The apparently endless list of conditions it can help all fall into areas that the relaxing, carminative and anti-inflammatory actions can aid. It is an excellent, gentle sedative, useful and saf e for use with children. Chamomile contains a wide variety of active constituents, each of which comes to the fore under certain conditions and plays an important supportive role in other situations. Likewise, for years researchers attributed the antispasmodic effect to the flavonoids, but it h as recently been demonstrated through numerous trials that other constituents also contribute substantially to the total sedative action. Furthermore, the importance of chamazulene and its precursor, matricine, has been demonstrated in virtually all of the actions of chamomile.
Chamomile is as much used as a carminative as a mild sedative.
One of the most amazing things about chamomile is that, in spite of the fact that the herb was being used throughout Europe and North America for the treatment of a cute and chronic gastrointestinal inflammatory conditions, for heartburn, for constipation, for stomachache, and so forth - in spite of all that, it wasn't until 1979 that experimental verification of its protective and healing effect on the mucosa of th e GI tract was reported. German Chamomile is classed as sedative, anodyne carminative, and tonic. It has a well-established reputation as a remedy for soothing the nerves, strengthening digestion, and relieving certain forms of colic. Another extremely popular herb for the treatment of indigestion, as well as various other conditions, is chamomile. . . The literature on the chamomiles is extensive.