Chamomile, an aromatic annual herb, has a long history of use in traditional medicine to treat muscle spasms, menstrual disorders, insomnia, ulcers, wounds, stomach disorders, rheumatic pain, hay fever, and hemorrhoids. It is widely used in teas for its relaxing and calming effects. In vitro and animal studies indicate that chamomile extracts have anti-inflammatory ⁽¹¹⁾, anti-hyperglycemic ⁽¹²⁾, antigenotoxic ⁽¹³⁾, and anticancer ⁽¹⁴⁾ properties. Apigenin, a flavone present in chamomile, has chemopreventive effects ⁽¹⁵⁾. Bisabololoxide A, another constituent, had additive inhibitory effects in some instances when used with 5-fluorouracil against leukemic cells ⁽¹⁹⁾.

Clinical data suggest modest benefits with oral chamomile in chronic insomnia ^(20) (41) or for moderate cyclic mastalgia ⁽⁴²⁾. Chamomile tea had positive effects on glycemic control in patients with diabetes ⁽³³⁾. Several studies have reported that chamomile extracts are effective against mild-to-moderate ⁽¹⁶⁾ and moderate-to-severe generalized anxiety disorder ^(37) (38), and may have antidepressant effects as well ⁽³⁰⁾. Data also show that chamomile can improve biological markers of stress in people with chronic anxiety ⁽⁴⁰⁾. In other controlled trials, application of a chamomile compress was effective and superior to hydrocortisone ointment in facilitating healing of peristomal skin lesions following colostomy ⁽²¹⁾; and a chamomile oleogel affected pain relief in patients who had migraine without aura ⁽⁴³⁾.

In an animal study, chamomile extract showed some protective effects against radiation‐induced intestinal mucositis ⁽¹⁾. A chamomile mouthwash reduced 5-fluorouracil-induced mucositis in hamsters ⁽¹⁷⁾, but data from human studies are conflicting ^(8) (9). More recently, an aqueous solution of propolis, aloe vera, calendula, and chamomile did not prevent mucositis during chemoradiotherapy for head and neck cancer ⁽²⁾.