The three types of Chamomile you will find available are;

Egyptian
German
Roman

You can have a health problem and find multiple herbs to take, so how do you choose?

Remember, herbs like friends. What I mean by this is that if you find Chamomile to be a good fit for a problem you have, by combining it with another herb that is also recommended, you may get better results. Taking Chamomile, for let’s say, indigestion following meals, you may get more enhanced results by combining it with another digestive herb. Other digestive herbs that are also delicious could include Rooibos, Ginger Root, Peppermint, Cinnamon, etc. Let’s say you like Rooibos. Choosing this herb would be good because in South Africa, Rooibos is used for indigestion, stomach ache, and even colic in babies. Each herb although good for indigestion does offer different benefits. So choose another digestive herb to combine based on your individual need. You are using natural medicine and in naturopathy, there is never a hard fast rule. Every person can be a little different based on their individual needs or other problems they have. Just keep in mind that using 1 or 2 other herbs along with Chamomile could be advantageous to you, but it is not required– just suggested.

Chamomile is such a simple well known tea that it is often overlooked as a medicinal plant. Most people don’t know for example that Chamomile is an anti-plague herb and should be consumed when illness is “going around”. It is most well known for its relaxing, calming, and digestive benefits. It is a good herb to give to children an hour or so before bedtime. It calms them after dinner and may help them to fall asleep faster.

Here are the key benefits that makes Chamomile an amazing plant and what it can do for you;

Special Note:
As a single herb, Chamomile should not be taken every day or you can develop allergies. Chamomile is a member of the ragweed family. Using it in blends in smaller amounts is fine and may help alleviate allergies by having some slight exposure to the plant family. As a single herb however, such as for an evening tea, drink it on occasion or limit it to a couple of times a week.

When You Have the Option, Choose the Ideal Type of Chamomile for Maximum Benefits;

TEA– Egyptian is the premium recommendation for tea
MEDICINE– Roman & German
SKIN & BODY CARE– German is premium. For serums, creams, and lotions, the blue oil is best because it is higher in azulene compared to the others. Azulene will penetrate deeper into skin’s layers.
HAIR CARE– all are especially nice for blonds to brighten with highlights or to reduce brassiness when using the ash blue tones of azulene from the German form
SERUMS– essential oil of German (blue is premium)

PRIMARY USES

1. Settles the stomach, especially after meals
(mixes well with peppermint, rooibos, ginger root)

2. Gastrointestinal disorders
(mixes well with the stomach herbs as well as pectin, apple powder, herbs high in berberine, licorice root, and others)

3. Calms
(mixes well with kava, valerian, wild lettuce, kratom, scullcap, passion flower)

4. Insomnia
(mixes well with kava, valerian, wild lettuce, kratom, scullcap, passion flower, rhodiola, hops, and others)

5. Anti-Microbial (kills bad bacteria), anti-plague
(mixes well with goldenseal, barberry, oregon grape root, echinacea purpurea, echinacea angustifolia, ginger root, roses, an many more)

6. Ulcers
(mixes well with horsetail, raw honey, garlic, licorice root, turmeric, ginger root, aloe vera)

7. Pain
(mixes well with kava, kratom, wild lettuce, white willow bark)

8. Skin care; regenerative, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, reduces irritation
(mixes well with essential oils and herbs like sandalwood, frankincense, geranium, pomegranate, clary sage, lavender, rose, ylang ylang, rosemary, carrot seed, rosehips)

SECONDARY USES

1. Can help add a color tint to hair when used in shampoo
2. Used in cosmetic skin care products such as face masks, steams, toners, creams, hair rinses, vinegar rinses, lotions, body butters, essential oil serums.
3. Anti-inflammatory for external applications, such as poultices with other herbs
4. Muscle spasms
5. Wound healing
6. Menstrual pain
7. Hay fever
8. Rheumatism (RA)
9. Boluses (herbal suppositories) for hemorrhoids, along with other herbs

Products You Can Make With Chamomile

Tea (steep 15 minutes covered for more benefits rather than 5-7 minutes)
Tea Blends
Oil Extraction
Tincture
Ingredient for face masks, body butters, lotions, creams, floral waters and hydrosols, shampoo, conditioner, vinegar hair rinses, hair rinse colorant and brightener
Poultice
Fomentation
Decoction
Face Steams adding other facial herbs
Essential oil serums
Essential oil supplements
Boluses (herbal suppositories)