The genus Matricaria includes seven species, which are primarily Eurasian in origin but sometimes now found almost worldwide. Matricaria chamomilla is the only one of these that is commonly used as a beverage. Several different botanical names have been applied to it; those most likely to be encountered are Matricaria recutita L. and Chamomilla recutita (L.) Rauschert. The plant grows wild in many places. Its flowering heads have hollow, conical receptacles, which readily distinguish it from almost all other species. The flowering heads have been used for thousands of years to make a pleasant-tasting tea; chamomile tea is the traditional beverage for small children having tea parties. According to longstanding folk use, the tea is a mild sedative and beneficial for stomach troubles, and may be used as an anti-inflammatory; cooled tea is given to colicky infants.

Chamomile tea is commonly prescribed for stomach ailments by German physicians. Animal studies show ulcer-preventive and anti-itching effects; one of the active compounds, apigenin, is shown to have an anti-anxiety effect in mice, and several other compounds with possibly similar effects are present. Despite chamomile?s extensive folk use, however, virtually no human studies have been done. There is a case report of treatment of methotrexate-induced oral mucositis with chamomile, and positive clinical trials have been published for multi-herb preparations for dyspepsia and hot flashes that include chamomile. Human studies of traditional chamomile tea ? which might well benefit stomach troubles more than a pill ? would face the expectation, especially in North America, that a placebo control must be employed which looks, smells, and tastes exactly like chamomile tea but contains no potentially beneficial compounds. Thus, it is likely to remain in the realm of folk medicine rather than scientific medicine for the foreseeable future. As chamomile tea is a conventional beverage of long standing, its safety may be regarded as well proven. People who are allergic to ragweed are frequently also allergic to chamomile, but reactions are almost always mild. (Accidental collection of the nasty-tasting dog chamomile, Anthemis cotula L., is thought to increase the likelihood of allergic reactions.) Only a handful of anaphylactic reactions have been reported, one of which resulted from the use of a chamomile oil enema.

Selected References

Applequist, W. L. 2002. A reassessment of the nomenclature of Matricaria L. and Tripleurospermum Sch. Bip. Taxon 51:757-761.

Bremer, K., and C. J. Humphries. 1993. Generic monograph of the Asteraceae ? Anthemidae. Bull. Nat. Hist. Mus. London (Bot.) 23:71-177.

Bremer, K., H. Eklund, G. Medhanie, S. Heidmarsson, N. Laurent, J. Maad, J. Niklasson, and A. Nordin. 1996. On the delimitation of Matricaria versus Microcephala (Asteraceae: Anthemidae). Pl. Syst. Evol. 200:263-271.

de la Torre Morin, F., I. Sanchez Machin, J. C. Garcia Robaina, E. Fernandez-Caldas, and M. Sanchez Trivino. 2001. Clinical cross-reactivity between Artemisia vulgaris and Matricaria chamomilla (chamomile). J. Investig. Allergol. Clin. Immunol. 11:118-122.

Khayyal, M. T., M. A. el-Ghazaly, S. A. Kenawy, M. Seif-el-Nasr, L. G. mahran, Y. A. Kafafi, and S. N. Okpanyi. 2001. Antiulcerogenic effect of some gastrointestinally acting plant extracts and their combination. Arzneimittelforschung 51:545-553.

Madisch, A., G. Holtmann, G. Mayr, B. Vinson, and J. Hotz. 2004. Treatment of functional dyspepsia with a herbal preparation. A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, multicenter trial. Digestion 69:45-52.

Mazokopakis, E. E., G. E. Vrentzos, J. A. Papadakis, D. E. Babalis, and E. S. Ganatakis. 2005. Wild chamomile (Matricaria recutita L.) mouthwashes in methotrexate-induced oral mucositis. Phytomedicine 12:25-27.

Moore, D. M., T. G. Tutin, and S. M. Walters, eds. 1976. Compositae. Pp. 103-410 in: T. G. Tutin et al., eds. Flora Europaea, vol. 4. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge.

Viola, H., C. Wasowski, M. Levi de Stein, C. Wolfman, R. Silveira, F. Dajas, J. H. Medina, and A. C. Paladini. 1995. Apigenin, a component of Matricaria recutita flowers, is a central benzodiazepine receptors-ligand with anxiolytic effects. Planta Med. 61:213-216.