Chamomile's Safety and Potential Side Effects

Are There Dangers Associated with this Popular Herbal Tea?

Mar 2, 2009 Juniper Russo

Chamomile is generally considered to be very safe, both when compared to pharmaceutical medications and when compared to other medicinal herbs.

All herbal medicines carry some degree of risk: they are, after all, medicines. Knowing this, some consumers unnecessarily avoid herbal medicines in general, including chamomile, the popular herbal tea remedy used to treat sore throat, upset stomach, mouth ulcers, insomnia, and anxiety. Fortunately, however, chamomile is generally considered to be very safe, both when compared to pharmaceutical medications and when compared to other medicinal herbs.

How Chamomile Works

Chamomile's mechanism of action is surprisingly well-understood, thanks to numerous peer-reviewed studies regarding its safety and efficacy. The primary, medicinally active oil found in chamomile is bisabolol, a viscous alcohol that has been shown to have anti-anxiety, anti-cancer, anti-microbial, and anti-inflammatory properties. Bisabolol is considered to be very safe, with very few known side effects and no known drug interactions.

Couramin, chamomile's other active, medicinal oil, has been known to cause drug interactions and other complications. Couramin has a sweet scent similar to hay, and it gives pungent herbs like vanilla, mullein, and chamomile their characteristic odors. When isolated and consumed alone, couramin is acutely toxic and can cause blood thinning and hemorrhage. However, in the amount found in chamomile tea, this is not an issue unless the patient is taking warfarin or other strong blood-thinning drugs.

Is Botulism a Danger for Chamomile Users?

Another concern regarding chamomile's safety stems from the fact that dried chamomile can contain trace amounts of botulism. While these minute amounts--less than those found in honey, for example--are perfectly tolerable for adults and older children, they may be concentrated enough to harm very young infants less than three months of age. There are no reports of botulism poisoning in adults or older children.

Most physicians and herbalists recommend against chamomile use in newborns, both because of the risk of botulism poisoning, and because chamomile's sedative effects may be too strong for a very young baby. For older babies and toddlers who can safely tolerate its effects, chamomile extract can be used in lieu of an herbal tea, to eliminate the risk of botulism exposure.

Other Safety Considerations

Most people taking chamomile understand that it has mildly sedative and anti-anxiety properties, but they should note this effect if they intend to drive or operate machinery shortly after taking it. It may be unwise to take chamomile directly before performing a complicated or dangerous activity. As with other sedative medicines like Benadryl and NyQuil, chamomile is best reserved for use right before bed.

While many herbalists warn against the use of chamomile in people with hay fever, or ragweed allergy, this may be an unnecessary warning. Chamomile and ragweed are members of the botanical family asteraceae, which also includes the daisy and sunflower. Though some herbalists and naturopathic physicians feel chamomile may contain ragweed-like allergens, there are no peer-reviewed case reports of this complication.

Chamomile's popularity is based not only in its safety, but also in its delicious, apple-like flavor and its well-recognized medicinal properties. Owing to its general safety and panacea-like efficacy, chamomile deserves a spot in the medicine cabinet of any natural-living family. Chamomile can be purchased as a loose herb, tea-bag, liquid extract, tincture, capsule, or tablet.

The copyright of the article Chamomile's Safety and Potential Side Effects in Natural Medicine is owned by Juniper Russo. Permission to republish Chamomile's Safety and Potential Side Effects in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Chamomile flowers.