It’s no secret that chamomile tea is a popular choice due to the many positive health effects it has been shown to have. Chamomile is a herb derived from plants of the Asteraceae family, which have daisy-like flowers. For centuries, people have relied on it as a safe and effective remedy at home.
To make chamomile tea, the dried flowers are steeped in hot water for a few minutes. Chamomile tea is well-liked for its earthy, moderately sweet flavor, and it is also a popular caffeine-free alternative to black or green tea.
In addition to lowering your risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease, chamomile tea’s high antioxidant content may help protect you from other antioxidants. Chamomile has properties that may help with both sleep and digestion.
It’s important to note that not all chamomile teas are created equal; some contain far more chamomile than others. To add insult to injury, more sensitive people are also more likely to experience adverse reactions to more potent teas. Therefore, it is best to start with a low dose and raise it slowly.
Chamomile contains a group of chemicals called flavonoids. Chamomile’s healing benefits come from a class of nutrients called flavonoids, which are present in a wide variety of plants. Research into chamomile’s benefits has been slow since scientists have yet to identify the specific chemicals responsible for them.
The most common reason for consuming chamomile is for its calming effects.
Used as a mild sedative and for stomach ailments, chamomile has a long history of use across many civilizations. This plant has a solid reputation for being risk-free. Some studies suggest chamomile has health benefits, especially when mixed with other plants. Nonetheless, like with any combination product, it is challenging to determine that a benefit stems from any one plant.
Research shows that taking a single product including chamomile and other herbal medicines can help with stomach issues like nausea, vomiting, indigestion, and an upset stomach. Colicky infants may benefit from yet another chamomile-infused cocktail.
In some cases, chamomile mouthwash might help soothe mouth sores caused by cancer treatment. Some research suggests that chamomile tea can help with conditions as varied as hemorrhoids, anxiety, and a lack of sleep, as well as the common childhood diarrhea. When administered topically, chamomile has the potential to speed wound healing and calm irritated skin. Research suggests it has the potential to cure eczema as effectively as hydrocortisone cream.
Is there a recommended dose for chamomile?
A standard dose of chamomile has not been determined. Researchers have used pill dosages ranging from 900 milligrams to 1200 mg daily. Tea is by far the most common type, with some people drinking four cups daily. To make chamomile tea, simmer a chamomile tea bag or chamomile flowers in 5-10 minutes of boiling water in a mug fitted with a saucer. You can drink the infusion as soon as it has cooled down to a safe temperature. Talk to your physician for further information.
What to expect from a tea of chamomile
For the most part, the benefits of chamomile tea are as follows:
Facilitates Sleep and Helps with Insomnia
Chamomile’s unique properties may help you get a better night’s rest. It has the antioxidant apigenin, which has been shown to bind to sleep-related receptors in the brain and so promote sleep and alleviate insomnia.
Women who drank chamomile tea for two weeks after giving birth slept better than those who didn’t. They also showed less of the depression that is commonly linked to sleeping problems.
Participants who took 270 mg of chamomile extract twice daily for 28 days awoke from sleep faster and had fewer nocturnal awakenings by a factor of 1.3 compared to those who did not take the extract.
These findings show promise, but further investigation is needed to fully understand the positive effects of chamomile tea on sleep. However, drinking chamomile tea before bed is useful if you have trouble getting to sleep or staying asleep.
To some extent, this may help prevent cancer.
The antioxidants in chamomile tea have been linked to a reduced risk of numerous malignancies. Chamomile contains the antioxidant apigenin. In vitro studies have shown that apiginin can effectively eliminate several cancer cell lines, including those of the breast, gastrointestinal tract, skin, prostate, and uterus.
And if that weren’t enough, a study of 537 people revealed that those who drank chamomile tea twice to six times weekly had a significantly lower risk of developing thyroid cancer.
While promising, further high-quality human research is needed before any conclusions can be drawn about chamomile tea’s capacity to prevent cancer.
Protect Your Heart’s Health
Chamomile tea contains high levels of the antioxidant flavones. Flavones have been investigated for their ability to lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels, both of which are important risk factors for cardiovascular disease.
Drinking chamomile tea with meals has been shown to significantly lower “bad” LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, and total cholesterol in a research involving 64 diabetes individuals. However, more study is needed to confirm the benefits of chamomile tea for heart health.
Cure for a cold
Have you caught a bad cold? A major benefit of chamomile tea is just what we need right now. Drinking a soothing cup of chamomile tea could be very relaxing. Inhaling the steam from a cup of chamomile tea can also help with a stuffy nose, sore throat, or runny nose.
Helps with PMS and Muscle Spasms
According to research published in the Journal of Agricultural and Chemical Chemistry, chamomile tea can help alleviate muscle spasms and pain. Relaxes the uterus and inhibits prostaglandin production (hormone-like substances that cause inflammation and pain).
Reduces Gastric Discomfort
The National Center for Biotechnology Information notes that chamomile tea “has been praised as a digestive relaxant and has been used to treat different gastrointestinal diseases” like flatulence, indigestion, diarrhea, anorexia, motion sickness, nausea, and vomiting.
Improve digestive health
Digestion plays a crucial role in your overall health. Some preliminary research suggests that chamomile may aid digestion by reducing the risk of gastrointestinal diseases. A few studies suggest that chamomile extract can stop diarrhea in animals. Because it has anti-inflammatory properties, this makes sense.
The second rat study suggests that chamomile may reduce stomach acidity and inhibit the growth of bacteria that contribute to the development of stomach ulcers. Despite these findings, additional human trials are needed to verify chamomile’s digestive advantages.
Although scientific evidence is lacking, numerous anecdotal reports claim chamomile tea can ease stomach upset. It has a long history of usage in the treatment of nausea and flatulence, among other digestive complaints.
The Value of Managing Blood Sugar
There’s some evidence that drinking chamomile tea can help control blood sugar. With its anti-inflammatory properties, it could protect the cells in your pancreas from the harm that occurs when blood sugar levels remain high over an extended period of time.
Condition of the pancreas is critical since it produces insulin, the hormone responsible for flushing sugar from the blood. A total of 64 diabetics took part in a study, and those who drank chamomile tea daily with meals for eight weeks had significantly lower average blood sugar levels than those who drank water.
Several animal studies have also shown that drinking chamomile tea can help prevent spikes in blood sugar after meals and dramatically reduce fasting blood sugar levels. Most of the evidence that chamomile tea can help control blood sugar comes from studies conducted on animals. Still, the findings are promising.
Aids in the Healing Process of Skin Tears and Other Wounds
Did you know that chamomile tea has been used by the Romans, Greeks, and Egyptians for thousands of years to treat wounds and speed up the healing process? So that people might reap the benefits of Matricaria chamomilla L, the plant from which chamomile tea is derived, an anti-inflammatory and antibacterial agent. It is also effective in the treatment of eczema and psoriasis.
Decreases Anxiety
In today’s fast-paced, demanding environment, we’re constantly under pressure, and as a result, we’re constantly stressed and anxious. Dietician Anshul Jaibharat recommends drinking chamomile tea to relieve stress because it acts as a mild relaxant and a natural sedative.
Decreases Anxiety
Improves Skin Tone
Drinking hot chamomile tea has several cosmetic benefits. This miraculous elixir can be used as an all-natural skin bleach. Tea made from chamomile flowers contains antioxidants that are good for your skin. It will give your skin the glow you’ve always wanted.
Clears Up Acne
The antibacterial properties of chamomile tea may help you win the battle against acne. Chamomile tea’s anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties make it an effective topical treatment for reducing the appearance of spots, eliminating acne scars, and preventing future breakouts.
Anti-Ageing
Chamomile tea’s potent antioxidants protect the skin from environmental stressors. It aids in pore reduction, stimulates the growth of new cells and tissues, and slows down the aging process.
Soothes a Sunburn
The sun’s harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation can cause a wide range of problems for your skin. It’s common knowledge that chamomile tea has health advantages including antioxidant, relaxing, and anti-inflammatory properties. Once the tea has cooled fully, a cloth can be soaked in it and applied to the sunburned area.
Eliminates or significantly lessens dark circles around the eyes
Eliminates or significantly lessens dark circles around the eyes
Suparna Trikha, India’s foremost authority on beauty, says “Keep chamomile tea bags in the fridge after each use instead of tossing them away. To greatly improve visibility and reduce swelling, place an iced tea bag over each eye (particularly after giving your eyes a massage). Your eyes’ look and feel will instantly improve “.
Eliminates Scalp Itch
Tired of dealing with dandruff? Try some chamomile tea. Yes, we mean business. In addition to preventing and treating dandruff, chamomile tea can also soothe an itchy scalp and promote overall health. You should use it as a final rinse after washing your hair. As simple as that!
Potential Additional Health Advantages
The following purported benefits of chamomile tea for your health are largely anecdotal and not backed by research:
Although there is insufficient data to back this claim, chamomile tea is often recommended as a means of preventing and treating the common cold. It also helps soothe scratchy throats.
Anxiety and depression are alleviated by chamomile, which has shown promise as an aromatherapy treatment and nutritional supplement.
Lotions, eye creams, and soaps containing chamomile have purportedly been proven to be moisturizing and effective for reducing skin irritation when used topically.
Tea made from the chamomile plant has been suggested by some as a possible treatment for bone problems including osteoporosis because of its potential to inhibit bone breakdown. However, there is scant support for this.
Due to a lack of evidence, it is possible that some health claims are false. They haven’t been studied just yet, though that may change.
Dangers Associated with Chamomile Tea
As a general rule, chamomile tea is a safe beverage for most individuals to enjoy. It has been found that people who are allergic to ragweed and chrysanthemums are also more likely to be allergic to chamomile.
Furthermore, direct contact with chamomile-containing products and the eyes might cause irritation. The inner layer of the eye could become inflamed, a condition known as conjunctivitis.
Keep in mind that it has not been proven that chamomile tea is safe for consumption by young children, pregnant or nursing women, or anyone with liver or renal ailment.
To yet, however, there have been no reports of toxicity or serious, potentially fatal side effects from drinking chamomile tea.
If you are one of the people listed below, you should not drink chamomile tea.
Except when prescribed by a physician, chamomile is not recommended for those with the following conditions:
Those with a history of severe allergies, especially to pollen, should avoid chamomile because it may include traces of pollen from other plants and cause an allergic reaction.
Allergy to chamomile can worsen over time, so anyone who has ever had any kind of sensitivity to the herb should stay away from it.
Infants and toddlers: Chamomile tea, like honey and other natural products, might harbor botulinum spores. Most adults can’t fight off an infection, but infants probably can’t. There is consensus among experts that infants and young children should not consume honey or chamomile products.
It is also risky to substitute chamomile for tried and true medical practices. Possible drug interactions between chamomile tea and the medications a person may be taking need a visit to the doctor.
Nutritionally speaking, chamomile tea is an excellent beverage choice. It’s high in powerful antioxidants, which have been linked to a variety of health benefits, including protection against cancer and heart disease.
The health benefits of chamomile tea have not been sufficiently studied, although preliminary findings are encouraging. Although chamomile tea has been the subject of numerous scientific investigations, to date all of them have been conducted on animals or in test tubes, making it impossible to extrapolate the results to human beings.
Despite this, many individuals enjoy the delicious flavor and calming aroma of chamomile and find it to be a safe food to ingest. If you are interested in the potential benefits of chamomile tea, including it in your diet is a good place to start.
I love chamomile tea, calms me down