Matricaria chamomilla, Matricaria recutita, Chamomile, is a member of the Asteraceae family and is one of the most popular medicinal plants worldwide, for his long history of use in herbal medicine [1]. Chamomille has pharmacological properties, including antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidative, antispasmodic, antiviral activities and it also reduces anxiety and improves sleep quality [1].
ᴥ ᴥ
Nell’Allegato 1 del Decreto Ministeriale del 9 gennaio 2019 si legge: Matricaria chamomilla L., herba cum floribus, flos, aetheroleum, capitula, ligula. Capitula, flos, ligula, aetheroleum: funzione digestive. Regolare motilità gastrointestinale ed eliminazione dei gas. Azione emolliente e lenitiva (sistema digerente). Rilassamento (sonno) e benessere mentale. Regolarità del processo di sudorazione. Funzionalità delle mucose dell’apparato respiratorio [2].
ᴥ ᴥ
The major constituents of the flowers are the phenolic compounds, such as α-bisabolol and its oxide azulenes including chamazulene and acetylene derivatives, glycosides, hydroxycoumarins, flavanoids (apigenin, luteolin, patuletin, and quercetin), coumarins (herniarin and umbelliferone) and mucilages [3].
ᴥ ᴥ
Chamomile flowers lend a slightly aromatic-sweet flavor to the foods they’re
cooked with. Chamomile is used for herbal teas, to aromatize fruit jams, candies, ice cream and as a garnish of cocktails. Most recipes call for heating the flowers in a liquid to extract their flavors and bioactive compounds.
Giovanna Masini
Bibliografia
[1] Eun-Hye Park, Won-Young Bae, Su-Jin Eom, Kee-Tae Kim, Improved antioxidative and cytotoxic activities of chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) florets fermented by Lactobacillus plantarum KCCM 11613P, “Journal of Zhejiang University SCIENCE B”, 2017;18(2):152-160
[2] DM 9 gennaio 2019, in materia di Impiego di sostanze e preparati vegetali (cosiddetti botanicals) negli integratori alimentari, aggiornamento dell’Allegato 1
[3] Janmejai K Srivastava, Eswar Shankar, Sanjay Gupta, Chamomile: a herbal medicine of the past with bright future, “HHS Public Access”, 2010;3(6):895-901