Some people sleep just about anywhere, from lying on a couch with the TV on to sitting up in an uncomfortable plane seat. Others fall asleep the minute they lay their heads on the pillow. I was neither of those people. I would lie in bed for hours listening to the sounds of everyone else in the house sleeping. Even my Labrador puppy seemed to be having an easier time sleeping than I was. It was evident I was struck with a case of insomnia, a sleeping disorder that according to the CDC affects roughly ten percent of the population. I explored all options I could think off. I would normally take a sleeping pill such as zolpidem every day at around 11 a.m. to force myself to sleep but for some reason, this never worked.
Sleeping was not always an issue for me. I guess at some point the pressures of juggling with everything in my life got to me and I become too anxious to sleep. Prior to that, I was the kind of person who valued sleep and could have up to ten hours of sleep provided there was nothing urgent demanding my attention. On the flip side I am a terrible person without sleep. I am not one of those people who will somehow work all day on ten cups of coffee. I cannot function completely without sleep. I always felt tired even during the day. My brain could not function properly, and I had issues focusing on tasks. It was almost as though my brain would sense that I was about to sleep and decide that it was time for it to wake up. As some point, I felt like I was developing mental health problems-depression and anxiety. When I could not sleep, I would become preoccupied with thoughts about my job and other stressors in my life. The artificial means the doctors recommended seemed to be useless. A friend of mine advised me to try herbal means, and this is how I started using Chamomile. After doing a bit of research, I realized that chamomile was by far the most recommended natural sleep aid in existence. It neither contains caffeine nor cholesterol and is a proven stress and anxiety reliever.
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Chamomile is a traditional medicinal herb that is commonly used for medicinal purposes. This plant has been used for centuries, and its applications can be traced back to the Old World. Back then the plants were utilized as sedatives and antispasmodics in their treatment of rheumatic disorders and digestive disorders. The volatile oil was used as a tobacco flavoring agent while teas were used as conditioners, hair tints, and to treat parasitic worms. The two main types of chamomile are German chamomile and English (Roman) chamomile. The making chamomilla demands extreme care. Usually, the chamomile plant is harvested as they bloom. Gathering the plants during the flowering plants allows one to maximize on the benefits of the homeopathic medicine prepared from them. The harvested plants are normally chopped into small pieces and then mashed up to extract their juice. The juice is macerated with equal amounts of alcohol and left for a while. The solution acquired from the process is then filtered and watered down to get the desired level of dilution. The result is a homeopathic remedy called chamomilla. Chamomilla does not have traces of the original plant
Chamomile is taken in various forms. Many people often use the dry powder of the chamomile flower for established health problems. The medicinal components of the flower can be obtained from the dry flower by using methanol, ethanol or water as solvents. Today, chamomile tea is among the most popular herbal teas around the world with nearly a million cups of it being consumed daily. Tea bags of chamomile are readily available in supermarkets, and they consist of chamomile flower powder which can be pure or blended with other popular medicinal herbs. For my sleep problems, I decided to combine the chamomile tea regimen with chamomile pellets. I would dissolve five pellets under my tongue thrice a day. I experienced massive side effects on the first day I took chamomile. I would experience nausea and drowsiness. One time I even passed out on the couch. I began having better nights just three days after I started taking chamomile. Numerous studies have proven that chamomile is an effective sleep inducer. For instance, one study looked at daytime functioning and sleep quality of thirty-four patients with chronic insomnia (Srivastava, Shankar, & Gupta, 2010). The participants were administered with placebo or 270 mg of chamomile twice a day for twenty-eight days. The findings from the study indicated that chamomile had mild improvement in some aspects of sleep. The active phytochemicals in chamomile impact the neurotransmitters in the brain- The monoamine transmitters associated with mood and sleep like dopamine and serotonin are the ones mostly affected resulting in better sleep and mood.
Such studies compelled me to explore other benefits of chamomile. Surprisingly, I found that it was a proven remedy for children. Teething was a very excruciating experience for my child. She always seemed uncomfortable, irritable and would cry all the time. Seeing as chamomile worked so well for my sleeping issues, I did not hesitate to try it for my baby, especially after I found an article online indicating that chamomile was a safe way of soothing teething pain in babies (Srivastava, Shankar, & Gupta, 2010). I would crush a chamomile pellet into powder form, mix it with water and then administer it to my child. When my baby was in a mood and acting too fussy, I would sterilize a washcloth and then deep it in chamomile tea. I would then allow my baby to suck and bite on the wet cloth. My baby relaxed almost immediately after administering chamomile to them. Even better, my child stopped being gassy as it was the case when I gave her a pacifier.
There is no doubt that chamomile offers significant health benefits. However, I would advise people to be careful since studies suggest that some people are sensitive to the herb and may experience allergic reactions. People sensitive to chrysanthemums and ragweed have been found to be the most sensitive to chamomile and are likely to develop allergic reactions particularly when they consume drugs that aid to spark the sensitization. Some children have been reported to convulse due to their sensitivity to chamomile (National Center for Homeopathy, 2017). However, it is also possible that some reported cases of chamomile allergic reactions were caused by contamination of the herb with "dog chamomile," a bad-tasting and highly allergenic plant that resembles chamomile. Either way, I believe that a person should seek the advice of a medical practitioner and if possible, one trained in the use of herbal supplements to be on the safe side.
Chamomile is a traditional herb that is probably going to be used even in the years to come. The significant health benefits this herb has to offer makes it an indispensable natural alternative to artificial medicine. Apart from being a mild tranquilizer, Chamomile also provides some protection against cancer, stimulates the immune system, improves cardiovascular conditions, and relieves stress and anxiety. Nevertheless, there is need for more research to establish whether the therapeutic effects of chamomile are can benefit patients.
References
National Center for Homeopathy,. (2017). Chamomilla . Retrieved from National Center for Homeopathy: https://www.homeopathycenter.org/remedy/chamomilla-0
Srivastava, J. K., Shankar, E., & Gupta, S. (2010). Chamomile: A herbal medicine of the past with bright future. Molecular Medicine Reports, 3, 6, 895-901.
