Chamomile: Benefits, Properties, Medicinal & Magical Uses
Latin Name
German Chamomile: Matricaria recutitaRoman Chamomile: Chameamelum nobile
Taste/Fragrance
Aromatic, slightly bitter taste. When crushed, they have a sweet apple-scented fragrance.
Parts Used
Flowers (fresh or dried), essential oil.*Fresh flowers: pick on the day they open if possible, when the active constituents are at their strongest.
Main Constituents
Volatile oil, flavonoids, valerianic acid, coumarins, tannins, salicylates, cyanogenic glycosides.
Actions / Properties
- Anti-microbial
- Anti-inflammatory
- Antispasmodic
- Anxyolitic
- Sedative, relaxant
- Digestive
- Anti-emetic
- Carminative
- Anti-allergenic
Indications
- Indigestion
- Digestive upsets
- Stress
- Anxiety
- Insomnia
- Skin irritation
- Wound healing
Medicinal uses
Stress/anxiety/relaxation
- Soothes nerves
- Eases anxiety
- Helps with stress
- Helps with insomnia
- Helps with irritability
- Helps with tension
- Calms migraines and headaches, neuralgia, toothache and earache
- Contains spiroether, a strong antispasmodic, eases tenses muscles and period pain
- Relieves menstrual cramps
Digestion
- Soothes digestive problems
- Valuable for pain, acidity, gastritis, indigestion, bloating and colic
- Good for indigestion in general
- Helps regulate bowels
- Helps when suffering from nausea
- Helps ease travel sickness
- Good to ease discomfort when overeating
- Uses for hiatus hernia, peptic ulcer and Crohn’s disease
Women’s Health
- Spiroether, a strong antispasmodic, eases tense muscles and period pain
- Relieves menstrual cramps
- Calms tension and irritability
- Helps with PMT, menopause and period pains
Irritation/Skin
- Useful for hay fever and asthma
- Can be applied to sore, itchy skin
- Relieves eyestrain
- Antiseptic and healing, helps minor burns and wounds
- Helps thrush and ringworm
- Helps ulcers, sores, eczema, psoriasis and acne
Other
- Soothes inflamed bladder
- Soothes cystitis
Magical uses
German chamomile
- Used in calming and sleep incenses and brews
- Used to attract money
- Used to combat curses and spells
Roman chamomile
- Used to attract money
- Used in sleep and meditation incenses
- Infusion is added to the bath to attract love
- Purificatory and protective herb
- Sprinkled around the property it removes curses and spells cast against you
Benefits
- Safe herb, good all-rounder
- Essential for your herbal remedies kit or cabinet
- Great medicine for a wide range of disorders
- The essential oil is antimicrobial and relaxant
- Infusions can help with indigestion, nausea and diarrhoea
- Safe for children
- Good for insomnia (take before bed)
- Calming for inflamed skin and skin cuts
Essential Oil Uses
- Antimicrobial
- Relaxant
- Anti-inflammatory for acne, rosacea, eczema and psoriasis
- Blends well with mandarin, neroli and rose
Safety
Avoid if allergic to the Aesteraceae daisy family.