Chamomile and Health
chamomile
chamomile flowers
Chamomile is one of the oldest and nine most critical medicinal plants globally. Chamomile is a well-known and widely used plant in traditional Iranian medicine. Its flower is warm and dry, and its root is warmer and drier than the flower.
Compounds of Chamomile plant
- The most important compounds in chamomile flowers are essential oils, flavonoids, and coumarins. About 40 types of compounds have been identified in chamomile essential oil.
- The main components include alpha-bisabolol, bisabolol oxide, spirochetes, camazoline, and phallonoids.
- Chamomile extract has anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antioxidant effects and is a good option for wound healing.
- So far, chamomile has been used topically in treating skin inflammation, hemorrhoids, foot ulcers, pediatric burns, and nipple cracks and has been effective in reducing pain and increasing the heal of damaged tissue.
- Chamomile reduces redness and wound edema due to its anti-inflammatory properties (azulin, camazoline, and alpha-bisabolol. Chamomile has antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal effects and dries the secretions of secretory wounds. This plant is also effective against skin pathogenic microbes such as various species of Staphylococcus and Candida.
Therapeutic properties of chamomile in traditional medicine
Herbal medicine has been one of the earliest and most ancient treatments humans use.
The ancient Egyptians, for example, used chamomile in severe heat. At first, they tried to make the patient sweat by covering the patient with woolen cloths. If sweating did not occur, they mixed chamomile flowers with oil and rubbed it on the patient.
Ibn Sina has pointed out the properties of this plant to cure various swellings, pimples and fevers and has explained its effects on the excretory and digestive organs, joints, head, eyes, and chest. According to Ibn Sina, its weakening and analgesic properties soothes tropical inflammations and strengthen the organs from which the nerves pass. Relieves fatigue compared to other drugs. It is helpful for headaches because it can analyze winemaking without absorption.
Also, chamomile without absorption was used to strengthen the nerves and in brain diseases such as headache, jaundice, chest pain, liver, uterus, in the treatment of epilepsy, colic, and crushing bladder stones.
It is used in the treatment of fever caused by infection. Chamomile oil eliminates chills, fatigue, and bruises and is helpful for uterine pain and seizures. It is also beneficial for hepatitis. It is washed with chamomile water. Chamomile is used to treat vomiting. The daily consumption of flowers is up to three shekels.
To prepare chamomile oil, mix 25 grams of chamomile in 125 grams of olive oil, heat it for one and half hours on the fire, pour it into a closed container, shake it vigorously, and then strain it. The nature of chamomile oil is warm and dry. Rubbing it on the body is helpful for fever and chills, back pain, joint pain, gout, and dropping it in the ear for heavy ears.
Decoction or soaking eliminates bloating of the stomach and intestines. Its drink is helpful for migraine, headaches, back pain, etc., due to its anesthetic and anticonvulsant properties. Chamomile oil is useful for conjunctivitis, other inflammations, rheumatism, nerve pain, and gout.
Medicinal properties of chamomile in new sources:
Chamomile is used in the treatment of various diseases such as neurological disorders (migraine, facial nerve pain), gastrointestinal disorders (ulcers of the stomach and intestines, bloating, indigestion), menstrual disorders, skin disorders (eczema, dermatosis, urticaria), Rheumatism, gout, and conjunctivitis, but complete clinical studies on the therapeutic effects of the plant are not available. This species is traditionally used as a superficial wound healer, antiperspirant, and stomach tonic.
German chamomile has an antioxidant effect and, therefore, can be used to prevent or treat various diseases derived from the activation of free radicals and used as an additive in the food industry. Chamomile essential oils could reduce the oxidation rate of crude soybean oil under accelerated temperature conditions (temperature 60 ° C, oven test).
Chamomile is used in inflammation of the mouth, throat, and skin, fever and cold, cough caused by bronchitis, to help heal wounds and burns, and susceptibility to infection, which has also been confirmed in clinical studies. Chamomile mouthwash accelerates the epithelialization of oral tissue. Chamomile has anti-inflammatory and epithelialization properties in treating artificial skin lesions. Chamomile accelerates wound healing due to its anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, and antioxidant effects.
Various chamomile drugs have been formulated that have different uses. For example, Chamomile tea bag: anti-inflammatory, anti-spasmodic, anti-flatulence, prevention and treatment of gastric ulcer, antibacterial, sedative, and laxative.
Topical chamomile cream: anti-inflammatory for skin, skin discomfort caused by superficial scratches and cuts, dryness, and cracking of the skin.
Oral drops of chamomile: antispasmodic and anti-flatulence, as a mouthwash for inflammation of the oral mucosa.
The effect of chamomile on improving sleep
Chamomile is a standard treatment for various diseases, including sleep disorders and anxiety. Oral chamomile extract reduces the symptoms of anxiety and depression in patients with anxiety disorder. Chamomile has also been shown to significantly improve depressive symptoms in depressed patients and calm them. Consumption of 4 weeks of oral extract of chamomile plant effectively enhances the sleep quality of hemodialysis patients.
Stability with the mechanism of reducing anxiety, stress, and depression can make the patient sleep easier. One of the main possibilities for causing sleep problems in hemodialysis patients is having a lot of anxiety and stress in these patients, which can be justified by the possibility that chamomile affects improving the sleep quality of these patients. These results are consistent with chamomile relaxation and sleep quality improvement of hemodialysis clients.
The effect of chamomile extract on seizures
Phenolic compounds in the structure of chamomile act as antioxidants and scavengers of free radicals and protect collagen damage against superoxide anion radicals. Phenolic compounds, including flavonoids, reduce free radicals by inhibiting the cytochrome (P450) system.
Chamomile flavonoids affect a wide range of mammalian body enzymes, including nitric oxide synthase; These broad-spectrum effects and capabilities of flavonoids have become biological modifiers. Chamomile extract may have anticonvulsant effects due to its apigenin with the GABAergic system.
The effect of chamomile on urinary tract infection
Alcoholic chamomile extract has antimicrobial activity and a dramatic impact on reducing the biofilm synthesis by Escherichia coli and other pathogenic bacteria and other bacterial adhesion structures. Possibly due to the harmlessness of this plant, it can be used as a supplement or alternative to current antibiotics.
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