Chamomile

Rinse with water if this product gets in your eyes. Chamomile can irritate the eyes.

Avoid using chamomile with other herbal/health supplements that can cause drowsiness. This includes 5-HTP (5-hydroxytryptophan), California poppy, catnip, gotu kola, Jamaican dogwood, kava, melatonin, St. John's wort, skullcap (or scullcap), valerian, yerba mansa, and others.

Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficult breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.

Although not all side effects are known, chamomile is thought to be possibly safe when taken for a short period of time.

Stop using chamomile and call your healthcare provider at once if you have:

• severe skin irritation (itching, rash, redness, swelling) after applying chamomile to the skin.

Common side effects may include:

• mild skin rash, scaling, or itching.

This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

Chamomile is an herb also known as Camomille, Blue Chamomile, Camomèle, Echte Kamille, Feldkamille, Fleur de Camomile, Kamillen, Kleine Kamille, Manzanilla, Matricaire, Matricaria chamomilla, Petite Camomille, Pin Heads, Sweet False Chamomile, and other names.

Chamomile is a common flavoring agent in foods and beverages, and other products such as mouthwash, soaps, and cosmetics. When used as a food product, chamomile is not likely to produce health benefits or side effects. When used as a medicinal product, chamomile may produce both desired and unwanted effects on the body.

Chamomile has been used in alternative medicine as a possibly effective aid in treating anxiety, upset stomach, colic (intestinal gas), or diarrhea. Chamomile may also be possibly effective in treating or preventing mouth ulcers caused by chemotherapy or radiation treatment. Chamomile may have been combined with other plants or extracts in a specific preparation to treat these conditions.

Chamomile has also been used to treat insomnia, gingivitis (gum disease), and skin irritation. However, research has shown that chamomile may not be effective in treating these conditions.

Other uses not proven with research have included hemorrhoids, vaginal infection, skin wounds, and common cold symptoms.

It is not certain whether chamomile is effective in treating any medical condition. Medicinal use of this product has not been approved by the FDA. Chamomile should not be used in place of medication prescribed for you by your doctor.

Chamomile is often sold as an herbal supplement. There are no regulated manufacturing standards in place for many herbal compounds and some marketed supplements have been found to be contaminated with toxic metals or other drugs. Herbal/health supplements should be purchased from a reliable source to minimize the risk of contamination.

Chamomile may also be used for purposes not listed in this product guide.

Follow all directions on the product label and package. Tell each of your healthcare providers about all your medical conditions, allergies, and all medicines you use.

You should not use chamomile if you have:

• past or present cancer of the breast, ovary, or uterus; or
• a history of endometriosis or uterine fibroids.

Ask a doctor, pharmacist, or other healthcare provider if it is safe for you to use this product if you have:

• pollen allergies (especially to ragweed, herbs, chrysanthemums, marigolds, daisies, other plants).

It is not known whether chamomile will harm an unborn baby. Avoid using this product if you are pregnant.

Chamomile might make birth control pills less effective. Ask your doctor about using non hormonal birth control (condom, diaphragm with spermicide) to prevent pregnancy while using chamomile.

It is not known whether chamomile passes into breast milk or if it could harm a nursing baby. Avoid using this product if you are breast-feeding a baby.

The use of chamomile-containing preparations is contraindicated in persons with hypersensitivity to ragweed pollens.

M. recutita grows as an erect annual, and Chamaemelum nobilis is a slow-growing perennial. The fragrant flowering heads of both plants are collected and dried for use as teas and extracts. 1 , 2

Known since Roman times for their medicinal properties, both plants have been used as antispasmodics and sedatives in the treatment of digestive and rheumatic disorders. Teas have been used to treat parasitic worm infections, and as hair tints and conditioners. The volatile oil has been used to flavor cigarette tobacco.

Chamomile has been used as a skin wash to cleanse wounds and ulcers, and to increase the sloughing of necrotic tissue and promote granulation and epithelialization. Chamomile is also reported to have antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, astringent, and deodorant properties. Various formulations of chamomile have been used to treat colic, cystitis, fever, flatulence, and vomiting. 3 , 4

Both plants contain similar chemical compounds. Chamomile tea contains 10% to 15% of the plant's essential oil. The blue-colored volatile oil is a complex mixture of sesquiterpenes (alpha-bisabolol, bisbolol-oxides A and B, and farnesene), sesquiterpenelactones (including the blue compound chamazulene), and acetylene derivatives. 2

Phenolic compounds found in the flowers include hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives, caffeic acid, and flavonoids (apigenin, luteolin, and chamaemeloside). 4 , 5 A nonpeptide, tachykinin NK1 receptor antagonist has been identified in Matricaria flowers. 6 Coumarin has also been identified in chamomile. 7 , 8

Chamomile has been used as a tea for various conditions and as a topical cream. Typical oral doses are 9 to 15 g/day. Gargles made from 8 g chamomile flowers in 1,000 mL water have been used in trials. 31

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