Chamomile

The Origins

It is very common in Mexico, Europe, and North America. It grows around meadows and places with a lot of grass. It lives in high dry terrain, between 1,200 and 2,000 meters above sea level. It adapts well to dry and sandy places like mountains.

Indigenous Knowledge

Known as “little apple,” this common flower is used to make tea and give to children and adults to calm nerves, prevent nightmares and insomnia and calm upset stomachs. Chamomile relaxes all kinds of cramping and also acts as an appetite stimulant. It is used to regulate menstruation.
Strained, the tea is applied in cupfuls for conjunctivitis. And 2 quarts a day of chamomile tea for 1-2 weeks dissolves kidney stones.

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Biomedical Science

Often used interchangeably with its well-known counterpart and closely related species, Matricaria chamomilla L. (German chamomile), Chamaemelum nobile (L.), or Roman chamomile, is included in the traditional medicine of many regions of the world, Mexico included. It is common to find this plant, called manzanilla, growing locally.

The dried flowers of chamomile contain many terpenoids and flavonoids, which contribute to its medicinal properties. Chamomile preparations are commonly used for many human ailments, including hay fever, inflammation, muscle spasms, menstrual disorders, insomnia, ulcers, wounds, gastrointestinal disorders, rheumatic pain and hemorrhoids. (Gupta, 2010)

C. nobile has a long and well documented traditional application for the relief of gastrointestinal discomfort, especially related to spasm. The results of a recent study support this use, in that an extract derived from C. nobile exhibited a direct and long-lasting, relaxant effect on smooth muscle, as did the essential oil of the plant (Sándor, 2018).

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