Research and Application of Chamomile Extract
Chamomile, an annual herbaceous plant belonging to the Asteraceae family. Native to Europe, the entire plant is hairless. The stem is 30-40 centimeters high, with grooves and many branches in the upper part. Chamomile has a large planting area in Yili, Xinjiang, China. Due to its high yield and high biological activity, it is a highly potential economic crop for development.
The "Illustrated Catalogue of Chinese Medicinal Plants" records that chamomile has the effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, relieving cough and asthma, and dispelling wind and dampness. At present, chamomile extract has also been widely used in health and pharmaceutical products. Chamomile extracts contain more than 120 volatile oils and phytochemicals, including volatile sesquiterpenes, flavonoids, polyacetylene, and coumarins. Terpenes constitute an important group of compounds in the volatile oil of chamomile, among which the most important are bisabolol and its oxides A and B, chameleon blue, and β - farnesene, which have antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and pain relieving effects.
1.antibacterial effect
Research has found that the main active ingredients in the volatile oil of chamomile are α - oxidized bisabolol A (3.1%~56.0%), α - oxidized bisabolol (0.1%~44.2%), α - oxidized bisabolol B (3.9%~27.2%), cis enyne bicyclic ether (8.8%~26.1%), muscimol (0.7%~15.3%), and aspartyl alcohol (1.7%~4.8%). Chamomile essential oil has inhibitory effects on Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Bacillus subtilis, with the best inhibitory effect on Escherichia coli and the largest inhibition zone, followed by Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis. And as the concentration of volatile oil increases, the inhibitory effect becomes stronger.
2. Spasmodic and sedative effects
The water extract, essential oil, and alpha bisabolol of chamomile have protective effects on the gastrointestinal tract and can effectively relax the gastrointestinal tract. Chamomile water extracts (100, 200, 400 mg · kg-1) significantly reduced ethanol induced gastric injury in rats. Alpha bisabolol, alpha bisabolol oxides A and B can inhibit spasms induced by chlorotic acid, while alpha bisabolol can prevent the development of gastric ulcers induced by hydrogen, pressure, or alcohol. Chamomile essential oil is believed to have a good calming effect.
Animal experiments have shown that inhaling chamomile essential oil can reduce the stress caused by elevated levels of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), while the combination of essential oil and digoxin can lower ACTH levels, possibly due to the active ingredients binding to digoxin and gamma aminobutyric acid receptors. Further clinical trials have found that chamomile injection has a relaxing effect on the autonomic nervous system, including slowing down heart rate and reducing depression, and increasing skin temperature. In addition, chamomile extract can exert neuroprotective effects by regulating cholinergic activity and promoting antioxidant activity in rat hippocampus. Chamomile tea can improve sleep and depression symptoms in postpartum women, with a faster onset of action than traditional anti anxiety drugs and fewer adverse reactions.
3.anti-inflammatory effect
Chamomile essential oil can penetrate deep into the skin layer below the surface and serve as a local anti-inflammatory agent. Through inducing Ha Ca T cell experiments, it was found that chamomile essential oil can inhibit the expression level of IL-6m RNA. The experiment adopted the CCK-8 detection method to explore the effect of chamomile essential oil on the expression of IL-6m RNA in Ha Ca T cells at different concentrations. IL-6m RNA is the main pro-inflammatory cytokine in psoriasis lesions, and its expression level is crucial for the development of psoriasis. This study indicates that chamomile essential oil can have anti-inflammatory and relief effects on psoriasis by inhibiting the expression of IL-6m RNA.
4. Antioxidant effect
Chamomile inflorescence can improve paraquat induced associated lung injury and is a natural antioxidant; Its water alcohol extract can improve lipid peroxidation, superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and enhance the total antioxidant capacity in plasma and lung tissue induced by paraquat. Chamomile essential oil has the ability to scavenge free radicals of 1,1-diphenyl-2-trinitrophenylhydrazine (DPPH) and 2,2-diazobis (3-ethyl-benzothiazole-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS).
5.Hypotensive, lipid-lowering, and blood glucose lowering effects
Chamomile extract has a hypoglycemic effect on normal mice and can improve their glucose tolerance. Chamomile extract can inhibit the activity of rat crystalline lens glucose reductase, advanced glycation end products, and diphenyl bitter radicals, as well as inhibit the accumulation of sorbitol in the crystalline body under high glucose conditions in rats. Chamomile total flavonoids can significantly reduce serum TG, TC, LDL-C, AST, ALT levels and significantly increase HDL-C in Apo E -/- mice, while reducing liver tissue MDA levels and increasing liver SOD levels; Chamomile total flavonoids can significantly upregulate the expression of PPAR α, CPT1A, and Acox1 proteins, while inhibiting the synthesis of liver TG. Fatty lesions in mouse liver are significantly improved. Meanwhile, chamomile has a certain regulatory effect on blood pressure. After administering chamomile extract to spontaneously hypertensive rats by gavage for 4 weeks, blood pressure significantly decreased.
Application of Chamomile Extract
Chamomile extract can be developed into various products due to its anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory effects. The volatile oil of chamomile mixed with excipients can be used as a therapeutic drug for oral ulcers, gingivitis, skin itching, eczema and other diseases. Chamomile extract, due to its mild nature, can be used to make skincare products, soap, shampoo, and other products. It has the effects of soothing the skin, reducing skin inflammation, and promoting wound healing. Chamomile flowers have a fragrant aroma and can be used to make tea drinks, beverages, candies, and other foods. They have the effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, relieving anxiety, and promoting sleep.
The post pandemic era has raised people's awareness of health consciousness, and they are more aware that they cannot relax their vigilance towards the latency and transmission of pathogens, while paying attention to cleanliness, hygiene, and self-protection. However, long-term use of alcohol containing wet wipes for disinfection can cause dryness and cracking of the skin on the hands, which can have varying degrees of damage to the skin barrier.
Therefore, researching a mild, safe, and long-lasting antibacterial effect of a new type of wet tissue will be favored by the market. Utilizing the excellent antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant effects of chamomile volatile oil in combination with other plant volatile oils to make natural, green, safe, and more effective wet tissue is a good development direction for the future wet tissue market.
Chamomile essential oil nanocapsules are also a development direction of natural bacteriostatic agents in the future. Wang Ziwei and others prepared chamomile essential oil nanocapsules by ionic gel method, with an embedding rate of 36.33%. They have inhibitory effects on rice sheath blight, wheat scab and corn curvularia, and have the potential to develop into natural fungicides. In the future, chamomile volatile oil can also be used to make efficient antibacterial membranes, liposomes, and nano lotion to improve the acceptance in industry and medicine.