Chamomile's effects and functions

With the development of society and the close international exchanges, most people who study medicine have been seriously influenced by Western medicine, and fewer and fewer people are studying Chinese medicine, which has resulted in less and less understanding of Chinese medicine. Let’s talk about the effects and functions of chamomile, a traditional Chinese medicine.

[Source] Medicinal material source: the whole herb of Chamomile, a plant of the Asteraceae family.

[Original form] Chamomile is a biennial or multi-species herb, 5-20cm tall. The stem is erect or oblique, covered with grayish white hairs. The petiole is long and the base is enlarged; the leaf blade is oblong or ovate, 3-4cm long, 1-1.5cm wide, deeply pinnately divided, with 2-5 pairs of lobes, each lobe has 2-5 shallow or deep lobes, the tip lobe is ovate or broadly strip-shaped, the tip is obtuse or acuminate, and the entire leaf blade is covered with grayish white wool or almost glabrous. The capitula is solitary on a stalk 4-16 cm long; the involucre is 7-12 mm in diameter, sparsely woolly or almost glabrous; the involucral bracts are 3-4 layers, herbaceous, the outer layer of bracts is linear-lanceolate, with almost no membranous margin, the inner layer of bracts is one and a half times shorter than the outer layer, linear-oblong, with broad membranous margins; the receptacle is obviously convex, conical-spherical; the flowers are yellow, all tubular, and have 5 teeth. Achenes 1.8-2.2mm long, glabrous, with 5 ribs, with a membranous corona about 1mm long at the tip, corona 5-lobed. Flowering and fruiting period is from April to September.

[Habitat distribution] Ecological environment: Grown on gravel slopes in low mountain areas.

【Properties】 Identification: The taproot is thin. The stem is branched from the base and covered with white wool. The leaves are gray-green, oblong or ovate, 2-4cm long, 1-1.5cm wide, deeply pinnately divided, with apex lobes ovate to broadly linear, obtuse or shortly acuminate; the petiole is long and the base is enlarged. The involucre is 7-12mm in diameter, sparsely woolly to almost hairless; the involucre is herbaceous; the receptacle is convex and conical; the flowers are yellow-brown, fragrant, and slightly bitter and astringent.

【Nature and flavor】 Bitter; pungent; slightly cold

【Functions and indications】 Clears away heat and removes dampness. Mainly for damp-heat jaundice

[Usage and Dosage] For oral use: decoction, 9-24g.

【Excerpt】 Chinese Materia Medica

Above we introduced what chamomile is, its effects and functions. We know that chamomile can not only improve immunity, but also plays an indispensable role in certain diseases.