Chamomile or camomile (from Greek χαμαίμηλον, chamaimēlon, "earth-apple" from χαμαί chamai "on the ground" and μῆλον mēlon "apple", for their applelike scent[1]), is a common name for several daisy-like plants. These plants are best known for their ability to be made into a tea which is commonly used to help with sleep and is often served with either honey or lemon.
It has been used as a dye to produce a green color.[citation needed] The composite flora labelled "chamomile" include:
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The MedlinePlus database maintained by the U.S. National Library of Medicine, in conjunction with the National Institutes of Health, lists over 100 separate ailments and conditions which chamomile has been traditionally used, for which it lists only a few as having undergone scientific study on animals and/or humans. Moreover, through the MedlinePlus database, these agencies explicitly warn, "although chamomile is widely used, there is not enough reliable research in humans to support its use for any condition." [2] Of the dozens of traditional claims listed, this database explicitly lists only fifteen conditions in which any animal or human scientific testing has ever been done. Of these fifteen, the NIH also rated the scientific conclusions on fourteen as having "unclear scientific evidence" to recommend either for or against the use of chamomile as a treatment for such conditions (cardiovascular conditions, common cold, diarrhea in children, eczema, gastrointestinal conditions, hemorrhagic cystitis, hemorrhoids, infantile colic, mucositis from cancer treatment, quality of life in cancer patients, open penile sores, skin inflammation, sleep aid, vaginitis, and wound healing) , and it ranked one negatively as having "Fair scientific evidence against" such a use (Post-operative sore throat/hoarseness due to Intubation). In short, according to these two agencies, there remains insufficient scientific studies to produce a medical recommendation for any medicinal or therapeutic use of chamomile in extract, ointment or infusion.
MedlinePlus and The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine further caution of rare allergic reactions, atopic dermatitis (skin rash), drowsiness or sedation, the potential to stimulate the uterus, leading to abortion and the unevaluated safety of breastfeeding while taking chamomile,[2][3] although some sources do not contraindicate breastfeeding [4]. Interactions with other herbs and medicines has not been well studied for chamomile.
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This page is an index of articles on plant species (or higher taxonomic groups) with the same common name (vernacular name). If an internal link led you here, you may wish to edit the linking article so that it links directly to the intended article. |
CHAMOMILE, or Camomile Flowers, the fibres anthemidis of the British Pharmacopoeia, the flower-heads of Anthemis nobilis (Nat. Ord. Compositae), a herb indigenous to England and western Europe. It is cultivated for medicinal purposes in Surrey, at several places in Saxony, and in France and Belgium, - that grown in England being much more valuable than any of the foreign chamomiles brought into the market. In the wild plant the florets of the ray are ligulate and white, and contain pistils only, those of the disk being tubular and yellow; but under cultivation the whole of the florets tend to become ligulate and white, in which state the flower-heads are said to be double. The flower-heads have a warm aromatic odour, which is characteristic of the entire plant, and a very bitter taste. In addition to a bitter extractive principle, they yield about 2% of a volatile liquid, which on its first extraction is of a pale blue colour, but becomes a yellowish brown on exposure to light. It has the characteristic odour of the flowers, and consists of a mixture of butyl and amyl angelates and valerates. Angelate of potassium has been obtained by treatment of the oil with caustic potash, and angelic acid may be isolated from this by treatment with dilute sulphuric acid. Chamomile is used in medicine in the form of its volatile oil, of which the dose is 2-3 minims. There is an official extract which is never used. Like all volatile oils the drug is a stomachic and carminative. In large doses the infusion is a simple emetic.
Wild chamomile is Matricaria Chamomilla, a weed common in waste and cultivated ground especially in the southern counties of England. It has somewhat the appearance of true chamomile, but a fainter scent.
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From Middle English, first attested 1265, from Old French camomille < Latin chamoemelon < Ancient Greek χαμαίμηλον (chamaimēlon), “‘earth-apple’”) < χαμαί (chamai), “‘on the ground’”) + μῆλον (mēlon), “‘apple’”). So called because of the apple-like scent of the plant.
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camomile (plural camomiles)
Chamomile on Wikipedia.Wikipedia:Chamomile
Camomile on Wikimedia Commons. Wikimedia
Commons
Anthemis on Wikispecies. Wikispecies: Anthemis
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Chamomile (KAM-ə-meel or KAM-ə-myl),[1] also known as camomile, is a plant from the genus Anthemis.[2] Its name comes from the Greek word chamaimelon, meaning "ground apple", because of its smell.[3] It has white or yellow flowers, and over 100 species.[2] It can be used as a medicine or as tea.[4] It has been shown to make rodents feel calmer,[5][6] and helps make people less stressful.[7] It is the national flower of Russia.
  | Chamomile (Matricaria recutita, Chamaemelum nobile) - Chamomile: MedlinePlus Supplements |
| | Chamaimelon - Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon |
| | Roman chamomile - Definition of Roman chamomile - NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms |
| | the National Cancer Institute - National Cancer Institute - Comprehensive Cancer Information |
| | Chamomile fact sheet - Chamomile [NCCAM Herbs at a Glance] |
| | PLANTS Profile: Anthemis tinctoria L. (golden chamomile) - PLANTS Profile for Anthemis tinctoria (golden chamomile) | USDA PLANTS |
| | The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine - National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine [NCCAM] - nccam.nih.gov Home Page |
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