Hi, I'm Jordan Rubin and welcome to Ancient Medicine Today, brought to you by draxe.com
where food is medicine.
Today we're going to talk about one of my favorite herbs, chamomile.
Chamomile is also one of the most popular herbs in the world, and we are going to learn
what it is, what it does and how best to use it.
And by the way, if you love herbs, spices, and essential oils, make sure to share the
link to this video because I know so many people out there want to understand how to
improve their health using natural plant-based remedies.
So let's get started.
Number one, what is chamomile?
Well, it's a plant that is native to Western Europe and Northern Africa.
You will see it a lot in Eastern and Western Europe, and you hear about it in England etc.,
with the term "chamomile tea."
Now, chamomile tea is not technically a tea.
It's more of an herbal infusion, but we're really just splitting hairs there.
As you can see, it's been used for 2,000 years.
Cultivated in the 16th century, Greek doctors initially used chamomile for fever reduction.
But now we know its most popular uses involve your tummy and to help you relax.
We'll talk more about that in a moment.
There are a few types of chamomile, Roman and German in particular.
German is the most widely available for medicinal uses, although we hear a lot about Roman chamomile
in essential oil form, and there's also English chamomile.
But German chamomile is the most popular in use today.
Now, what are the benefits of chamomile?
They are far beyond what you remember from your mom or grandma, I can tell you, really,
really powerful.
Check this out.
Chamomile, and its flowers, is loaded with antioxidants.
Antioxidants protect your body from free radical damage, advanced aging symptoms, antioxidants
can cause all kinds of stuff.
So think about antioxidants as Space Invaders, and chamomile helps to destroy them.
Number two, anxiety and depression.
This is probably the second most popular traditional use for chamomile.
Chamomile helps you relax, chill out, get a load off, so really, really good for that.
Chamomile is traditionally used for so many things, but that's at the top.
Also, digestion.
Chamomile and peppermint are often used together and they provide some of the same benefits.
Number four, pain and inflammation reduction.
Chamomile is great to soothe the body.
Number five, chamomile may even help fight cancer.
In vitro studies show that chamomile has compounds, particularly antioxidants, that fight the
growth of unhealthy cells.
Relieves congestion, so chamomile can also be used for upper-respiratory health.
So many benefits from this tiny, little flower.
Promotes skin health, chamomile can be used internally and externally to provide beautiful
skin.
And, last but not least, healthy teeth and gums.
You might not realize that the health of your mouth is very related to the health of your
entire body.
Chamomile is great for oral health, as is peppermint, which we talked about earlier.
Folks, we're here talking about the benefits of chamomile on Ancient Medicine Today.
If you're enjoying this video, make sure to post some comments and share with others.
There are so many people out there that walk by this seemingly innocuous flower every day,
or they see chamomile products on the shelves of their health food store and simply don't
know what to do with it.
Look at all these amazing benefits.
Chamomile is amazing to use on a regular basis.
But how can you use chamomile?
First and foremost, as a tea or herbal infusion.
You can take fresh or dried leaves and pour boiling water over it, let it steep.
There's also chamomile tea bags all over the place in different formulations, add a little
bit of honey, maybe a little lemon juice.
Chamomile is very soothing.
Number two, essential oil.
Chamomile essential oil, German or Roman, is very powerful.
It's also very rare, if you can find it, make sure to grab some.
It is great to use topically, it's great to diffuse, and you can even consume it in small
amounts orally.
Inhale it with steam extract, which you can see in this picture.
So just put a bowl of hot or boiling water, put a few drops of chamomile and inhale.
You can also add chamomile essential oil to your bath.
Look for organic chamomile essential oil for the highest quality.
Edible flowers, you can eat chamomile.
Add it to your salad, or you can use it cooked, etc.
But chamomile is powerful pretty much any way you consume it.
And last but not least, due to its oral health benefits, chamomile can be gargled and it
can help with oral inflammation, gingivitis, etc., give you some healthy gums.
As good chamomile is, there are some precautions.
So if you've got ragweed or grass allergies in general, you should be cautious about using
chamomile.
So you want to do a skin patch test before using.
Try a little bit on your skin, if you see bumps or what would resemble hives, probably
not best to use chamomile on a regular basis.
Also, if you deal with skin issues in general, you may want to avoid chamomile as they could
exacerbate the symptoms.
And you want to avoid chamomile during pregnancy as it is a uterine stimulant.
I'm Jordan Rubin, here for draxe.com on Ancient Medicine Today, and we are talking about chamomile,
and boy, is there a lot to talk about.
Why should you use chamomile in its tea form, essential oil form, or eat the flowers?
Because it is surging with antioxidants, fights anxiety and depression, powerful digestion
improver, reduction in pain and inflammation.
Wow, I see lots of people needing this already.
May help fight cancer, should be used as part of an immune-boosting program, relieves congestion,
promotes skin health, and is even good for the health of your teeth and gums.
Folks, chamomile has been used a long time, and sometimes, we take for granted these powerful
herbs that I believe God has given us to help bring healing to our bodies.
So if you're somebody who has watched this and said, "Wow, I am going to buy chamomile
tea, I'm going to pick some chamomile flowers, I'm going to use essential oil."
Well, I'm glad you're excited, and I want you to share this message with others.
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I'm Jordan Rubin, God bless you, see you next time.