Roman Chamomile – A Complete Guide for Hair, Skin, and Body

Chamomile is a medicinal herb that is used to treat many diseases and ailments. It is a member of the Asteraceae/Compositae family and is represented by two common varieties:

• German Chamomile (Chamomilla Recutita), and
• Roman Chamomile (Chamaemelum Nobile).

The dried leaves of chamomile contain many terpenoids and flavonoids. It is used to treat many human ailments like:

• Hay fever
• Inflammation (people with eczema can benefit from chamomile)
• Muscle spasms
• Vomiting
• Indigestion
• Menstrual disorders
• Insomnia
• Ulcers
• Sore throat
• Sore nipples and gums
• Nausea
• Sinusitis
• Wounds
• Diaper rash.
• Gastrointestinal disorders
• Rheumatic pain, and
• Hemorrhoids.

Now we can look into these ailments one by one.

• Anti-inflammatory and antiphlogistic properties: roman chamomile can penetrate below the skin surface into the deeper skin layers. This plays an important role for thier use as topical antiphologistic (anti-inflammatory) agents.

• Anti-cancer activity: it is also shown to be effective against skin, prostate, breast and ovarian cancer. It is also shown to be effective against androgen-refractory human prostrate cancer PC-3 cells, both in vitro and in vivo situation.

• Common cold: typical common cold is not life-threatning but if left untreated can lead to pneumonia. Studies show that inhaling chamomile extract can treat common cold, but more studies are needed to prove these findings.

• Cardiovascular diseases: there are studies showing that oral ingestion of chamomile tea can treat cardiovascular diseases, but not fully proven.

• Colic/Diarrhea conditions: an apple pectin-chamomile extract can help shorten the course of diarrhea in children. Two clinical trials were conducted to check the efficacy of chamomile for the treatment of colic in children. Chamomile tea was combined with other herbs and given to 68 healthy infants (no more than three times a day). After 7 days, patients reported that the tea eliminated the colic in 57% of the infants. No side effects were reported.

• These results prove that chamomile can treat colic and diarrhea in children.

• Eczema: topical application of chamomile is shown to be effective in treating atopic eczema. It was shown to be more effective than 0.25% hydrocortisone cream. Roman chamomile of the Manzana type (Kamillosan (R)) may help with eczema when applied as a cream containing chamomile extract.

• Gastrointestinal problems: roman chamomile is said to treat many gastrointestianl problems like digestive disorders, colic, upset stomach, gas, ulcers, and gastrointestinal irritation. It also helps in soothing and relaxing the muscles resulting in proper flow of food through the stomach.

• Hemorrhoids: studies suggest that chamomile ointment may improve hemorrhoids and also reduce the inflammation associated with hemorrhoids.

• It may promote health: it has been claimed that consumption of chamomile tea can boost the immune system and help fight infections associated with colds. It was done with fourtheen volunters who each drank five cups of the herbal tea daily for two consecutive weeks. Daily urine samples were taken and tested, both before and after drinking chamomile tea.

• Drinking chamomile showed a significant increase in urinary levels of hippurate and glycine, which have been associated with increased antibacterial activity. In another study, chamomile relieved hypertensive symptoms and decreased the blood pressure significantly, increasing urinary output. Additional studies are needed to establish a link between chamomile and its health benefits.

• Inflammatory problems: Inflammation is associated with gastrointestinal disorders complaints, such as esophageal reflux, diverticular disease, and inflammatory disease. Chamomile can also reduce muscle spasms associated with many gastrointestinal inflammatory disorders, but more studies are needed to support this.

• It may help in treating Mucositis: mouth ulcers are very common and could be treated with a mouthwash containing a roman chamomile extract, but more studies should be conducted.

• Osteoporosis: there are studies saying that chamomile can treat osteoporosis, but not fully proven.

• It may help with sleep and also induce sedation (calming effects)

• Anxiety and seizure: chamomile has been said to treat generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and seizures, but there is insufficient data.

• Diabetes: studies suggest that chamomile can suppress blood sugar levels, increasing liver glycogen storage and inhibition of sorbitol, but more studies are needed to prove that chamomile can help in managing diabetes.

• It may help with sore throat: there were studies conducted to see if chamomil would help with sore throat and it showed that there was no difference.

• Vaginitis: vaginal inflammation is common in every women. it also involes itching, vaginal discharge, or pain with urination. Atrophic vaginitis occurs in menopausal and postmenopausal women, and it is associated with reduced levels of estrogen. Chamomile douche may improve symptoms of vaginitis with a few side effects, but there is insufficient evidence.

• Wound healing: chamomile can speed up the wound healing process and was able to do in a study with 14 patients who underwent dermabrasion of tattoos. Recent studies show that chamomile could speed up wound healing faster than corticosteroids.

Roman chamomile is suitable for skin types including sensitive skin and skin of colour, but it shouldn’t be used if you have any allergies to this plant.

It is available as an essential oil and you can also use the leaves of roman chamomile to turn it into tea.

You can mix it with carrier oils like argan oil, almond oil, rosehip oil, and jojoba oil.

• Cleanser
• AHA/BHA/PHA’s
• You can use skincare actives like retinol, niacinamide, or vitamin C
• Moisturizer, and
• Finish it off with roman chamomile essential oil.

Chamomile oil is often used in shampoos and it helps to remove dandruff and reduce the dryness of the scalp.

• You can mix the oil in your shampoo or conditioner.
• You can also apply a few drops of this oil on your hair before using a shampoo or conditioner. This helps to protect your hair from the harsh surfactants of the shampoo.

• Boil a cup of water and pour it into a separate cup.
• Add dried chamomile leaves, and wait for 3 minutes
• Strain it into another cup.
• Add honey or lime juice and enjoy your tea.

• You will need a bowl of fresh dried roman or german chamomile flowers (you can dry the flowers using a food dehydrator at 40°C for 2 to 4 hours).

• Fill a cup or jar with the dried chamomile flowers (halfway) and pour a carrier oil into it to fill it up. You can use any carrier like sweet almond oil or jojoba oil.

• Seal the jar, and store it away from direct sunlight for 2 to 8 weeks (make to sure to give it a shake from time to time).

• After 2-8 weeks, strain out the flowers and you get a golden oil.

• Chamolie oil we got from drying the leaves
• Distilled water
• Emulsified wax, and
• A preservative (there are many preservatives you can get like geoguard ultra (gluconolactone and sodium benzoate)).

• In one heat-proof glass jar pour 6 tbsp of distilled water.

• In another heat-proof glass jar, pour 1 tbsp of emulsifying wax (1-2 tsp if you want a thinner lotion). Then put in 2 tbsp of the chamomile oil we got.

• Place both the heat-proof glass jars in a saucepan and leave it till it gets to 75°C.

• Then pour the water phase into the oil phase (the mixture should be white and creamy). Stir the mixture for couple of mintues and let it sit for 5 mintues allowing it to cool.

• Return every 10 to 20 minutes and give it a stir (continue to do it till it thickens and it should get down atleast 45°C).

• Then put in the preservative mixed with few drops of water.

• You can then pour the mixture into the container you want to store it in and the mixture can take atleast 4-5 hours if not a whole day to get to that lotion state.