Chamomile

I got a call one day from a lady whose three-year old was cover with hives. This poor little dear had them everywhere. She was so uncomfortable. One of the first things that I did was confirm that it was hives. The Mother told me that they had been to the doctor, he told her it was hives and had given her some salve but it wasn't working.

I went into Dr. James A. Duke's book, THE GREEN PHARMACY to see what he used on hives and he suggested Chamomile as it contains at least seven (7) antihistaminic chemicals.

So this little girl was given Chamomile tincture with Chamomile tea to wash it down. Her mother told me that at first it got worse but within hours she could see the results. A lot of people call this a 'healing crisis'; that’s when things get worse before they get better. It is usually at this point that people decide that herbs don't work for them. By the next day this little girl has just a few spots on her and wanted to go to her swimming lessons.

According to what I read, Chamomile is great at stimulating the liver to throw toxins out. Here is one really safe herb. We use it mostly for stomach or intestinal complaints but it is also used in skin creams and lotions for its antibacterial properties.

I checked into some of the things that Chamomile is capable of doing and found that it is loaded with antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. It also has a fair number of constituents that are antiviral, even found one that was antirhinovirol. (This is the cold and flu virus that is advertised all the time.)

Chamomile is a fun thing to grow in one's garden. It has these wonderful small white flowers. The best part is that you are using the flowers to make your medicine. So many plants give everything for our healing to the point of having to dig them up and use their roots but not so with Chamomile. It can continue to grow and put out more flowers.

We can use these flowers to make tinctures within 14 days. Or we can use the flower as a tea by pouring hot water over them and allowing them to steep for 3 to 10 min. (I use distilled water so that the constituents can be pulled into the water faster without having to deal with the calcium and iron that is in my tap water.) Another thing that can be made from these flowers, are skin salves or body lotions .

When people read about herbs the first thing that they want to know is, 'So how can I use this?' I want to say, any way you want to. Herb are foods so ingest them or use some of the methods that I have just pointed out.

This last summer, I had to take many small Chamomile plants out of the bed that they are growing in. It was taking over and not respecting the space of the plants around them. Once you get it started and don't harvest every flower, you are going to have more next year. Nature gives us abundance.

According to NUTRITIONAL HERBOLOGY written by Mark Pedersen, the flowers actually contain the following: Aluminum, Ash, Calcium, Chromium, Cobalt, Iron, Magnesium, Manganese, Niacin, Phosphorus, Potassium, Protein, Riboflavin, Selenium, Silicon, Sodium, Thiamine, Tin, Vitamin A, Vitamin C and Zinc. He mentions that it is very high in Niacin, a substance that tends to care for the nervous system, making this a very sedative herb or antispasmodic herb.

I want to mention the first thing on this list. We have been told over and over again that Aluminum is something that creates brain problems…Alzheimers? This needs to be corrected! Aluminum is needed to make the connections in the brain but only if it is organic aluminum. How can this be? It is because organic chemicals have the ability to cross the blood/brain barrier both ways. In-organic chemicals do not have this ability. They are stuck once they get in there and if a lot of in-organics are going in and not coming out, we have a problem. The brain knows that it needs aluminum and because we are not eating foods with organic aluminum in them, the body will steal the aluminum from our soda cans or the foil that we put on our foods, all products waste products of the mining industry.) When we give it organic aluminum, it doesn't steal and can recognize the difference.

My computer program, Globalherb V2.0 tells me that it is good for; colic, colds, earache, indigestion, spasms, jaundice, swelling, toothache, bruises, fever, prevention of gangrene, gas, inflammation, insomnia, neuralgia, bronchitis, corns, cramps, gastritis, nervousness, sores, ulcers-leg, abscess, alcoholism, allergies, anxiety, lack of appetite, cancer, liver cancer, poor circulation, colitis, constipation, Crohn's disease, diarrhea, and gastric ulcers.

If you have never had a cup of Chamomile Tea, you must be sitting back right now wondering just how this mild tea is going to start working on any or all of this. It is because all the things available in this plant are designed for your health. They allow your body to receive the nutrition that is isn't getting in your daily meals or the snacks that you allow yourself.

Let me suggest that you make a cup of Chamomile tea right now and relax while allowing your body to go to work for you. I think you will have a very pleasant day if you do.