Natural Elements in Skin Care Products

Research on Natural Products with Health Benefits

Over the last several years there have been an upswing of products claiming to have natural compounds and elements. This is with reference to the fact, there has also been some significant research findings pointing to the fact that, most of the products that people consume tend to have chemicals compounds that are detrimental to their health. With healthcare burdens cause by diseases such as cancer, it is of ultimate importance that manufacturers and researchers work together and find natural products that have health benefits to offset the health challenges that society faces today. Some of these products ironically, have been used by ancient traditions to cure and heal certain ailments.

The Health Benefits of Chamomile Tea

One such product is the chamomile tea, which has in the past been associated with health benefits such as boosting the immune system (Srivastava, Shankar & Gupta, 2010). Recent research, confirms that, there indeed are health benefits associated with the chamomile tea, which include fighting the common cold and even relieving painful cramps. As Janmejai K Srivastava, Eswar Shankar and Sanjay Gupta, point out in their research, Chamomile tea is one of the ancient herbs that have medicinal values, where the dried flowers of the Chamomile plant have been found to contain terpenoids and even flavonoids (Srivastava, Shankar & Gupta, 2010). They further point out that the herb has over the years been use in the treatment of ailments such as muscle spasms, menstrual disorders, ulcers, gastrointestinal disorders, hemorrhoids, rheumatic pain, wounds, inflammations and even fever. In addition, the oils that come from the herb have also been found to have cosmetic and aromatherapy properties. This underlies the importance of the plant and the medicinal elements associated with the same, further confirming the past and current research on the plant (Srivastava, Shankar & Gupta, 2010).

Medicinal Compounds Extractable from Chamomile

Ompal Singh, Zakia Khanam,1 Neelam Misra, and Manoj Kumar Srivastava, in the research further confirm the health benefits associated with the medicinal compounds extractable from the plant (Singh, Khanam, Misra & Srivastava, 2011).

'Eleven bioactive phenolic compounds,[71] such as herniarin and umbelliferone (coumarin), chlorogenic acid and caffeic acid (phenylpropanoids), apigenin, apigenin-7-O-glucoside, luteolin and luteolin-7-O-glucoside (flavones), quercetin and rutin (flavonols), and naringenin (flavanone) are found in chamomile extract.' (Singh, Khanam, Misra & Srivastava, 2011)

In their research they refer to Chamomile as a drug, which is in reference to the fact that the herb contains, compounds such as coumarins, flavonoids, sesquiterpenes and polyacetylenes. They further point out that over the years, researchers have been able to identify more than 120 chemicals constituents that come from the chamomile flowers which can be considered to be secondary metabolites (Singh, Khanam, Misra & Srivastava, 2011). The potential for pharmacological properties in compounds such as α-bisabolol as well as cyclic ethers include being antimicrobial, umbelliferone on the other hand are fungistatic and chamazulene as well as α-bisabolol have antiseptic properties (Singh, Khanam, Misra & Srivastava, 2011).

Research on Chamomile Infused Tea

To benefit from the herbal properties of the plant, it is commonly infused in tea. Researchers from England are the lasts on the train of the medicinal properties of the herb when infused in tea, they found the benefits span from treating common colds to menstrual cramps (American Chemical Society, 2005). In their research, they used a herb from Germany, Matricaria recutita, whose flowers are used in making flavored tea. In their study they involved fourteen volunteers, seven men and women. They all drank five cups of the herbal tea daily for two weeks and their urine samples taken daily. The research revealed that there was increased hippurate in their urine which is commonly associated with antibacterial activity (American Chemical Society, 2005). This would explain why the herb is considered an immune booster, thereby treating ailments such as common cold (American Chemical Society, 2005). The researchers also found significant traces of glycine, which is an amino acid associated with relieving muscles spasms (American Chemical Society, 2005). This is a property that associated with relieving women from menstrual cramping. What is interesting is that, after the experiment, the level of hippurate remained high in the participants' urine samples indicating a prolonged effect. While further research is needed to confirm these medicinal elements, it now much clearer that chamomile does have subtle medicinal qualities that should be exploited going forward (American Chemical Society, 2005).

References

American Chemical Society. (2005, January 4). Chamomile Tea: New Evidence Supports Health Benefits. ScienceDaily. Retrieved December 2, 2018 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/01/050104112140.htm

Singh, O., Khanam, Z., Misra, N., & Srivastava, M. (2011). Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla L.): An overview. Pharmacognosy Reviews, 5(9), 82. doi: 10.4103/0973-7847.79103

Srivastava, J., Shankar, E., & Gupta, S. (2010). Chamomile: A herbal medicine of the past with a bright future (Review). Molecular Medicine Reports, 3(6). doi: 10.3892/mmr.2010.377