For many years my father has used a gentle, unassuming herbal tea to help him sleep more peacefully. The flower, from which the tea is derived, has a most delicate appearance. And for as long as I can remember, it has always been considered a nice, but unserious herbal medicine. This flower just doesn’t have the robust reputation of some of the more popular herbs and tonics like cat’s claw, echinacea, ginseng or valerian root. My mission today is to help boost the reputation of the under appreciated herbal-giant, widely known as chamomile.

Oh How Sweet It Is

In September of 2008, a study on chamomile was published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. In it, researchers found that a chamomile extract exerted several positive effects with regard to diabetes.

These findings are based on a 21-day trial conducted on rats with diabetes:

• A combination of chamomile and quercetin (a flavonoid/antioxidant) were able to significantly decrease blood sugar levels.
• The chamomile combination was found to increase liver glycogen levels. Glycogen is a type of carbohydrate that is stored in the liver and muscles which can be converted to sugar (and energy) as needed. Glycogen production is often impaired in diabetics.
• The chamomile also exhibited a “potent inhibition” of aldose reductase. Aldose reductase is an enzyme involved in the processing of carbohydrates. It is believed that high levels of this substance contribute to various diabetic complications like eye and nerve problems. An entire class of drugs called aldose reductase inhibitors are available to help prevent such complications.

The results of the study were so promising that the researchers proclaimed, “daily consumption of chamomile tea with meals could contribute to the prevention of the progress of hyperglycemia and diabetic complications.”

The Big C vs. the Big C

Another study was recently conducted on chamomile at Case Western Reserve University, in Cleveland, Ohio. The goal of the study was to test the effects of chamomile extracts against various cancer cells.

This type of study is referred to as an “in vitro” or “ex vivo” experiment. It doesn’t involve the use of animals or humans. The researchers simply expose cancer cell lines to a medication (natural or otherwise) that they’re interested in studying. Such trials are considered to be one of the earliest steps in the scientific process.

The first thing scientists try to establish is whether the substance that they’re testing does any harm to normal cells. This is vital, because the key to any good cancer treatment is for it to be deadly to the cancer cells but relatively safe for the normal, healthy cells.

The researchers in this experiment determined that chamomile extracts only had a minimal effect on healthy cells but had a strongly inhibitory effect on the growth of a variety of cancer cell lines. They also noted that chamomile appeared to cause selective cell-death in the cancer cells (but not in the healthy cells). In other words, the chamomile extracts slowed cancer cell growth and promoted cancer cell death while leaving normal cells relatively untouched.

Another piece of good news is that the scientists mention that the normal digestive process may convert the active ingredients in chamomile (apigenin glucosides) into more powerful cancer-fighters (apigenin aglycone). This is something that would not occur in a test-tube but might occur in a human being.

Based on these promising but preliminary results, the authors are urging additional research on the potential use of chamomile in the management of cancer patients.

From the Outside In

Chamomile is commonly used as a soothing agent for skin irritations. But, as it turns out, it may have a much deeper effect on irritation and wound healing than we’ve previously imagined.

In the journal Phytotherapy Research a recent study examined the respective effects of chamomile and corticosteroids in the treatment of wound healing. Corticosteriods are often used to reduce excessive inflammation.

In the current study, 125 rats with ulcers were either treated with chamomile or corticosteroids. The researchers found that all the rats treated with chamomile healed completely in the course of 9 days. And some of the rats experienced a full repair of their lesions by day 5. This was a considerably faster healing effect than with the corticosteroids,

The authors of the study concluded that, “the chamomile in comparison to corticosteroids promotes faster wound healing process”.

Many of us often feel stressed out from time to time. On occasion, we may even have a hard time unwinding before going to bed. Maybe we should all take a page from my dad’s book and brew up a cup of mighty chamomile tea. Who knows? It just might do more than simply help us “chill out”.

Note: Please check out the “Comments & Updates” section of this blog – at the bottom of the page. You can find the latest research about this topic there!

Be well!

JP