Pharmaceutical chamomile

The use of various plants to maintain human health has been known for over 5,000 years. Chamomile is one of the oldest, most widely used and fairly well studied medicinal plants in the world. Chamomile is a genus of perennial flowering plants in the Asteraceae or Compositae family. The most common varieties of chamomile are German chamomile (Chamomilla recutita) and Roman chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile). This plant has a strong specific smell, grows almost throughout Europe (from Scandinavia to the Mediterranean Sea), in many parts of Asia and North America. Interestingly, in Central Africa, several types of chamomile were completely destroyed by local tribes, as it was believed that the plants attracted evil spirits. Since ancient times, chamomile has been known for its beneficial properties. In ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome, it was used as an anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, light astringent. Chamomile was used for wounds, ulcers, eczema, gout, skin irritation, bruises, burns, neuralgia, sciatica, rheumatic pains, hemorrhoids, mastitis, and also in children for colic and teething. Externally, chamomile has been used for diaper rash, fissures, chicken pox, ear and eye infections. Chamomile is still widely used for inflammation of the skin and mucous membranes, as well as for various bacterial infections of the skin, mouth and gums, and respiratory tract.