Matricaria chamomilla flower

Common Names: (/'kæm?mi?l/ kam-?-meel or /'kæm?ma?l/ kam-?-myl), camomile (British spelling), from Greek for “earth apple,” daisy, “the friendly flower”
The most commonly used species for cosmetics and skin care:

What’s the world’s friendliest flower? Many people will say it’s the daisy. There’s something so cheerful about the yellow center with the white petals radiating out around it, like a child’s drawing of the sun. Lovers check their relationships, pulling off a petal at a time while saying, “He/She loves me, he/she loves me not...”

But there’s more to this sunny flower than meets the eye; certain varieties have powerful herbal properties with significant health benefits. Essences from the chamomile daisy are known for calming, moisturizing, and skin soothing properties and may even improve healing and tissue regeneration.

The dried petals of members of the Asteraceae family (which includes daisies, sunflowers, and ragweed) have long been used in herbal medicines as well as modern skin care and cosmetics. Extracts from the petals are made into herbal teas and essential oils.

The wild or “German” chamomile is an annual herb, which flourishes throughout Northern Europe and grows to 2-3 feet tall. The Roman, English or “garden variety” chamomile is a very short ground cover that only grows 4-12 inches high and appears mainly in English and North American gardens. Both varieties prefer light, sandy, acidic soil with good drainage.

Children all over the world first learn about the soothing powers of chamomile from Beatrix Potter’s famous story, The Tale of Peter Rabbit. Naughty Peter tries to steal vegetables from the farmer’s garden and barely escapes with his life. His mother, Mrs. Rabbit, puts her undisciplined son to bed with a dose of chamomile tea to help him sleep, saying "One table-spoonful to be taken at bedtime." Like warm milk, chamomile is an age-old remedy to soothe and calm.

Many folk remedies have a proven scientific basis. Chamomile is considered to be to Europeans what ‘ginseng’ is to Asians; it is one of the most important plants used in herbal medicines and there is a growing awareness of its potency among Western doctors as well.

One of the herbs of choice of Asclepiades, a Greek physician who lived around 90 B.C., the word ‘Chamomile’ comes from the Greek words for ‘ground’ and ‘apple’ and is often translated as “Earth-apple.” It is believed the name comes from the scent of the flowers, which resembles the smell of fresh apples. When made into an essential oil, it has a spicy, relaxing scent and has proven healing and antiseptic properties.

Medical use and pharmacology – Alpha-bisobolol

Medicinally, chamomile is soothing for upset stomachs and irritable bowels, and is a gentle sleep aid. It is also known for its anti-inflammatory and bactericidal effects. Topical applications of chamomile in a cream or lotion promote wound healing and reduce scarring.

Scientists report anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, antimicrobial, and mild sedative effects, which they believe mostly come from a component of the chamomile flower that chemists call “alpha-bisabolol.”

Alpha-bisabolol has also been shown to reduce fever and shorten the healing time of skin burns. Alpha-bisabolol is an antiseptic with anti-inflammatory properties when applied to skin. Alpha-bisabolol is the primary ingredient in the popular Paul Penders Cellular Renewal Serum.

Alpha Bisabolol Cell Renewal Serum

Its major ingredient is clinically proven to reduce scars, stretch marks and uneven skin tone. With antioxidants, enzymes, collagen and elastin that act as "cell communicating agents,” this serum is a natural power-house product that increases cell regeneration due to degradation and cell damage due to overstretching.
Ingredients and to learn more...

Cosmetic uses of chamomile

Chamomile is frequently added to skin cosmetics to serve as a moisturizer or emollient and for its anti-inflammatory effects, making skin firmer, smoother, and better hydrated. Chamomile Extract is also used as a natural skin-whitening agent. It helps by slowing down the transportation of melanin to the skin’s surface, as well as inhibiting UV-induced formation of skin pigment. The appearance of scars and stretch marks can be improved by applying chamomile-based skin products.

In hair products, chamomile is also often used to “bring out the blonde,” enhancing highlights and the color of blonde hair.

A few warnings

Because chamomile can cause uterine contractions which can lead to miscarriage, the U.S.National Institutes of Health recommends that pregnant and nursing mothers should not consume chamomile teas.

Allergic reactions are also possible, especially if you’re sensitive to ragweed. However, the potential is rated as “extremely rare contact allergy.” How rare? A survey by The Honest Herbal reports that between the years 1887 and 1982, only 50 allergies resulting from "chamomiles" were reported in the literature.

"Though the chamomile, the more it is trodden on, the faster it grows,
[like] youth the more it is waster, the sooner it wears."
-- Shakespeare, Henry IV, Part 1, Act II, Scene 4

Because of its wonderful healing properties for the skin, chamomile is an integral part of Paul Penders’ unique patented herbal formula called LevensESSENTIE Gold^®. Paul Penders also uses chamomile as a key ingredient for a number of skin, hair and body care products.

Watch this blog for more from the Paul Penders Organic Herbal Garden. Paul Penders products are formulated from organically grown herbs and flowering plants. Special cold blending and other scientific processes help retain the natural benefits of these gifts from Mother Nature.

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