Yes, Chamomile is for cranks! It is for those who tend to wine and complain about most anything, even 
when things are going well. Chamomile is for “babies of any age”. 🙂 This is the emotional or mental type for this herb, but most of these people will also have cranky guts…so they will also find relief for their digestion when using this herb!
Chamomile, we have all enjoyed a cup of chamomile tea, though personally I like the one combined with vanilla bean which disguises its “weedy” taste. I find that using it for relaxation is best as a tea, but when using it for digestion, use it as a tincture. Also, the fresh herb tends to relieve tension & promote relaxation and the dried herb promotes stomach, gastro intestinal & liver, digestive secretions…so check each tincture before you buy it to see if it is a dried or fresh preparation.
The botanical name for this herb can be; Chamomilla recutita or Chamomilla matricaria. It is in the Asteraceae or Compositae family. This family consists of flowers within flowers and the centre of the flower is made up of hundreds of “disk flowers”, the big petals are called “ray flowers” so each Chamomile flower, for instance, is made up of hundreds of small flowers!
Some of what we call “indications” or symptoms Chamomile addresses are; irritable sensory organs like ear pain, eye pain, teeth pain, pain in the reproductive organs etc. It is a great herb for Cranky Babies with colic, teething pain, diarrhea etc. It is safe to use and no one has ever died from taking too much of either the Chamomile tincture or the tea! So use it liberally. For the fresh preparations be aware that some people can be allergic to it. Some of its other uses are for; ADHD, cramps, colds, stomach aches, fevers…particularly intermittent fevers, frazzeled nerves, insomnia, tension headaches, IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), morning sickness, gastric ulcers etc.
Some of the emotions/mental states it will address are; angry, demanding, petulant, self-centred, intolerant of pain & not having their own way, inclined to pick quarrels, yet averse to being touched, soothed, or spoken to. “I can’t bear it” is a common phrase or expression.
Chamomile is said to “sweeten the soul” and it can help to improve self-esteem.
Remember the fresh herb is good for relaxation and the dried herb is great for the digestion. I do find that the dried herb preparations either in a tea or tincture can also help with relaxation when related to the digestion. The easiest fresh preparation is the essential oil, but it can be quite expensive. I would either grow it yourself or buy a tincture made from the fresh plant if you are trying to get it to act on your nerves.
The standard dose for this herb is 1 cup of tea up to 6x daily or 40 drops of the tincture made from a fresh plant taken 2 per day for calming the nerves and taken 1 hour before bed and also right at bed time. The tincture made from dried herb is taken 40 drops before each meal in a small amount of water to promote better digestion.
This herbal monograph was adapted from reading the following books; “The Earthwise Herbal”, A Complete Guide to Old World Medicinal Plants by Matthew Wood, Herbal Therapeutics by David Winston & 300 herbs Their Indications & Contraindications by Matthew Alfs.
Note: This information is strictly for educational purposes. The reader must take full responsibility for taking this herb and does so at his/her own risk. I would always advise to get the advice from your friendly neighborhood Clinical Herbalist. 🙂
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