Herbalism: Chamomile tea is for more than upset tummies.

 Dear Reader,

Chamomile tea has a long history of being helpful for digestive issues. It's excellent for this purpose but it also has magical properties that makes it very helpful for other things. Chamomile is an herb that can promote good sleep. It is also an herb that helps one have prophetic dreams. Folk medicine has prescribed this herb for its calming effects for a long time. When blended with other herbs used for psychic work, chamomile can be a gentle guide into a trance state.

In poppets, chamomile invokes Sun energy and the essences of serenity for the target of the poppet magic. In charm bags, chamomile does the same thing. It also carries with it the energies of prosperity and youthful vitality. Chamomile is also associated with the spirits of the land and the fairies.

One must take care with chamomile. It can cause allergic reactions because it is related to ragweed. It has also been shown to be a potential herb to induce labor for pregnant women. Interestingly, it has the opposite effect on women who are not pregnant, serving to gently ease meneustral cramps. It is not as effective in this purpose as raspberry leaf, but it can be helpful.

Chamomile is generally considered safe to consume in moderate portions on a regular basis because of its gentle effects on the body and the fact that interacts with so few medications on the market. If you are taking aspirin or other NSAIDs, you want to limit your chamomile intake to only a few cups of tea a week because it does interact with these medications.

There are ongoing pharmacutical studies to determine the medicinal properties of the many variants of chamomile used in herbal medicine. It has shown promise as an anti-anxiety treatment and as an anti-inflammatory treatment. These studies are on-going as of the time of this blog post. I am sure that in the near future, they will have a good deal about this apple scented herb figured out. In the meantime, be sure to consult with your pharmacologist and doctor before beginning an herbal medication regime to make sure that you don't have to worry about interactions or other nasty things.