What is Manzanilla?

Manzanilla is the dried flower of the chamomile plant (Latin name Matricaria), brewed as a tea. In Latin American, Caribbean and North African homes it is the first thing reached for when someone has a sore stomach, cramps, gas, or trouble settling down to sleep.

This is a single-herb remedy. It is not a blend, and nothing else is added beyond the dried flowers.

What does the evidence say? Manzanilla has a very long and wide traditional record, and a small number of real human trials that hint at mild help for worry and sleep. Long use in a tradition tells you a plant is familiar and broadly tolerated; it is not proof that it works, and that difference is worth keeping in mind as you read on.

How does Manzanilla work?

The short answer is that no one has fully pinned it down.

The flower holds oils and plant pigments that relax smooth muscle in the gut in lab dishes. That may be why it eases cramping and gas for some people, but a lab dish is not a person.

One pigment, apigenin, attaches to the same brain sites that calming medicines use. This is a plausible reason for the sleepy, settled feeling many drinkers report, though it has not been proven in people.

What forms does Manzanilla come in?

Loose dried flowers, brewed as tea. This is the traditional and most common form.

Tea bags, sold in most groceries.

Capsules and tablets of dried extract, often standardised to apigenin.

Liquid extract or tincture, taken in drops in water.

Essential oil, for use on the skin only after mixing into a carrier oil. It is not for swallowing.

Cooled tea used as a skin rinse, mouth rinse or compress, a very common home use.

Where it comes from:

Manzanilla means "little apple" in Spanish, for the apple-like smell of the fresh flowers. The plant came from Europe and North Africa and travelled to the Americas with Spanish settlers after the 1500s.

It took root fast in Mexican, Central American and Caribbean home care, where it sits beside yerba buena and hierba dulce as a basic kitchen remedy. It is also old and well known in European, Egyptian and Middle Eastern practice, which is why its traditional standing is rated at the top tier.

What does Manzanilla help with?

• Upset stomach, gas and bloating: This is the number one household use across Latin America and the Caribbean, and the tea is drunk after meals for it. Lab work shows the plant oils relax gut muscle, which fits what people report. Good human trials on manzanilla alone for this are lacking, so treat it as a comfort measure rather than a treatment.
• Stomach and period cramps: Traditionally drunk warm, one to three cups, during cramping days. A few small studies of chamomile for period pain report less pain, but they are small and not all of them were well designed. Call this promising and unproven.
• Trouble falling asleep: A cup before bed is a very old habit and many people find it settles them. Small sleep trials in adults and in new mothers report modest gains in sleep quality. The effect in studies is mild, and part of it may come from the warm drink and the wind-down routine itself.
• Everyday worry and restlessness: This is where the human evidence is strongest, and it is still modest. An eight-week trial of chamomile extract capsules in people with long-term anxiety found a small drop in anxiety scores against placebo. It was not tested as tea, and the doses were far higher than a cup of tea provides.
• Colic and fussiness in babies: Weak manzanilla tea for a colicky baby is deeply rooted in the tradition. Some trials of herbal blends that contained chamomile reported less crying, but blends cannot tell you what the chamomile did. Do not give it to an infant without asking a paediatric doctor first, and never give it to a newborn.
• Mouth sores, used as a rinse: Cooled tea is swished and spat out for sore gums and mouth ulcers. Small studies on chamomile mouth rinse after cancer treatment give mixed results. It is low risk if you do not swallow much, but the benefit is uncertain.
• Minor skin irritation, used as a cooled compress: Cooled tea on a clean cloth is a traditional wash for itchy or irritated skin. Chamomile creams have been tested with mixed results. Stop at once if the skin gets redder or itchier, since that can be an allergy.

Which foods are rich in Manzanilla?

1. Manzanilla tea: the brewed flowers, the main way it is taken
2. Manzanilla-flavoured honey: small amounts of the plant's aroma, not a real dose

Practical Tips:

Manzanilla is a flower you brew, not a nutrient found in everyday foods.

What are the side effects of Manzanilla?

• Skin rash or itching
• Itchy eyes, sneezing or a runny nose
• Feeling sleepy or slowed down
• Upset stomach or throwing up after very strong tea
• Sore, red eyes if the tea is used as an eye wash
• Swelling of the lips, tongue or throat: rare, and a medical emergency

Good to know:

Most people drink manzanilla tea with no trouble at all.

The main risk is an allergy. It is more likely if you react to ragweed or to daisy-type flowers.

Most signs are mild, such as a rash or itchy eyes. But some are fast and severe, with swelling of the mouth or trouble breathing.

This is rare. It has been reported, and a few deaths are on record.

Stop the tea and get help right away if your mouth swells or you cannot breathe well.

Strong tea can make you drowsy. Do not drive until you know how it affects you.

Using the tea to wash the eyes is a common home habit. Do not do it. The liquid is not sterile and it can make the eyes sore.

How much Manzanilla should you take?

• Recommended daily: There is no official dose. These are the amounts commonly used and studied. Tea: 2 to 3 grams of dried flowers (about one heaped teaspoon) in a cup of hot water, steeped covered for 5 to 10 minutes. One to four cups a day. Capsules of dried extract: trials of chamomile for anxiety used 220 mg to 1,500 mg a day, split through the day. Follow the label on your product. Tincture: usually 1 to 4 mL, up to three times a day. Mouth or skin use: brew the tea at normal strength, let it cool fully, then rinse or apply.
• Best time of day: For sleep, drink one cup 30 to 60 minutes before bed. For stomach upset, gas or cramps, drink it after meals or when the symptom starts. Capsules are usually split between morning and evening.
• With or without food: Either way is fine. Many people find it easier on the stomach after food, and that is also how it is traditionally taken. Capsules with food may cut the chance of nausea.
• Time to effect: For stomach comfort or a calm feeling, many people notice something within 30 to 45 minutes of a cup. For sleep, allow one to two weeks of nightly use. For ongoing worry, the trials took several weeks to show a change.
• How long to take it: For a short problem like gas or cramps, use it for a few days as needed. For sleep or worry, give it two to four weeks before you judge it, since the anxiety trials ran for eight weeks. If your symptom is no better after two to four weeks, or it gets worse at any point, stop and see a doctor. Daily long-term use has not been well studied.