Herbal Remedy ... Chamomile!

[icymist]

Chamomile is one of my favorite herbs... ever! It's very easy to grow and is known as an 'all heal' plant! I love this plant! Not only does she dye my hair blond, she helps me walk on sprained ankles and 'tight' knees and joints there-abouts! Especially when a very strong infusion, (And I mean very strong!) of Chamomile is blended with a tincture of Bittersweet. This combination is great for external strains, swellings, joints in the feet and ankle. Here's the formula: Make a very strong infusion of chamomile: One cup of flowers to one cup of water. (Yes, that strong) Bring this to a boil in a covered pot. Remove from heat but leave covered until cooled.(important) On the Bittersweet: Make a tincture of this. Add to the chamomile infusion as such: 3 parts chamomile infusion to one part bittersweet tincture. Put this in a spray bottle and apply to affected area, at first, every time thought about it! four or fives times a day after that, leading up to once or twice a day. This is one of the greatest healers of sprained and 'crackley bones' that I know.

What's your Chamomile experience?

[Desertrose]

1. I drank so much when I was pregnant- for morning sickness....

I still can't stand to smell the tea !LOL (and that was 23 years ago.Yikes! but it sure helped!!) Beyond that minor detail, I love it!!

Didn't know about the sprains & swelling. Sure could have used it when I sprained my ankle so badly last year.

Thanks...I see chamomile as a very sweet & dear plant.....need to get another one...

I also love Chamomile Flower Essence too.

[Cleita]

2. My mother gave it to me for cramps.

It also helps for other belly aches too.

[Eloriel]

3. Bittersweet?

What plant are you referring to here?

Interesting info re chamomile -- and let's not forget there's German and Roman (I think German is what you're referring to, but I often get them confused, so clarification on this would be good too).

I've only used it as a tea (infusion), which is very mildly sedative. Wonderful antidote to feeling stressed. So sweet it needs no sweetener. Would be a good base, probably for less pleasant tasting herbs you want to drink as a tea (infusion).

[icymist]

10. On Chamomile and Bittersweet

Sorry to get back at you at such a late time...

On Chamomile: What I've been using is the German type. This has two, or sometimes more flowers on a stem. The Roman only has one. Both are equally as strong, except that the German has more of the flowers, which is where all the medicinal properties are. I use this in a very strong tea... One cup (packed) of flower heads with one cup water. Put both in a pot and bring to a boil. Cover, do not let steam escape, remove from heat and let cool. Strain this with cheesecloth. (You will see in the cheesecloth how this is a dye) You can take this concoction a tablespoon at a time for sleeplessness and constipation. Externally, this is rubbed on the skin, for bruises, with a cotton swab. To detirmine if chamomile is growing in your yard... well, throw a few of the flowers in the same place... compare with what is growing. It's very easy to get chamomile growing. Just keep throwing the flowers into the same spot. They will grow. Yes, that easy! When used with my above formula with Bittersweet, well,... I've walked on what I thought were broken bones!

On Bittersweet: Hello! This is poison! Only use externally. I usually make a tincture of the bark and roots. Use the strongest vodka you can get or, if available in your state, everclear. Take the bark and roots of the fresh plant and place into a blender. Blend away until you have, what I will call, a goop. Take the goop and put into a jar and fill to the rim with the vodka/everclear. Date this, cover, and set in a dark place for two weeks. (It's best to do this on a waxing moon) Strain this mixture and the liquid is tincture of bittersweet! The recipe given above was given to me from a wise woman. Here's a sketch I've made of bittersweet:



The flowers are purple and gold. The berries, red. She grows like a vine, usually in hedges and Holly.

on edit for spelling and clarity.

[BuddhaGirl]

4. I love Chamomile tea!

Relaxing with a cup in the evenings is wonderful and helps me fall asleep.

I've used the Herb Pharm brand of the tincture but I find I really prefer the delicious tea.

[LWolf]

5. I've only used chammomile

as part of a relaxation/sleep inducing tea.

Chammomile, catnip, and lavender, and I won't even finish the cup of tea before I'm gone.

[DemExpat]

6. No idea why, but I have an aversion to Chamomile....

the taste and smell of it really turn me off, and I get bad indigestion anytime I have tried it for its benefits. :shrug:

I love Chamomile in bath/shampoo products and creams, but ingested it just doesn't agree with me.

Instead of Chamomile I enjoy and feel the benefits of Lemonbalm (Melissa) tea - this tastes delicious to me and has a calming effect.

DemEx

[emcguffie]

7. I have something coming up all over my yard/garden --

-- that I think might be chamomile. How can I ID it for sure?

ANyone have a description of how its leaves grow?

[Eloriel]

9. Chamomile pix

And wouldn't you know it, not much photography of the LEAVES. However, click on Roman and that photo has leaves, which I believe are similar for German.

http://www.richters.com/Web_store/web_store.cgi?page=SubIndexPages/Chamomile.html&cart_id=9752039.19137

Richter's is a terrific source for nearly every herb you can think of, including some in dosage form (as opposed to plants or seeds, which is their main product type).

[ebayfool]

11. Richter's - what a great site! TY! They are the only source I've seen yet

that carries BLOODROOT (Sanguinaria canadensis) in the dried root form. My father uses this stuff by the ton for his skin cancers in an already prepared formulation. It is major expensive - he'll love this site. It burns out the lesions (really yucky!) & when it heals the spot is normal-looking again. He sees a dermatologist, the doc confirms the cancers are gone. His problem is that he has them cropping up everywhere, so bloodroot is part of his daily routine by now. Getting so many, so often isn't financially feasible to treat w/standard medical procedures - not for a ranch foreman w/out insurance. What a good site!

[nuxvomica]

8. I have only used the potentized form: chamomilla

But I would guess the herbal indications might be similar to the homeopathic. I always think of it as a teething remedy. It is indicated for irritability and seems to have an antidoting effect on caffeine and nicotine intoxication. I've taken it a few times at work when I've been very irritable and was aware of myself as acting like a spoiled child. It worked well for me both times.