Camomile / Chamomile

[Guest guest]

OK, here are my thoughts on this:

1. Chamomile is one of my all-time favorite herbs and my dream is to have

a house with a chamomile lawn someday. (Except that the way things grow

here in Louisiana, I'd probably lose the dachshunds in it...chamomile is

supposed to grow 3-4 inches tall. Right. Crepe myrtle is supposed to be a

low bush, and I park my car under these crepe myrtle TREES...).

2. No herb tea except the mints, black, and green regular tea, and ginger

is SCD legal. We can add a bit of clove, for instance, to regular tea,

but we should not make clove tea. The difference is quantitative -- the

amount of clove essence that we get from a single clove in a single cup

of tea (which should then be diluted) is vastly difference from the

amount of clove we would get if we took a teaspoon of clove, poured

boiling water over it, let it steep, and then drank THAT tea.

3. Chamomile is well-known for its anti-inflammatory properties, which

would seem to make it an ideal tea for SCDers. However... (you knew it

was coming, right?), I seriously do not think it would be a wise

idea.

Had to go digging a bit, but I thought I remembered something which was a

cause for concern. The following is from Healthnotes.Info. It's confirmed

in several other sources, but I didn't have to type the following

in.

Chamomile has traditionally been used in Europe for gastrointestinal

upsets.

Chamomile is often taken three to four times daily between meals as a

tea. Common alternatives are to use 2-3 grams of the herb in tablet or

capsule form or 4-6 ml of tincture three times per day between meals.

Standardized extracts containing 1% apigenin and 0.5% volatile oils may

also be used. One to two capsules containing 300-400 mg of extract may be

taken three times daily. Topical creams or ointments can be applied to

the affected area three to four times daily. It has been used for people

on methotrexate, a drug sometimes given for autoimmune issues, to help

alleviate mouth sores.

Though rare, allergic reactions to chamomile have been reported. These

reactions have included bronchial constriction with internal use and

allergic skin reactions with topical use. While reports of such side

effects are uncommon, people with allergies to plants of the Asteraceae

family (ragweed, aster, and chrysanthemums), as well as mugwort pollen

should avoid using chamomile. Chamomile is usually considered to be

safe during pregnancy or breast-feeding. However, there is one case

report in which a pregnant woman who took chamomile as an enema had an

allergic reaction that led to the death of her newborn.

The flowers of chamomile contain 1-2% volatile oils including

alpha-bisabolol, alpha-bisabolol oxides A & B, and matricin (usually

converted to chamazulene).1 Other active constituents include the

flavonoids apigenin, luteolin, and quercetin. These active ingredients

contribute to chamomile’s anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, and

smooth-muscle relaxing action, particularly in the gastrointestinal

tract.

It is this last trait which causes me serious concern. If you're

already either moving things along too quickly, or not moving them at

all, then it seems to me probable that you wouldn't want something which

is going to completely relax the gut. You will either open it up and

allow things to move on through that much more rapidly, or cause your gut

to lie down on the job and say, " Well, yawn, I think I'll take a nap

just now! "

This strikes me as a Bad Idea, and therefore, I'd have to say that my

considered opinion would be, fond as I am of chamomile, and however many

cups of the lovely, aromatic brew I drank pre-SCD, not to mention the

number of tinctures and salves I've compounded with it, that I could not,

in good conscience, recommend it.

If you are currently drinking it, and feel it has benefit for you that

outweighs the probable negatives, then by all means, continue. (I

discussed an illegal supplement off list with Elaine, and we concluded

that for me, the benefits outweighed the negatives, but the fact that I

do use it makes me that much more scrupulous about the rest of my

diet.)

If you are currently drinking it and are not seeing the progress from SCD

that you had hoped, then I recommend eliminating it from your program for

at least three months, and see what happens.

If you are not currently drinking it, I really could not suggest you

start, because of my concerns.

Sorry -- I liked it, too.

—

Marilyn

New

Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Undiagnosed IBS since 1976, SCD since 2001

Darn Good SCD Cook

No Human Children

Shadow & Sunny Longhair Dachshund