SISTER WISDOM

Chamomile is one of the best herbs to use for babies, hence the entire post dedicated to telling you all about it. It’s gentle, it’s effective in a variety of ways, and it’s easy to find or to grow yourself. It has a naturally mild, sweet taste.

Easy to Grow, Not So Pretty

I’ve grown chamomile successfully simply by sticking a seedling in the ground and dumping a little water on it in the very dry months. It grew in partial shade, which it isn’t said to like. It’s a hearty plant. I’ve read a lot of garden/herb books which praise chamomile as a pretty, pert flowering plant that is an attractive addition to your garden. Rodale’s praises its “daisylike blossoms, feathery foliage” (79); Fischer-Rizzi gets poetic talking about “dainty blooms…like tiny suns, their white florets radiating from a golden yellow center” (117).

Okay, so the flowers are cute, I”ll give you that, but overall I think the plant is just kind of floppy and weedy looking. The flowers are cute, but tiny. So there. But I still grow it, because it makes up for the floppy weedy factors by being useful in other ways.

Chamomile, the Wonder-Herb

Here’s what James Wong’s book says about chamomile: “Chamomile can be effective in health problems as diverse as indigestion, colic, inflamed skin, anxiety, and poor sleep…. A first-rate remedy for children, chamomile tea can be safely given to infants and children from the age of 6 months and upward. For babies suffering from colic and digestive discomfort, breastfeeding mothers can drink the tea. It soothes irritable and overtired infants, gently encouraging relaxation and a good night’s sleep” (200).

Chamomile, the wonder-herb for mommies everywhere. Here’s how I recommend using it.

Recommended Usage

First, either grow your own or simply buy a good-quality, organic chamomile tea. Check the ingredients label to be sure you’re getting only chamomile, not an herbal combination which includes chamomile.

Make chamomile tea, sweetened with sugar for babies 6 months to 1 year and with honey for those over 1 year old. Offer it, warm or cool, with dinner, before bed, whenever they start getting sniffles, when you’re serving beans, when it’s been a busy day and everyone is edgy, restless, and overtired.

When my kids have a fever, cold, sniffles, or congestion, I give them warm chamomile tea with honey (for those over 1 year) all day long. (Add a splash of lemon juice for sore throats.) The warm tea is soothing, it helps wash away mucus in the throat, it helps combat nausea brought on by draining mucus, it helps calm and relax tired and sick little bodies, and it helps ease them into restful naps.

For babies (over 6 months), warm chamomile tea in a bottle can help with colic, gas, fussiness, and the restlessness caused by those conditions. I don’t believe I ever tried it on mine when they were under 6 months. If you’re a nursing Mom, drink it up yourself. It will help calm you down and you can pass the benefits on to baby.

Dr. Linda Page recommends chamomile as an anti-inflammatory and anti-fungal herb and as one which contains absorbable calcium (178). Bonus! Calcium!

Mommies should drink chamomile tea, too. Page states that chamomile “helps promote a hormone which helps rejuvenate hair and skin texture; helps in mental alertness.” I don’t know about you other Mommies, but I could definitely use some rejuvenation and all the help I can get with mental alertness.

Summary

Grow your own easily and harvest the flowers to use fresh or dried.
Buy high-quality, organic chamomile tea, and make sure it’s not a blend.
Make into a tea for babies over 6 months old to help with gas, colic, fussiness, and restlessness. Sweeten with a little sugar, if desired.
Make into a tea, sweetened with honey, for children over 1 year old to help combat colds, fevers, and the flu, to soothe overtiredness, to relax the muscles, and to ease into sleep.

READ MORE:

• Safe Herbs for Babies: An Introduction
• Safe Herbs for Babies: The Top 4
• Safe Herbs for Babies: 13 Things You Need to Know
• Immune Builder Syrup for Children

References:

• Hylton, William H. and Claire Kowalchick, Editors. Rodale’s Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs. Emmaus, Pennsylvania. Rodale Press, 1998.
• Fischer-Rizzi, Susanne. Medicine of the Earth. Portland, Oregon: Rudra Press, 1996.
• Page, Linda, N.D., Ph.D. How to Be Your Own Herbal Pharmacist: Herbal Traditions, Expert Formulations. Healthy Healing Publications, 1991, 1997.
• Wong, James. Grow Your Own Drugs: Easy Recipes for Natural Remedies and Beauty Fixes. London: Collins, 2009.

Disclaimer:

I am not a medical professional or a certified herbalist. The information provided on this website and all related publications, whether print or digital, whether implied or explicit, are not intended to be taken as medical advice; it is for informational purposes. I assume no liability for what you choose to do with this information. You should always be cautious and use common sense, do research and consult professionals when it comes to medicine, both herbal and otherwise. Consult your medical care provider for persistent symptoms, illnesses, and injuries.

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Images courtesy of Jesse Kruger and psd on Flickr.