Anthemis nobilis L. or Chamaemelum nobile or Camomile Romana is a plant belonging to the Asteraceae family from which the classic drink Camomile is distilled.

In botany, the genus Camomile comprises several species.

• Camomile Matricaria recutita or German Camomile, is the most widespread and best-known medicinal plant belonging to the Asteraceae family, the classic camomile.
• Anthemis nobilis or Roman Chamomile is the second medicinal plant that is less common, but has similar ingredients to Matricaria recutita.

Both provide an essential oil (whose main components are alpha bisabolol and its oxides A, B and C, matricin, which is converted to chamazulene by distillation and en-yn-dicycloethers) and flavonic derivatives: apigenin, luteolin and apigenin-7-glucoside (3). It is produced by steam distillation.

It appears as a clear, yellowish liquid.

What it is used for and where

Medical and Pharmaceuticals

In clinical trials, the anti-inflammatory activity of ointment containing Matricaria recutita flower extract (treatment of patients with inflammatory dermatoses on the hands, forearms and lower legs) was comparable to that of Hydrocortisone 0.25 per cent and superior to 0.75 per cent fluocortin butyl ester and 5 per cent bufexamac (synthetic non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) (1).

Chamomile essential oil and the alpha bisabolol it contains have demonstrated bactericidal and fungicidal activity in vitro (mainly against Gram-positive bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus , Bacillus subtilis and Candida albicans fungi) (2).

The flower is used for herbal teas, tablets, mouthwashes (3).

Despite being the most commonly used herb for sleep disorders, the efficacy and safety of chamomile (Matricaria recutita) for the treatment of chronic primary insomnia is still uncertain. This study found a modest benefit of chamomile over placebo on other sleep diary measures including sleep latency. The data from this study point to the possibility that chamomile extract may provide modest, mixed clinical benefits, at the doses evaluated, to patients with chronic primary insomnia. It is possible, however, that the improvements in the chamomile group are due to non-treatment-related events such as the natural course of the disease and regression to the mean (4).

Cosmetics

The oil used by Anthemis nobilis is derived from three components of this plant, the flower water, the flowers themselves, the flower extract and the flower powder. These four ingredients function as both fragrance and skin conditioning agents. Concentrations are generally around 10% in cosmetic formulations and no cases of toxicity, irritation or sensitisation have been reported so far.

Anthemis nobilis studies

References______________________________________________________________________

(1) Blumenthal M, Goldberg A, Brinckann J. Herbal medicine. Expanded Commission E Monographs. German. Newton: Chamomile flower, American Botanical Council; 2000. pp. 57–61.

(2) Schulz V, Hänsel R, Blumenthal M, Tyler VE. Rational phytotherapy. Berlin Heidelberg: Springer-Verlag; 2004. pp. 335–47.

(3) ESCOP Monographs. Matricariae flos. 2nd ed. New York: Thieme; 2003. European Scientific Cooperative on Phytotherapy; pp. 312

(4) Zick SM, Wright BD, Sen A, Arnedt JT. Preliminary examination of the efficacy and safety of a standardized chamomile extract for chronic primary insomnia: a randomized placebo-controlled pilot study. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2011 Sep 22;11:78. doi: 10.1186/1472-6882-11-78. 

Compendium of the most significant studies with reference to properties, intake, effects.

Rossi T, Melegari M, Bianchi A, Albasini A, Vampa G. Sedative, anti-inflammatory and anti-diuretic effects induced in rats by essential oils of varieties of Anthemis nobilis: a comparative study. Pharmacol Res Commun. 1988 Dec;20 Suppl 5:71-4. doi: 10.1016/s0031-6989(88)80844-0. 

Abstract. The pharmacological properties of essential oils obtained from two varieties of Anthemis nobilis was studied. The two varieties, named "white-headed" or double flowered and "yellow-headed", present considerable morphological differences and yield essential oils with different composition. These essential oils proved to possess interesting anti-inflammatory and sedative properties, especially that derived from the "White-headed" variety.

Silveira V, Santos Rubio KT, Poleti Martucci ME. Anxiolytic effect of Anthemis nobilis L. (roman chamomile) and Citrus reticulata Blanco (tangerine) essential oils using the light-dark test in zebrafish (Danio rerio). J Ethnopharmacol. 2022 Nov 15;298:115580. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2022.115580.

Abstract. ...The aim was to evaluate the anxiolytic effect of Roman chamomile (Anthemis nobilis L.) and tangerine (Citrus reticulata Blanco) essential oils using the light-dark test in adult zebrafish (Danio rerio)....Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V.

De Mieri M, Monteleone G, Ismajili I, Kaiser M, Hamburger M. Antiprotozoal Activity-Based Profiling of a Dichloromethane Extract from Anthemis nobilis Flowers. J Nat Prod. 2017 Feb 24;80(2):459-470. doi: 10.1021/acs.jnatprod.6b00980. 

Abstract. A dichlomethane extract of Anthemis nobilis flower cones showed promising in vitro antiprotozoal activity against Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense and Leishmania donovani, with IC50 values of 1.43 ± 0.50 and 1.40 ± 0.07 μg/mL, respectively. A comprehensive profiling of the most active fractions afforded 19 sesquiterpene lactones, including 15 germacranolides, two seco-sesquiterpenes, one guaianolide sesquiterpene lactone, and one cadinane acid. Of these, 13 compounds were found to be new natural products. The compounds were characterized by extensive spectroscopic data analysis (1D and 2D NMR, HRMS, circular dichroism) and computational methods, and their in vitro antiprotozoal activity was evaluated. The furanoheliangolide derivative 15 showed high potency and selectivity in vitro against T. b. rhodesiense bloodstream forms (IC50 0.08 ± 0.01 μM; SI 63). In silico calculations were consistent with the drug-like properties of 15.

Rücker G, Mayer R, Lee KR. Peroxide als Pflanzeninhaltsstoffe, 6. Mitt.: Hydroperoxide aus den Blütenköpfchen der Römischen Kamille, Anthemis Nobilis L Peroxides as plant constituents. 6. Hydroperoxides from the blossoms of Roman camomile, Anthemis nobilis L. Arch Pharm (Weinheim). 1989 Nov;322(11):821-6. German. doi: 10.1002/ardp.19893221109. 

Abstract. From the ethanol extract of the blossoms of Anthemis nobilis L. (syn. Chamaemelum nobile L.), six new hydroperoxides (1-6) were isolated, besides the known 1 beta-hydroperoxyisonobilin (7). The structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods and in some cases ascertained by synthesis. Compounds 2 and 3 show a medium antibacterial activity.

Grabarczyk H, Drozdz B, Hladoń B, Wojciechowska J. Sesquiterpene lactones. Part XV. New cytostatic active sesquiterpene lactone from herb of Anthemis nobilis L. Pol J Pharmacol Pharm. 1977 Jul-Aug;29(4):419-23.

Abstract. From fresh and dried herb (without inflorescences) of Anthemis nobilis L. a new sesquiterpene lactone C20H26O6 was isolated. This compound showed a cytotoxic activity at a level of ED50 HeLa -- 0-56 microgram/ml (1-5 x 10(-6) M), and ED50 KB -- 1.23 microgram/ml (3-5 x 10(-6) M), what qualifies it for further in vivo studies.

SADIKI, F. Z., & El Idrissi, M. (2019). Chemical composition of essential oil of Anthemis nobilis L. flowers from Morocco. Applied Journal of Environmental Engineering Science, 5(4), 5-4.

Abstract. In this work, we studied the chemical composition of the essential oil extracted from dried flowers of Anthemis nobilis L. harvested from the region of Fez (Morocco). The extraction of the essential oil was carried out by hydrodistillation. The composition of essential oil was analyzed by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. The results obtained indicate that the extraction yield of the essential oil is 0.33%. Qualitative and qualitative analysis identified 43 constituents representing 88.63% of the essential oil. The major compounds were: En-yn-dicycloether (20.90%), β-Caryophyllene (19.17%) and Aristolene epoxide (7.39 %).