Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla)

Traditional Uses:

• Sleep promotion
• Anxiety and stress reduction
• Digestive comfort
• Skin soothing
• Menstrual pain relief
• Mild sedative effects

Scientific Evidence:

1. Sleep Improvement:

• Zick, S.M., Wright, B.D., Sen, A., & Arnedt, J.T. (2011). Preliminary examination of the efficacy and safety of a standardized chamomile extract for chronic primary insomnia: A randomized placebo-controlled pilot study. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 11, 78. https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6882-11-78
  • Clinical trial demonstrating significant improvements in sleep quality, total sleep time, and sleep latency in insomnia patients taking chamomile extract.

1. Anxiety Reduction:

• Amsterdam, J.D., Li, Y., Soeller, I., Rockwell, K., Mao, J.J., & Shults, J. (2009). A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of oral Matricaria recutita (chamomile) extract therapy for generalized anxiety disorder. Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology, 29(4), 378-382. https://doi.org/10.1097/JCP.0b013e3181ac935c
  • Controlled trial showing significant reductions in anxiety symptoms in patients with generalized anxiety disorder taking chamomile extract compared to placebo.

1. Digestive Benefits:

• Sebai, H., Jabri, M.A., Souli, A., Rtibi, K., Selmi, S., Tebourbi, O., El-Benna, J., & Sakly, M. (2014). Antidiarrheal and antioxidant activities of chamomile (Matricaria recutita L.) decoction extract in rats. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 152(2), 327-332. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2014.01.015
  • Research documenting chamomile’s antispasmodic effects on intestinal smooth muscle and its ability to reduce gastrointestinal inflammation.

1. Skin Healing:

• Srivastava, J.K., Shankar, E., & Gupta, S. (2010). Chamomile: A herbal medicine of the past with bright future. Molecular Medicine Reports, 3(6), 895-901. https://doi.org/10.3892/mmr.2010.377
  • Comprehensive review detailing chamomile’s anti-inflammatory and wound-healing properties when applied topically to skin conditions.

1. Menstrual Pain Relief:

• Sharifi, F., Simbar, M., Mojab, F., & Majd, H.A. (2014). Comparison of the effects of Matricaria chamomila (Chamomile) extract and mefenamic acid on the intensity of premenstrual syndrome. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, 20(1), 81-88. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctcp.2013.09.002

Clinical study demonstrating comparable effectiveness between chamomile extract and mefenamic acid (an NSAID) for relief of menstrual pain.