Why is Chamomile Tea Marketed as Relaxing?

Chamomile tea is often marketed as a tea that can induce relaxation. But, is this simple marketing hype invented from some lunatic herbalists, or is there some history to this idea?

First, we have to clarify something. Chamomile tea really isn't tea at all. It is an herbal infusion. Tea comes from a specific plant ... the same plant that produces black, green, and white teas. However, for the same of getting along, chamomile's herbal infusion is commonly called "chamomile tea".

Often, when the topic of the modern American work ethic comes up, people point to the Puritans. However, we should also look more toward the Germans. Like Americans, Germans are known to be hyper-productive types, who work seriously and play hard. When Germans came to America, they brought with them a lot of good food, much of which has found its way into the kitchens of trendy restaurants across cities like New York City, St. Louis, and Pittsburgh. The German influence on American life is often underestimated. In fact, the modern office building in America is heavily influenced by Germany's Bürolandschaft office structure.

So what does all of this have to do with chamomile? Well, it was German farmers who originally introduced the tea to the United States. Maybe it indicates that German chamomile has proven to be a popular modern remedy to promote calmness and relaxation, as it can help counter some of the symptoms of a rigid work ethic that can sometimes facilitate stress and anxiety. Commonly used by brewing the flowers into an herbal infusion and consumed as a 'tea', camomile has a reputation for being used in relaxation, as well as being used for digestive issues.

Tea is as big in Germany as it is elsewhere throughout the world. In Germany, the camomile drink that we call "camomile tea" is called "Kamillentee". "Schwartzee" is regular tea from the Camellia plant. However, German chamomile is not the only chamomile out there. Chamomile is a frequently-referenced herb in popular culture. Mary Wesley's "The Camomile Lawn" (1984) is a story about a lawn that has chamomile rather than grass. It's the national flower of Russia, and it has become an international symbol of calmness and serenity.

The herb is a member of the daisy family. If you have ever grown chamomile, you may notice the similarities. The taste of chamomile is sweet and mildly fruity. It also supposedly has anti-inflammatory properties because of the "flavonoids and terpenoids" it contains (Srivastava, Shankar E, Gupta S., 2010). It is still used around the world, as a calming tea. It could be this anti-inflammatory nature that also gives it its supposed relaxing qualities.

The History of Camomile in Herbalism

Rumor has it that Spanish colonists probably introduced chamomile to America during colonial times (Bayati Zadeh et al., 2014) . The use of chamomile in herbalism has been quite diverse. Although, some sources say it was introduced by German farmers, as discussed earlier.

One such use is the essential oil. In modern times, the distilled essential oil of camomile is often called Oleum Anthemidis. But, not just any camomile, as there is another variety of camomile known as Roman Camomile, or Anthemis Nobilis. There is a distinction, and Oleum Anthemidis should actually be distilled from the leaves of Roman Camomile - not German Camomile. Roman Camomile and German Camomile have different benefits, with Roman Camomile being used for skin issues, and German Camomile being used for calmness.

The essential oil of Oleum Anthemidis was commonly sold as "Camomile", and it seems that this still may be a thing today.

In fact, it is quite common for "Ginseng" to be sold without emphasizing whether it is American or Korean - and some people report that there are differences between the two, as with German and Roman Camomile. There is also Spanish Camomile, or Anacylus Pyrethrum (called Manzanilla) that grows in the Mediterranean where it is also used in recipes for culinary dishes and used as an herbal infusion for the common reasons of German camomile (calmness, anti-spasmodic, etc).

From page 721 of A Family Herbal or, Familiar Account of the Medical Properties of British and Foreign Plants (1814), its author, a British physician, wrote this about Spanish Camomile:

"The principal use of pellitory in the present practice is as a masticatory, for promoting the saliva … by this means it often relieves the toothache, some kinds of pains of the head, and lethargic complaints. A vinous infusion is also useful in debility of the tongue. "

So, whenever you have a toothache, reach for the Spanish Camomile. Personally, I'm not sure how much use it may be for that, but there you have it.

Chamomile tea may not simply be modern hype, but a long international history of being used as a botanical tea worth brewing for many different reasons. Perhaps the reason why your favorite brand of chamomile tells you that it will relax you is not all marketing, but history.