What is Scented mayweed / chamomile?

Chamomile is a small daisy-like flower drunk as a calming tea. People use it for restless sleep, mild worry, and an upset or windy stomach. It is also used on the skin and as a mouth rinse.

The plant is Matricaria chamomilla, often called German chamomile. In the Nordic countries it is known as kamille, kamomill and kamomillasaunio. The dried flower heads are the part used.

Here is the honest verdict on the evidence. A few small human trials suggest a mild calming effect, and the signal is weak but real. Long use in folk medicine is not proof that it works, and it is not proof that it is safe.

For most adults, chamomile tea is a low-risk drink. The main real hazard is an allergic reaction in people who react to daisy-family plants.

How does Scented mayweed / chamomile work?

No one has shown clearly how chamomile works in the body.

Much of what is claimed comes from lab and animal work. In animal studies, apigenin from the flower appears to act on GABA receptors, the same brain targets used by some calming drugs. Whether a cup of tea reaches those targets in people is not established.

In test tubes and isolated tissue, chamomile extracts appear to relax gut muscle and damp down markers of swelling. That fits the old use for cramps and wind. It has not been confirmed in good human trials.

On skin, lab tests show that bisabolol and chamazulene calm irritated cells. Small skin trials have had mixed results.

What forms does Scented mayweed / chamomile come in?

Chamomile is sold in several forms.

- Dried flowers, loose or in tea bags. This is the most common form.

- Liquid extracts and tinctures in alcohol.

- Capsules of dried extract, often standardised to apigenin.

- Essential oil, for use on the skin after dilution or in a diffuser.

- Creams, ointments and bath products.

- Mouthwashes and gargles.

Do not swallow the essential oil. It is far stronger than tea and is not meant to be drunk.

Roman chamomile, Chamaemelum nobile, is a different plant sold under the same name. Check the Latin name on the label if it matters to you.

Where it comes from:

Chamomile has a long record in Nordic and wider European folk use. It was grown in farm gardens and gathered from field edges across Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland.

It was given as an evening tea for restlessness and poor sleep. It was also used for colic, wind and cramps, and as a warm compress for sore skin and eyes.

Midwives and household healers used chamomile steam and washes. In the 1800s it entered Nordic pharmacy books as an official plant drug.

That long standing says it was trusted and widely available. It does not tell you how well it works.

What does Scented mayweed / chamomile help with?

• Mild anxiety and nervous tension: This is the use with the best human evidence, and it is still modest. In a small trial, adults with ongoing anxiety took a chamomile extract for eight weeks. Their anxiety scores dropped more than in the placebo group. The effect was mild and the group was small. Chamomile is not a treatment for an anxiety disorder. Talk to a doctor if worry is affecting your daily life.
• Trouble falling asleep: Evidence for sleep is weak and mixed. Some small trials in older adults and new mothers found slightly better sleep scores. Other trials found no clear gain over placebo. The studies were short and poorly matched. A warm drink and a settled bedtime routine may do part of the work.
• Upset stomach, wind and cramping: Tradition treated chamomile tea as a standard remedy for a gripey, windy stomach. In lab tests, extracts relax gut muscle. Human trials of chamomile on its own are few and small. Most positive gut trials used mixed herbal products, so the credit cannot be given to chamomile alone.
• Colic in babies (traditional use): Nordic households gave weak chamomile tea to fretful babies. A few trials of multi-herb teas and drops reported less crying. Those products also held fennel, lemon balm or vervain. You cannot tell which herb, if any, helped. Ask a doctor or child health nurse before giving any herb to a baby.
• Sore mouth and gums (as a rinse): Chamomile rinses are a long-standing home remedy for a sore mouth. Small trials in people having cancer treatment looked at mouth sores. Results were mixed, with some benefit reported and some none. It is not a substitute for dental care.
• Irritated skin (applied to the skin): Chamomile creams were used for chafed, itchy or red skin. A small number of trials compared chamomile cream with mild steroid cream for eczema. Some found it about as good, but the studies were weak. Stop using it if the skin gets redder or itchier.
• Period cramps: Tradition used chamomile tea for cramping pain in the lower belly. A few small trials report less pain than placebo. The trials were low quality and short. See a doctor for severe or worsening period pain.

Which foods are rich in Scented mayweed / chamomile?

Chamomile is a herbal tea, not a nutrient found in food. It gives no useful vitamins or minerals in the amounts drunk.

What are the side effects of Scented mayweed / chamomile?

• Allergic reaction: rash, itching, runny nose or wheeze
• Rare severe allergic reaction with swelling and trouble breathing
• Contact rash where a cream or oil was applied
• Eye stinging and swelling if used as an eye wash
• Drowsiness, mostly with extracts or with sedating drugs
• Nausea or vomiting with very strong brews

Good to know:

Most people drink chamomile tea with no trouble at all.

The one serious risk is allergy. People who react to ragweed, daisies, marigold or chrysanthemum are more likely to react to chamomile. Severe reactions are rare but have been reported, including after chamomile eye washes.

Stop using it at the first sign of rash, swelling or wheeze.

How much Scented mayweed / chamomile should you take?

• Recommended daily: The figures below are what labels and tea packs carry. They are not advice for you. - Tea bags usually hold 1 to 3 g of dried flower, with labels suggesting up to three cups a day. - Capsules of dried extract often carry 200 to 400 mg a day. - Creams and rinses carry their own strength on the pack. Follow the pack you have bought. Ask a pharmacist if you take prescription drugs.
• Best time of day: Timing depends on why you are using it. For sleep, it is usually taken in the evening. For stomach upset, it is taken when symptoms show up. There is no fixed best time. Tea at night may mean a trip to the toilet in the small hours.
• With or without food: Food makes little difference to chamomile tea. Some people find it gentler after a meal. If capsules upset your stomach, taking them with food may help.
• Time to effect: Be honest with yourself about what to expect. It may do nothing at all. Any calming feeling from tea tends to come within about half an hour. In the anxiety trials, score changes built over two to four weeks. Skin and mouth uses are judged over days, not weeks.
• How long to take it: Tea is usually drunk as needed, over days or weeks. The anxiety trials ran for eight weeks, and one follow-up study ran for about six months. Safety past that point has not been well studied. If you feel you need it every night for months, that is a reason to see a doctor.