Chamomilla – German Chamomile

The mother tincture is prepared from the whole plant when in flower. Chamomilla recutita L. N.O. Compositae.

The homoeopathic remedy Chamomilla is made from German Chamomile, well- known as one of the most important home-remedies in folk medicine (e.g. as chamomile tea.) Chamomile is particularly suited to states of nervous agitation as a tranquillising remedy. Patients are irritable, bad-tempered, irascible, spiteful and im- pertinent: an emotional state which is found in naughty children of every age, and especially in teething infants. In the latter, one cheek is red and the other pale. The children scream at the slightest cause, maybe incessantly. There may often be asso- ciated fever or diarrhoea. The typical mood of Chamomilla is often found in vague headaches and earaches, for which Chamomilla is then a specific remedy. The typi-

cal moodiness of Chamomilla is not only found in sick children, but in every age- group. When the emotional state is characterised by anger and vexation, the choice lies between Colocynthis, Bryonia, Aconitum, Ignatia, Nux Vomica and Staphis- agria, besides Chamomilla, which is often the preferred remedy.

It follows that pain is an indication for Chamomilla, and typically the pain bears no relationship to the severity of the case. For Chamomilla patients are particularly hypersensitive and cannot bear pain. In such cases, moreover, all analgesics, pain- killers and suchlike usually fail completely. However, if Chamomilla is the similli- mum – and such cases are by no means rare – then Chamomilla will usually work faster and more thoroughly than even morphia. After one dose of Chamomilla the pains usually die away in a very short time.

The painful states in which Chamomilla can successfully be used are not restricted to neuralgias, but may also occur in childbirth, toothache, catarrhs of the middle ear, rheumatism and others. Chamomilla can always be used when patients exhibit the typical hypersensitivity of the Chamomilla patient; this often occurs in coffee drinkers and after the abuse of stimulant drugs.

A further characteristic of the typical Chamomilla pains is that they may be ac- companied by a certain numbness, which Nash too picks out as typical of the reme- dy. The typical Chamomilla pains may also be accompanied by states of paralysis. An important modality of the Chamomilla picture is the peculiarity that the pains are aggravated by warmth and that they are not ameliorated by cold applications, as would be the case in typical Pulsatilla pains. Generally the Chamomilla patient is ex- tremely sensitive to cold. Indeed, complaints may be directly caused by cold. Sleep- lessness too is susceptible to Chamomilla, if it is coupled with great restlessness, as is also found in Aconitum, Arsenicum and Rhus Tox. The Chamomilla patient must run around at night-time, rather like the Ferrum Metallicum patient. Children will not settle down until they have been picked up and carried around.

The characteristic nervous hypersensitivity of Chamomilla is extremely promi- nent in small children and infants. In this respect there are similarities between Chamomilla and Calcium Carbonicum, such as head-sweats, wetting the hair; how- ever, unlike the sweat of Calcium Carbonicum, it is warm. Abdominal pains are also part of the Chamomilla picture.

The typical Chamomilla earaches are pressive and tearing, forcing the patient to cry out, and the ears are especially sensitive to cold air. The typical Chamomilla toothache is aggravated by warm drinks or food. Facial sweating after eating or drinking is also a characteristic Chamomilla symptom.

When toothache is present, there is also a sensation as if the teeth were too long. During teething there is diarrhoea with hot, green stools which are watery and exco- riating and smell like rotten eggs. Chamomilla is indicated in intertrigo of infants, and in inflammatory illnesses such as otitis media, glandular swellings, umbilical colic, biliary colic and irritation, and cramping labour-pains. The pain is so unbear- able that the patient is obliged to cry out.

In Chamomilla patients there is often a bitter taste, the tongue is coated and there

is halitosis. Rheumatic complaints are also in the picture, and Chamomilla is indi- cated for arthritis of the shoulders.

If we briefly sum up the symptoms of Chamomilla, we have a remedy-picture of many aspects:

1. Hypersensitivity to every pain, with irritability, spitefulness, irascibility, and pos- sible numbness and a paralysed sensation.
2. Inflammatory illness (reaction phases), with emotional overtones, e.g. dentition, otitis media, gastroenteritis, dyspepsia, umbilical colic, and other painful condi- tions, e.g. arthritis of the shoulder-joints, cramping labour-pains. Children in these states want to be carried about.
3. One cheek is hot and red, the other cold and pale. Head-sweats in which the hair is wet-through.
4. Neuralgias, rheumatism and pains oblige the patient to cry out.
5. Bitter taste. Coated tongue. halitosis. Stools like chopped eggs or chopped spinach, excoriating.
6. Metrorrhagia with dark, coagulated blood and attacks of cramp. Menstrual colic after vexation.
7. Labour-pains pressing upwards and along the inside of the thighs, with rigidity of the os and unbearable pain. Unbearable after-pains.
8. Dry, tickling cough in sleep, which does not wake; worse in winter and wet weather. The body is cold and chilly, whereas the face and breath are hot (oppo- site of Carbo Veg.).
9. Otitis media with violent episodes of pain. Glandular swellings as in scrofula, and umbilical colics. Biliary colic with unbearable pains and irritation. Aggra- vated by vexation, agitation and warmth. At the same time, sensitivity to cold.
10. Mainly suited to children and women, but can be used in males where indicated.
11. Restlessness, must get out of bed at night, running about. Can get no rest on ac- count of the rheumatic neuralgic pains.

The prescription of Chamomilla according to the indications given above is often overlooked because, in spite of the emotional overtones, Chamomilla states may occur along with quite grave indications. This, even though Chamomilla is, in prin- ciple, a nerve-remedy, indicated for easy agitation without any pre-existing organic problem, and although in almost all Chamomilla cases the decision to give Chamomilla is based on the discrepancy between the objective findings and the pre- senting emotional state of the patient. The action of Chamomilla takes effect in most cases so convincingly and characteristically that, in doubtful cases, it ought to be tried experimentally at least, before serious measures such as surgery are resorted to. If the action does not take place instantly, or after one or two doses, then there is still time for further therapeutic measures to be undertaken.

The German Monograph-Preparation Commission for the Homoeopathic Field of Therapy has, under the Preparation Monograph for Chamomilla recutita, published the following indication(s) in the German Bundesanzeiger (German Federal Gazette) for chamomilla: inflammation of the respiratory organs; teething prob-

lems; inflammation and cramps of the digestive organs and of the female reproduc- tive organs; intense conditions of pain; irritable emotional discord or upset.