Chamomile Seeds - Health Benefits, Uses and Important Facts

The high levels of disease-fighting antioxidants like terpenoids and flavonoids in dried chamomile flowers, which are one of the oldest and most useful medicinal herbs known to humans, have many health benefits.

The plant's strong oils are where the most important antioxidants are found. Because of these antioxidants, chamomile has natural healing properties.

Chamomile has been used as a standardised tea, herbal extract, and beauty product for almost 5,000 years to help people feel calmer, have more energy, look younger, and live longer. It works well as an alternative medicine and has almost no bad effects that we know of.

What is Chamomile?

The Asteraceae/Compositae family includes chamomile plants. German chamomile (chamomillarecutita) and Roman chamomile are two types of chamomile that are often used in medicine (chamaemelumnobile).

The chamomile plant is from Western Europe and Northern Africa, but it is now grown in temperate regions all over the world.

Early use of Chamomile:

Records show that the benefits of chamomile have been known for hundreds of years, and the herb has been used both as medicine and as a beauty product. Since at least the first century, Germans have used chamomile to help with digestive problems. Records show that Egyptians worshipped the plant and held festivals in honour of its healing properties. Egyptian noblewomen were known to crush chamomile flowers and put them on their skin to keep their skin looking young and slow the ageing process naturally.

The Romans used chamomile as a medicine to treat illness and help people live longer. Its ability to heal made it popular all over Europe, and the British eventually brought chamomile plants to North America. Chamomile was in the medicine bags of doctors in Europe and the early American colonies because it helped with pain, inflammation, allergies, and digestive problems. It was also used as a natural shampoo, deodorant, and perfume.

Today, people all over the world buy and drink chamomile tea and herbal extracts. There are two calories, two milligrammes of sodium, and no cholesterol in one cup of chamomile tea.

How to collect chamomile seeds?

Chamomile is an annual that grows from its own seeds. To make sure it comes back every year, it's important and very easy to save seeds.

• Wait until the petals fall off or lay back toward the stem.

• At this point, the yellow centre will turn brown and start to "flake" apart when touched.

• Collect these tiny flakes, which are your seeds, and put them in a paper bag.

Chamomile tea

Chamomile tea is made from dried flowers and is thought to boost the immune system and relieve stress. Chamomile tea is a popular drink all over the world. It has health benefits and benefits for the skin that are hard to find in other teas. There are many good things about chamomile tea. Not only is it relaxing and refreshing, but it can also help you in more than one way.

Health benefits of chamomile:

1. Packed with antioxidants

The main antioxidants found in chamomile flowers come from the terpenoid group, which includes chamazulene and derivatives of acetylene. Because these compounds are so fragile, it is thought that an alcoholic tincture or "essential oil" is the best way to keep them safe. A few phenolic compounds, mostly flavonoids like apigenin, quercetin, and patuletin, as well as different glucosides, are also important parts of the flowers.

These compounds help reduce inflammation by fighting the damage done by free radicals and stopping cells from changing into different types. The antioxidants in chamomile can help your immune system work better, lower your risk of mood disorders, ease pain and swelling, and make your skin, hair, nails, teeth, and eyes healthier.

2. Helps with stress and depression

Chamomile, in the form of tea, tincture, or essential oil, is one of the best medicinal herbs for fighting stress and making you feel calm. People with depression and general anxiety are often told to inhale chamomile vapours made from chamomile oil. This is one reason why chamomile oil is a popular ingredient in many candles, aromatherapy products, and bath-soaking treatments.

In extract form, chamomile is often used as a mild sedative to calm nerves and reduce anxiety. This is because its vapours go directly to the olfactory part of the brain, which turns off tension and lowers the body's stress response. This is why chamomile is used to treat symptoms of long-term anxiety and stress, such as hysteria, nightmares, insomnia, and digestive problems.

Smells are sent straight to the brain, and they can make us feel things. The limbic system looks at the sensory input and decides if it is pleasant, painful, dangerous, or safe. This determines how we feel, such as fear, anger, or attraction. The most basic smells affect the way we feel and how our hormones work. Smells are a direct link to our memories and feelings. Fragrances, like chamomile, can make you feel better and change your personality and behaviour in general. Research shows that one of the quickest ways to get psychological results is to use oil fragrances.

3. Improves Digestion

Chamomile is used to treat stomach problems like gas, acid reflux, indigestion, diarrhoea, anorexia, motion sickness, nausea, and vomiting. It is believed to be a powerful digestive relaxant. Chamomile extract can help kids with diarrhoea and colic feel better and get better faster. It can also help with pain and anxiety that come with these conditions. Chamomile oil also has compounds called anodyne that are anti-spasmodic and help relieve stomach pains like cramps, constipation, and others.

Many of these benefits come from the way chamomile naturally calms you down. Because the vagus nerve connects the brain and the gut directly, a more relaxed mind can also help heal a leaky gut. This can mean less pain from chronic conditions like leaky gut, IBS, and other gut problems. Chamomile has calming effects that make it a good choice for pregnant women who want to calm their stomachs and get rid of nausea in a natural way.

4. Works well to reduce pain and reduce inflammation

Chamomile is often called a "herbal aspirin" because it has been used to treat pain at home for hundreds of years. Chamomile flowers can be used alone or with other foods that help reduce pain, congestion, swelling, and redness. They work well to reduce facial swelling, skin irritations, toothaches, infection pain, and inflammation problems at their roots. Because of this, chamomile extract is often added to beauty products like lotions for the face or body, toothpastes, and bath soaps.