often found in the tea section of your local grocery store, but this herb has many medicinal uses that are not yet well known. Chamomile is grown in Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany, Argentina, Egypt, and the United States. It is most favored in Slovakia. Folk sayings indicate that individuals should bow when facing this herb to show respect for the hundreds of years of healing it has provided in the folk medicine of the country. One little known fact is that Chamomile is an official drug (recognized by government authority) in the pharmacopoeias of twenty-six countries.

Chamomile is used to attract money, and it is said that handwashing of the infusion is something gamblers do to ensure winnings. The infusion added to a bath is said to attract love and when sprinkled around a property, it removes curses and spells cast against you.

Personally I use chamomile as a tea to relax me, but after researching, have found many more ways to use this herb.

Key Constituents:

• Volatile oil - (proazulenes, farnesine, alpha-bisabolol, spiroether)
• Flavonoids - (anthemidin, luteolin, rutin)
• Bitter Glycosides - (anthemic acid)
• Courmarins
• Tannins

Traditional Uses:

• Digestive: This herb is very valuable for, pain, indigestion, acidity, gas, gastritis, bloating, hiatus hernia, peptic ulcer, Crohn's disease, irritable bowel syndrome and due to its mildness it is very suitable for children with colic.
• Tension: contains spiroether, a very strong antispasmodic, which relaxes tense, aching muscles and eases menstrual cramps. It also promotes sleep, especially in children.
• Irritation: the proazulenes in this herb produce chamazulene on steam distillation, which is a noted antiallergenic. Which makes this herb useful for asthma, and hayfever. Externally used in a balm can be applied to sore, itchy skin, and eczema.

Cautions: persons allergic to pollen of the aster family such as ragweed should avoid this herb.

In conjuction with lavendar, for treating burns:

1. Chamomile (German) 10 drops essential oil
2. Chamomile (Roman) 10 drops essential oil
3. Lavendar 10 drops essential oil

Mix together and apply to the affected area, then cover with a clean, cold, and wet cloth 3 times daily. You may also use 2 drops of mixture with 1 tablespoon of Aloe Vera and apply. Chamomile may used as a delicious tea to relax you, assist with stomachaches, or in a bath to calm. It can also be used to attract love, as a massage oil to ease tense muscles or help with skin irritations. Enjoy this amazing and useful herb. Let it enhance your life.

Copyright © 2008 Michele Cameron Drew. All Rights Reserved.