‘The Plant Doctor’ Is In

Matricaria recutita. What sounds like the name of a Spanish recipe is actually the scientific name for chamomile, the same plant tea makers derive from to make chamomile tea.

While chamomile is certainly easier to say compared to say, matricaria recutita might very well be the better word to use when referring to it. Just as doctors rely on science in making their patients’ feel better, matricaria recutita relies on science to make plants better, as the oils they release in the soil improve other plants’ growth and abundance (chamomile is often referred to as “the plant doctor”).

But analysis on the chamomile plant reveals its medicinal qualities stretch beyond the garden and into the lives of people fighting type II diabetes for a recent bout of studies suggests chamomile tea helps improve complications that result from its diagnosis.

Type II diabetes accounts for approximately 95 percent of diabetes diagnoses and occurs when the body doesn’t produce enough insulin to convert sugar into energy. Just as gas provides cars with energy to run and electricity supplies our homes with heat, lights and a working stereo system, without insulin, our body’s cells are left starved for energy. When that happens, a disconnect is left between our body and our conscious mind: Why am I feeling so tired? (Feeling fatigued, thirsty or hungry are common symptoms of diabetes that often go ignored).

Type II diabetes also increases the risk of other long term health issues, like kidney damage, obesity, vision problems and heart disease. Speaking of heart disease, in 2004, heart disease was a contributing factor in 70 percent deaths among those with diabetes (65 and over).

In all, about 24 million people have diabetes within the United States alone, making it the sixth leading cause of death in 2006. So when researchers say that drinking chamomile tea can help lessen the severity of diabetes-related complications, we should all be listening.

Researchers came to such a conclusion after feeding a group of diabetic rats with chamomile extract over a 21-day period. At the end of the three-week trial, the Japanese and British-based researchers compared the blood glucose levels of the rats fed chamomile with the blood glucose levels of the control group. Not only did they find that the blood glucose levels were lower among the chamomile-fed group, but they also found a diminished presence of enzymes believed to contribute to vision complications, nerve damage and kidney damage. Their findings are published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

The fact that the researchers say that their research “clearly demonstrates” a linkage between chamomile consumption and lessening the severity of diabetes complications shows the truth behind chamomile’s doctor-like qualities (researchers often say “more research needs to be done” before making such definitive statements). What’s more, these and other researchers’ findings on chamomile has the pharmaceutical industry buzzing; perhaps chamomile extract can be used as the chief ingredient for a new diabetic drug?

But we can be ahead of the curve by making chamomile a natural part of our diets today, avoiding the cost of consuming chamomile as a drug treatment for diabetes tomorrow.