Chamomile, Matricaria Recutita

Chamomile 

Matricaria recutita, M. chamomilla

warm, neutral, relaxant

Taste: bitter, aromatic, sweet

Family: Compositae (Asteraceae)

Medicinal part: flowers

Actions: stomachic, carminative, soothing nervine, sedative, antispasmodic, vulnerary

Affinities: digestive, nervous, and reproductive systems

Notable constituents: volatiles (proazulenes, faresine, alpha-bisabolol, spiroether),

flavonoids (anthemidin, luteolin, rutin), bitter glycosides (anthemic acid), coumarins, tannins

Medicinal applications

• Digestive system:

  • Chamomile is helpful for a wide range of complaints because of its actions: relaxing, carminative and anti-inflammatory. Its affinity with the digestive system allows it to be a potent healer for many complaints. Digestive relaxant chamomile is listed as a preventive herb for the upper and lower GI tract, stimulating function and relaxing spasms. It is great for general IBS and conditions such as colic, indigestion, gastritis, bloating, ulcers, esophageal reflux and diverticular disease. It is excellent for troubles with the colon, such as diverticulitis. 

  • Chamomile is suitable for working with people who have a weak digestion, it can help the stomach with the production of digestive fluids which allows food to travel through the stomach easier as well as helping you absorb the nutrients better. 

  • H.pylori is an inflection connected to gut inflammation that comes and goes, drinking chamomile tea can help discourage future growth of the bacteria. Get tested by your doctor to learn more about potential H.pylori.

• Topical:

  • Alpha-bisabolol and azulene are volatile oils found in chamomile that help create its anti-inflammatory action. Studies show that this action penetrates below the surface of the skin, helping soothe deeper skin layers. Chamomile’s anti-inflammatory properties will help recovery time for healing wounds. It is also helpful for inflammatory conditions such as arthritis and psoriasis. Chamomile can be helpful for working with eczema, studies show it is about 60% as effective as hydrocortisone cream. Chamomile’s anti-inflammatory and soothing properties make it a great choice for working with rashes such as poison ivy. It is suitable for treating inflamed skin such as sunburns as well as bacterial infections. 

  • Chamomile helps restore thelial cells. Epithelial cells form our skin and endothelial cells  create internal tissues. Research shows evidence that chamomile is effective for speeding up wound healing through stimulating thelial cells. 

  • One way to apply the relaxing power of chamomile is as a bath tea. It helps to relax sore and inflamed muscles. Breathing in the steam from the bath will also help to restore the nasal catarrh. A bath with chamomile can also be suitable for easing ano-genital inflammation as well as soothe hemorrhoids. 

  • Chamomile eyes packs are another way to work with chamomile’s inflammatory properties, soak cloth in chamomile or directly place cooled down tea bags on the eyes to relieve conjunctivitis and swelling. Chamomile can be helpful when working with blocked tear ducts as well. Chamomile is suitable for working with external swelling, consider making a poultice to help with facial swelling from infection or abscess. 

  • Chamomile can also be used for dental applications. It is a good choice for a mouthwash to treat inflammatory conditions such as gingivitis. Gargling chamomile will help a sore throat and toothache.

• Reproductive system:

  • Chamomile is commonly used for menstrual disorders. Chamomile’s relaxant, antispasmodic and sedative properties are helpful for relieving menstrual cramping. Chamomile has been traditionally worked with as an emmenagogue and as a uterine tonic. It can also be worked with for vaginitis, reducing itching and pain with urination. 

• Nervous systems: 

  • Chamomile is effective when working with the nervous-endocrine system, it is gentle and a nervine sedative herb. Work with chamomile for states of agitation, anxiety and daily stress. Chamomile essential oil can be a good choice for relieving anxiety and general depression. Chamomile's mild sedative properties make it suitable for calming nerves and reducing anxiety, consider working with chamomile for generalized anxiety disorder.

  • Chamomile’s affinity with the nervous system makes it a great support for sleep. Chamomile is suitable for treating insomnia, relieving nightmares and treating a host of sleep problems.   

  • Chamomile also works with the enteric nervous system. The ENS is a network of nerve connections that run from the esophagus to the anal canal. In this system, there are an estimated 400-600 million neurons, these neurons impact our emotional state. The ENS has been nicknamed the gut-brain connection or “second brain,”. Chamomile works with the enteric nervous system to bring mental calm while also relaxing the digestive system. Many stomach problems are related to mental stress and chamomile is helpful for a large variety of stomach ailments because it calms and relaxes the ENS.  

  • Chamomile is helpful for personality types that have a busy mind, are ambitious and have a hard time putting down their “to do” list while simultaneously having a sluggish or slow body. Consider chamomile for people that are seen as wound tight, type A, or high achieving to help them calm and relax. 

• With children:

  • There is a reason chamomile is one of the most popular herbs when working with children and infants, it is potent while being gentle. Try working with chamomile for relief for insomnia, agitation and colic. Studies show chamomile can be helpful for treating diarrhea in children, relaxing the stomach and easing spasms. Chamomile is a good choice for diaper rash as well as mothers with cracked nipples. It can be helpful for treating children with fevers and croup. 

In practice:

• Chamomile's anti-inflammatory effects are from its volatile oils, so we want to make sure to prepare it in a way that captures these volatiles. For a potent healing tea, fill half the cup with chamomile flower loose, seal the cup with a lid right away, and wrap with a towel to keep warm. The tea will steam into a dark yellow. When it is prepared this way it allows for it to become bitter. This bitter element is where the antispasmodic action is. A good chamomile tincture will capture the aromatic floral aspects as well as its bitter elements, this will give you the full effect of its medicine.

• For a digestive relaxation blend, try mixing chamomile with ginger, half and half, this has circulatory actions, it stimulates digestion and is antispasmodic. It also calms the mind and allows you to put down the “to do” list Consider chamomile tea or tincture for an irritated stomach, perhaps after having greasy food or if you ate too close to bedtime. 

• A lotion or salve made with chamomile is useful to keep in a herbal first aid kit, it can be a good option for rashes, sunburns or wound care.

• Consider having a bath with a chamomile bath tea, breathing in the scent can calm the body and soaking in chamomile can ease sore muscles and reduce inflammation.

• Chamomile’s anti-inflammatory properties can be worked with topically as a compress for swollen or infected eyes.

• Consider adding chamomile into a homemade mouthwash, its anti-inflammatory properties can be helpful for easing the pain of gingivitis. 

• If you are suffering from cramping period pain, consider making a cup of strong chamomile tea to ease the pain and mental stress. 

• If you are dealing with chronic stress or anxiety, chamomile might be a good herbal ally for you. You can consider working with tea, tincture or aromatherapy. 

• Chamomile is a great support for those that struggle with sleep, a tea, tincture, steam or bath tea might be a suitable option for you to have a better night's rest. 

• Chamomile is good to have for supporting mothers and babies, try having a lotion to help with cracked nipples or for diaper rashes. Calming chamomile tea might be a good option for reducing overall stress as well. 

• Chamomile is safe for dogs and can help them relax or when they have an upset stomach. Consider adding chamomile flowers into a dog's food to help them relax, this could be useful if they are recovering from surgery or if you have to bring them on a long car ride. 

• Chamomile is easy to grow and mixes well with grass. Common pineapple weed or Matricaria Discoidea, is a type of wild chamomile and it has the similar properties. Matricaria Recutritia is the type of common chamomile we use, but both can be eaten safely.

Cautions:

Chamomile allergies can happen, but they are not common. People that are allergic are likely to be allergic to other members of its family, the asteraceae family, such as dandelion, sunflower and daisies. 

Friends:

ginger, peppermint, fennel, mugwort, pennyroyal, lavender

This is for research purposes and should not be taken as medical advice.

Cited works

Fleming MA 2nd, Ehsan L, Moore SR, Levin DE. The Enteric Nervous System and Its Emerging Role as a Therapeutic Target. Gastroenterol Res Pract. 2020 Sep 8;2020:8024171. doi: 10.1155/2020/8024171. PMID: 32963521; PMCID: PMC7495222.

Gladstar, Rosemary. Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner’s Guide. Storey Publishing, LLC, 2012. 

Groves, Maria Noël. Body into Balance: An Herbal Guide to Holistic Self-Care. Storey Publishing, 2016.

Hoffmann, David. The Herbal Handbook: A User’s Guide to Medical Herbalism. Healing Arts Press, 1998. 

Ruder, Debra Bradley. “The Gut and the Brain.” Harvard Medical School, 2017, hms.harvard.edu/news-events/publications-archive/brain/gut-brain#:~:text=The%20enteric%20nervous%20system%20that,the%20place%20we%20found%20it. 

Srivastava JK, Shankar E, Gupta S. Chamomile: A herbal medicine of the past with bright future. Mol Med Rep. 2010 Nov 1;3(6):895-901. doi: 10.3892/mmr.2010.377. PMID: 21132119; PMCID: PMC2995283.

Swift, Katja, and Ryn Midura. “Chamomile - Materia Medica Entry Text.” Accessed 28 April. 2025.  

Swift, Katja, and Ryn Midura. “Chamomile - Matricaria recutita” Family Herbalist Course.https://online.commonwealthherbs.com/courses/take/materia-medica/lessons/2377339-calendula-calendula-officinalis Accessed 28 April. 2025.