Chamomile tea is probably one of the best selling infusion tea flavors on the US market. Tea made from the chamomile plant has a subtle, sweet taste and is believed to have stress reducing qualities. Of course, some of the stress reduction might just be due to the relaxing benefit of sipping a hot beverage, but chamomile gets most of the credit.
It is widely believed that drinking a cup of chamomile tea in the afternoon can greatly reduce feelings of stress, but what if you find yourself stuck at the office and unable to obtain a hot cup of that magic elixir? Chamomile is also available in melting oral tablets from companies like 1-800homeopathy.com, and can be found in many health-food stores. Local pharmacies often carry chamomile supplements in capsule form that you swallow with water. Chamomile is so renowned for its calming effects that Hyland’s Homeopathy offers teething tablets for babies that feature the plant.
Well, reputation is one thing, but proof positive is another. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not regulate herbal supplements and homeopathic medicines, and it is difficult to find a scientific study proving the calming benefits of chamomile. To that end, I will offer my own experience.
The use of chamomile tablets was suggested to me after the birth of my son, by a Certified Nurse Midwife. I regularly took two capsules of chamomile in the morning, then would take the recommended dose of oral tablets in the afternoon. As I have always been a hot tea drinker, drinking chamomile tea was already a habit.
I found that using the oral tablets seemed to help reduce stress almost immediately. For a new mother with a colicky baby, that was a huge relief. However, taking chamomile did not completely relieve my stress. Months of sleeplessness still took their toll, though I took as much chamomile as I felt comfortable with. As for using chamomile to sooth a teething or colicky baby, our son seemed to have the same result that I did. Taking chamomile would sooth him quickly, but the benefits were short-lived.
Perhaps we should have taken larger doses. I was reluctant to take too much chamomile because, while it seems to be a safe herb to ingest, chamomile is included in the FDA’s “Poisonous Plant Database”. Chamomile can have adverse effects for people who are allergic to ragweed pollen.
So, I can’t give you proof positive of chamomile’s stress relieving benefits. But I can say that in my experience, chamomile does take the edge off of my stress. After a rough day at the office, a steaming cup of chamomile tea soothes my head and my soul. But if your stress runs deeper, chamomile may not be enough. If your day was really bad, perhaps some healthy exercise will do more to relieve your stress. You can always follow up with a cup of tea.
Sources
W.H. Lewis, “Reporting adverse reactions to herbal ingestants”, FDA Poisonous Plant Database
