Symptom → Plant Sources
Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) as a tool for helping with Insomnia / sleeplessness
inferred from sedative action
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Full Chamomile monograph →All plants for insomnia / sleeplessness →
This systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials found that chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) improved sleep quality, supporting its traditional sedative use for sleep complaints.
Chamomile is one of the most ancient medicinal herbs known to mankind. It is a member of Asteraceae/Compositae family and represented by two common varieties viz. German Chamomile (Chamomilla recutita) and Roman Chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile). The dried flowers of chamomile contain many terpenoids and flavonoids contributing to its medicinal properties. Chamomile preparations are commonly used for many human ailments such as hay fever, inflammation, muscle spasms, menstrual disorders, insomnia, ulcers, wounds, gastrointestinal disorders, rheumatic pain, and hemorrhoids. Essential oils of chamomile are used extensively in cosmetics and aromatherapy. Many different preparations of chamomile have been developed, the most popular of which is in the form of herbal tea consumed more than one million cups per day. In this review we describe the use of chamomile in traditional medicine with regard to evaluating its curative and preventive properties, highlight recent findings for its development as a therapeutic agent promoting human health.
6 sources supporting Chamomile for Insomnia / sleeplessness. Includes scientific publications, books, monographs and traditional-use references.
Mechanistic basis
This use is associated with the plant's sedative / sleep support action. Further evidence for that pharmacology:
This review of chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) summarises its ethnomedicinal uses, phytochemistry (over 120 constituents, including alpha-bisabolol, chamazulene, flavonoids) and pharmacological properties — antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, anticancer, sedative and antispasmodic — confirming its traditional uses.
In a randomized clinical trial, long-term chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) extract treatment was well tolerated and reduced symptoms in patients with generalized anxiety disorder, supporting the calming/sedative use of chamomile.
An exploratory analysis found that chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) oral extract produced a putative antidepressant effect in subjects with comorbid generalized anxiety disorder and depression, supporting a mood-calming, sedative role.
This systematic review of chamomile (Matricaria recutita) summarises its documented therapeutic effects, including anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, antimicrobial, sedative/anxiolytic and wound-healing activities across experimental and clinical studies.
In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, oral chamomile (Matricaria recutita) extract produced a clinically meaningful reduction in anxiety symptoms in patients with mild-to-moderate generalized anxiety disorder, supporting a sedative/anxiolytic effect.
This overview of chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) summarises its phytochemistry and traditional and pharmacological uses, including anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, carminative (digestive), mild sedative and wound-healing properties.