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chamomile An herb, Matricaria recutita,used for
its abilities to calm anxiety, soothe gastrointestinal
irritation, relieve menstrual cramps, and aid in
sleep. Chamomile contains volatile acids and
flavonoids, chemical substances that ease spasms
of smooth muscles, such as in the intestinal tract
and theUTERUS, and that have mild anti-inflamma-
tory qualities. The most active of these is the
flavonoid apigenin, which has antiseptic proper-
ties as well.
Chamomile tea is a common preparation for
stress relief and relaxation. In oral forms
chamomile is a dietary supplement in the United
States, available without a doctor’s prescription.
Topical forms of chamomile, also available over-
the-counter, relieve itching and other SKINdiscom-
forts, including those of dermatitis, and mild to
moderate SUNBURN. Some preparations of
chamomile dissolve or mix in bath water, such as
powders and oils, providing full body relief.
Though there are few clinical studies that
affirm the effects of chamomile, health experts
consider it a generally safe medicinal herb. There
are no known interactions or side effects. People
who have allergies to ragweed, daisies, chrysan-
themums, and other plants in the Aster family may
have cross-over sensitivity to chamomile.

CHAMOMILE (Matricaria recutita)

Uses Risks/Side Effects Interactions

gastrointestinal upset none known none known
sleep aid
general relaxant

See also VALERIAN.

chelation therapy The therapeutic process of
injecting or otherwise introducing a chemical

agent, typically ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid

(EDTA), into the body that binds with specific sub-

stances. The body then excretes the bound sub-

stances in the urine, safely eliminating them from

the body. Doctors first used chelation therapy in

the 1940s to treat poisoning with lead and other

heavy metals, and that remains chelation ther-

apy’s accepted application in conventional medi-

cine today.

Many of the first people to undergo chelation

therapy were middle-aged men who had worked

all their adult lives in factories where lead con-

tamination was common. They also had the usual

health conditions for men of their age, typically

CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE(CVD). As they completed

the chelation therapy, many of the men also

noticed they no longer had ANGINA PECTORIS(car-

diac CHEST PAIN). The doctors conducting the chela-

tion therapy treatments concluded the EDTA was

also drawing calcium and other minerals from the

ATHEROSCLEROTIC PLAQUElining the CORONARY ARTER-

IES. The plaque narrowed the passageway for

blood, causing the men to experience pain and

shortness of breath particularly with exertion—

the classic symptoms of CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE

(CAD).

Though further testing and X-ray fluoroscopy

of the men who experienced cardiovascular

improvement failed to substantiate the theory, it

has remained popular. However, there still are no

clinical studies that support it. Another theory

holds that chelation therapy removes from the

body free radicals, particles of molecular waste

that bind with any available molecule. This theory

also remains unproven. Researchers believe free

radicals that bind prevent bonded molecules from

performing their intended functions, a process

that over time results in degenerative diseases.

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