How Can Chamomile Help With ADHD?

Stimulant and nonstimulant medications are treatments of choice for Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Parents face a tough decision of whether to medicate their children with prescription medications, some of which may have addictive properties and serious side effects. ADD/ADHD adults face the tough decisions along with an additional worry. Taking prescribed stimulate medications can result in job loss because many companies now require employees to submit to regular drug tests. These risks make chamomile a desired treatment for ADD/ADHD.

History

• Chamomile is an herbal medicine that has been used for thousands of years to ease abdominal discomfort, anxiety and insomnia. It is more widely used in Europe than in the United States. German Chamomile (Matricaria recutita) has been used since the first century CE. It is native to Europe and northwest Asia. Roman chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile) has been used since the 16th century and is native to western Europe and northern Africa, according to the innvista website.

ADHD and Chamomile

• German Chamomile is one of many Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) options used to treat ADD/ADHD. It is a nonstimulate medicinal herb that acts on the central nervous system to promote calmness and ease anxiety.

  No clinical studies have yet been conducted in the United States that provide evidence that chamomile is useful for treating ADD/ADHD. However, in 2009 Dr. Helmut Niederhofer conducted a very small study in Bolzano, Italy. There, he examined the effects of German chamomile on a few boys, ages 14 to 16, who were clinically diagnosed with ADHD. He found that behaviors associated with ADHD--such as hyperactivity and distraction--were slightly reduced when the boys were treated only with German chamomile. He also found that German chamomile can possibly protect against tics. He acknowledges that studies that focus on safety and efficacy in monotherapy of German chamomile should be further conducted using a larger sample pool of people. He suggests that combining German chamomile with a stimulant medication may allow the patient to take a lower dose of the stimulant.

Finding Chamomile

• Purchase chamomile from most supermarkets and health food stores. It comes as a tea, tablet, capsule, powder, extract or dried plant.

Side Effects

• Anaphylaxis (a life-threatening allergic reaction), skin rashes, throat swelling and shortness of breath are all allergic reactions to chamomile. Drowsiness, sedation and vomiting may be associated with chamomile. Chamomile contains coumarin, a chemical compound naturally found in plants that can increase the risk of bleeding. Additionally, chamomile can cause blood pressure to rise.

  Adverse side effects are also caused by adulterants, which are chemical substances that may have been introduced into chamomile products either legally or otherwise. According to the MedlinePlus website, atopic dermatitis (skin rash) has been reported.

Safety Precautions

• People allergic to aster, chrysanthemum, mugwort, ragweed and ragwort, celery, feverfew, tansy and birch pollen should never take chamomile. Asthmatics should not take chamomile.

  Pregnant women should not take chamomile because it promotes bleeding, nor should chamomile be taken when breastfeeding.

  Do not take chamomile when using anticoagulants or antiplatelets medications like aspirin, warfarin or heparin, clopidogrel, ibuprofen or naproxen. Do not take chamomile when using any medications that causes drowsiness like lorazepam or diazepam, phenobarbital, codeine, some antidepressants and alcohol.