Introduction to Chamomile
Chamomile is a flowering plant historically utilized for its calming effect on the body. Through use in teas, extracts and supplements, treatment uses the plant’s prominent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agents to make it a promising candidate for treating symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Chamomile is commonly used to promote improvement of several conditions, including:
- Promoting Relaxation and Sleep: One of the antioxidants in chamomile, apigenin, reduces the activity of the neurotransmitter GABA in the brain, resulting in a calming impact. It can be consumed as a tea, supplement, or oil extract in limited quantities.
- Ease Digestion: Through reducing the efficiency of the GABA receptors, chamomile flavonoids can aid in alleviating symptoms of nausea or gastrointestinal distress.
- Reducing Inflammation: Chamomile has shown great success in preventing inflammation and swelling, both in topical use and systemic treatment.
What is Cortisol?
Cortisol, often known as the “stress hormone”, does help regulate the stress response of the body. However, the hormone plays an essential role in regulating other bodily functions, including:
- Metabolism: Cortisol is basically a road sign for the conversion of macromolecules into energy in the body. Many of these molecules are delivered through the carbohydrates, fats, and proteins in food, and how and when they are processed is determined by the levels of this hormone.
- Immune Function: Over short periods of time, cortisol can suppress the immune response and prevent inflammation.
- Blood Pressure: Cortisol is a signaling molecule that binds to the part of the brain that control blood pressure, and other blood vessels near the heart, vascular muscle, and kidneys.
Effects of High Cortisol:
Many of the aforementioned bodily functions are linked to the peripheral nervous system, controlling responses to external stimuli such as “fight-or-flight”. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that chronically high levels of cortisol can lead to issues with these and other symptoms, such as:
- High Blood Pressure: High cortisol levels, especially chronically, can lead to high blood pressure and eventually hypertension and heart disease.
- Weakened Immune System: As stated above, cortisol can temporarily suppress immune response. However, if cortisol levels remain high for a long time, the immune system becomes more susceptible to infections and inflammation.
- Weight Gain: Cortisol increases appetite to replenish energy stores in the body and enhances uptake of nutrients. While this is a primitive mechanism intended to restore the body back to a more stable state (as opposed to the excitatory “fight or flight”), chronically high levels of cortisol can lead to weight gain.
- Digestive Issues: Through increasing inflammation, sensitivity of the gastrointestinal tract, and overwhelming excitatory pathways, high levels of cortisol can lead to the digestive issues, and even the development of IBS and IBD. In fact, the American College of Gastroenterology published a study where IBD patients with high cortisol levels, especially those diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, are more likely to need surgery
- Anxiety and Depression: Through long-term overstimulation of the excitatory neural pathways and other physiological phenomena, patients may develop anxiety or depression from high levels of cortisol caused by chronic stress.
These health issues point to one common denominator; high cortisol levels, if left unchecked, can cause significant interference with day-to-day life. Especially for patients prone to inflammatory and immune system dysfunction, such as people diagnosed with IBS and IBD, it is imperative to understand how to manage stress to reduce cortisol levels, from both a medical perspective and general wellness-of-being.
Can Chamomile Help with Cortisol Levels?
Chamomile can treat the symptoms of high cortisol levels. By treating the symptoms, the level of cortisol can decrease on its own, with natural sympathetic nervous system mechanisms calming the body. There are a few ways chamomile can help:
- Increasing Sleep: Clinical studies have determined the sedative impact of chamomile, especially as tea. Interestingly, studies do not clarify whether this is due to the heat of the drink or the contents, but regardless, increasing sleep can allow natural processes to reset and calm the body. Through this reset, cortisol production is reduced.
- Reducing Inflammation: Inflammation is the result of the immune system identifying a threat—through aiding the immune system to combat threats, there is less need for cortisol, and production of the hormone can decrease.
- Decreasing Anxiety: Much of the body’s regulators of anxiety are located in the gastrointestinal tract. Therefore, consuming chamomile in a manner that will bring it to the intestines can directly impact the uptake of stress hormones, and lower cortisol activity.
As always, it is important to consult a licensed medical practitioner for specific advice and guidance.
Chamomile and Digestive Health:
Chamomile can improve digestive health, not only by reducing the physiological symptoms of high cortisol levels listed in the last section but can soothe inflamed GI tracts to improve uptake of nutrients. Likewise, high levels of stress can impact muscular contraction throughout the intestines, and decrease filtration of harmful pathogens, leading to infection. Through reducing the impact of stress with a calming chamomile drink, patients with IBS and IBD can actually improve the quality of their digestion and overall gut health.
Is Chamomile FODMAP Friendly?
Unfortunately, chamomile is not FODMAP-friendly; it is high in polysaccharides that can increase bloating; therefore proper dosage is important to ensure maximal benefit without painful side-effects.
Dose of Chamomile for Cortisol Levels
A 2016 study found that chamomile supplements were helpful in repressing inflammation in rats with ulcerative colitis. Supplements in general might be a better option for IBD patients, since the dosage is more regulated than in tea. A typical oral dose of chamomile for patients with gut sensitivities is between 1.1-15 g/day. Supplements will give exact measurements, though for tea, this is roughly one tea-bag per day. It is important, however, to understand that actual dosages depend on the amount of liquid used to steep the tea.
Evinature sells a natural supplement, Exhale, which contains chamomile as a essential ingredient to reduce stress and increase the positive benefits of lowering cortisol levels. Read more about Exhale’s impact on gut health here.
When to take Chamomile to lower cortisol
The optimal time to consume chamomile to reduce cortisol levels is at night, before bed. This allows for chamomile to act while cortisol levels are naturally decreasing and improve sleep quality to further lessen cortisol in the blood.
How quickly does Chamomile lower cortisol?
Chamomile can lower cortisol in minutes to hours depending on the person.
Possible Side Effects of Chamomile:
Chamomile is a high-FODMAP product, meaning it contains polysaccharides that can promote inflammation, bloating, or even abdominal pain in IBS and IBD patients. However, it is generally considered a safe herb, and except for uncommon cases of nausea and dizziness, can be consumed safely in limited quantities.
Summer Pitocchelli-Schwartzman
