Chamomile bone density herb

Chamomile bone density herb- is usually used as a tea. It has a long history of being used to aid sleep. In fact at least one brand of the tea sold in the United States is called "Sleepy Time Tea".

The herb is also used for other " ailments  such as hay fever, inflammation, muscle spasms, menstrual disorders, insomnia, ulcers, wounds, gastrointestinal disorders, rheumatic  pain, and hemorrhoids. Essential oils of chamomile are used extensively in cosmetics and aromatherapy." Source: Janmejai K Srivastava, Eswar Shankar, and Sanjay Gupta in the November 2010 edition of Mol Med Report, pp 895 - 901.

But of interest to readers of this web site are its positive effect on bone building.

Bone building with Chamomile. This plant belongs to the daisy family. It has two forms:  German chamomile, (Matricaria recutita or Matricaria chamomilla)  and Roman  chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile).

Both are used for health conditions. Matricaria recutita (German) is believed to be slightly stronger and this is the form used in most research studies.  Also German chamomile is the  form sold in most countries ( except England where Chamaemelum nobile (Roman) is more common).

For many years this tea has been used to help with memopausal symptoms, for its calming effect and for promoting sleep.  (Many suggest drinking a cup before bedtime.)  There is also a hebal tradtion of using the tea to prevent Osteoporosis. And that is what provoked me to review the research literature to see if I could find any scientific studies to support this  usage.

I found one published study about Chamomile bone density herb usage.  (This study is often quoted on herbal health sites).

In this study Chamomile extract was evaluated for its ability
to stimulate the differentiation and mineralization of osteoblastic cells. (Osteoblasts are the celles which build bone.)

The study concluded:  "Chamomile extract was shown to stimulate osteoblastic cell differentiation and to exhibit an  anti-estrogenic effect, suggesting an estrogen receptor-related mechanism" so it appears that drinking the tea many have a positive effect on bone building, beyond any indirect effects through the reduction of stress.

Some cautions about using this herb. Chamomile has blood thinning properties and so if you are on a blood thinning regeime such as prescription wafarin or coumadin or if you take asprin regularly,  you should speak with your doctor before using this herb either for bone
improvement or as a sleep or relaxation aid.

Also some reports state that it can interfere with SERM drugs such as raloxifine (sometimes prescribed for Osteoporosis)  or tamoxifen, a drug used to treat cancer.

As for over the counter drugs:  Chamomile may intefere with NASIDS such as ibupprphern (Motrin and Advil) and naproxes (Aleve, Naprosyn),
which are often used to treat pain.

Finally, this plant belongs to the ragweed, daisy family. So if you are alergic to rag weed, you might not be able to tollerate Chamomile.

Source of Cautions about Chamomile bone density herb usage

Click here to read  More Natural Treatments  for reversing bone loss