There are plenty of ways in which to treat anxiety, a condition from which many of us suffer to a greater or lesser degree. Good quality sleep, low levels of external stressors, exercise, clean living, and often medical intervention will all help to keep your levels down.
However, supplementation can also help. And not all supplements are futuristic compounds of bizarre, niche ingredients sold for a fortune in little jelly capsules.
Sometimes, all it takes is a nice cup of tea (full disclosure, I’m British, so I’m maybe a little biased!)
Specifically, sometimes all you need is a nice hit of soothing chamomile tea.
Chamomile
Chamomile is a botanical, a herb. It smells faintly of apples, which is where it gets its name from – it springs from the Greek khamaimēlon, which roughly translates as ‘earth apple’. Its use is ancient, far more so than most herbs and traditional medicines. It is mentioned in ancient texts from Greece, Rome and Egypt.
Most commonly, we use two different chamomile varieties – Marticaria recutita, or German chamomile, and (Chamaemelum nobile), or Roman chamomile. German chamomile is more typically used in herbal remedies, however. It is included in 26 countries’ pharmacopoeia’s for its many benefits.
It is more potent than its cousins and brings about greater benefits. It is generally what you will be reading about when you read about chamomile, though Roman chamomile is more popular in some places (the UK, for instance).
Chamomile is fantastic for your mood and anxiety levels. A sleep-inducer and very mild form of tranquilizer, it may also increase the activity of your brain’s neurotransmitters – dopamine, noradrenaline, and serotonin.
The benefits don’t stop there, of course. It is a fantastic antioxidant ingredient. It has anti-inflammatory, angiogenesis, antidiarrheal, and anti-carcinogenic properties. It can protect the liver, and may be useful in many other medical contexts. Current research suggests that it may be good for mitigating the effects of ulcerative colitis, osteoarthritis, premenstrual syndrome and gastrointestinal disorders.
It may also be good for improving wound healing and aiding with skin irritation. It even contains analgesic (or painkilling) properties.
However, it is most commonly used for anxiety and sleep, which is what I want to focus on today.
Chamomile: An aid for anxiety and sleeplessness
As we’ve seen, chamomile is well known for its effects as a sleep aid. It is, after all, a mild tranquilizer. This is largely due to, or at least ties into, its ability to induce a sense of calm and relaxation. This is likely due to the antioxidant apigenin, which chamomile includes plentifully, and which chamomile tea in particular delivers in large quantities.
Apigenin will bind to specific neuroreceptors within a person’s brain. In so doing, they will elicit a sense of calm and lead to sleepiness and relaxation.
In fact, chamomile supplementation has been shown to be a lot more effective than a placebo, which is relatively rare with supplements meant to treat anxiety. Elderly participants in one study enjoyed significantly better sleep quality than the control group given the placebo.
Another study highlighted its efficacy in treating generalized anxiety disorder, or GAD. Participants with mild to severe GAD used pharmaceutical-grade chamomile extract for up to two months, dosed at 1,500 mg per day. More than half (58%) of these participants met criteria for change in GAD-7 symptom scores by the eighth week. Participants noted significant improvement in their anxiety levels.
Researchers also noted clinically significant reductions in secondary outcome ratings for anxiety and overall wellbeing.
This suggests that chamomile elicits a clinically significant, measurable reduction in anxiety levels for those who typically struggle with GAD and similar symptoms.
How To Take Chamomile
You can buy plenty of chamomile supplements. It comes in many guises, all of them useful – extracts, capsules, topical creams, and so on. These are all worthwhile, especially if you want to take them in quantity, on the go.
I always encourage people to go with supplements in capsule form as they are just so convenient to take.
However, I personally prefer chamomile tea.
I want to put the benefits to one side for a minute. Regardless of its effects on your health, chamomile tea is a tasty, refreshing drink that is easy to prepare and incredibly pleasant, especially with a spoonful of honey mixed into it.
You can buy high quality chamomile tea bags online and in most health food stores. Many supermarkets will also stock it, though their offerings may not necessarily be such good quality or high dosage.
If you’re lucky, you can even buy chamomile in its raw form. You can certainly grow it, if you’re green fingered and have the space and facilities. Brew a few leaves in almost boiling water for a few minutes, run it through a tea strainer, and you’re good to go. For a really nice drink, try it with a sprig of mint.