Lee Swanson Research Update

Chamomile Tea may Help Beat Colds and Menstrual Cramps

March 2005

Chamomile tea, a favorite relaxing herbal drink throughout the centuries, appears to be beneficial in several other health-related areas. That's what British researchers reported in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

Their comments came following completion of a study in which researchers tested the urine of 14 healthy volunteers who drank five cups of chamomile tea every day for two weeks. They found that drinking the tea produced changes in the urine that suggest there was an increase in hippurate, a substance that helps the body fight off colds. The tea drinkers also produced higher levels of glycine, which can ease muscle spasms, perhaps explaining reports that chamomile can relieve menstrual cramps.

Study subjects, seven men and seven women, were tested for two weeks before drinking the tea; during the two weeks of tea drinking; and the two weeks after drinking tea. After participants stopped drinking the tea, hippurate and glycine stayed elevated for up to two weeks, which suggests the effects of chamomile tea may be long lasting.

Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 53(2):191-196, 2005

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