Review describes the use of chamomile in traditional medicine with regard to evaluating its curative and preventive properties and describes recent findings on its development as a therapeutic agent. - GreenMedInfo Summary
Chamomile: A herbal medicine of the past with bright future.
Mol Med Report. 2010 Nov 1 ;3(6):895-901. PMID: 21132119
Department of Urology&Nutrition, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106.
Chamomile is one of the most ancient medicinal herbs known to mankind. It is a member of Asteraceae/Compositae family and represented by two common varieties viz. German Chamomile (Chamomilla recutita) and Roman Chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile). The dried flowers of chamomile contain many terpenoids and flavonoids contributing to its medicinal properties. Chamomile preparations are commonly used for many human ailments such as hay fever, inflammation, muscle spasms, menstrual disorders, insomnia, ulcers, wounds, gastrointestinal disorders, rheumatic pain, and hemorrhoids. Essential oils of chamomile are used extensively in cosmetics and aromatherapy. Many different preparations of chamomile have been developed, the most popular of which is in the form of herbal tea consumed more than one million cups per day. In this review we describe the use of chamomile in traditional medicine with regard to evaluating its curative and preventive properties, highlight recent findings for its development as a therapeutic agent promoting human health.