Traditional Use of Chamomile Flowers (Matricariae flos) in Inflammatory-Associated Skin Disorders

Abstract

C Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla L.) is one of the world's oldest, and best-documented Asteraceae family medicinal herbs. It is now a popular and widely used therapeutic plant material in folk and traditional medicine. The plant includes numerous components. More than 120 secondary metabolites were identified in it, including flavonoids, terpenoids, sesquiterpenes, coumarins, essential oils, and organic acids. Due to its rich chemical composition, chamomile has many beneficial properties. These include anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiseptic, antispasmodic, sedative, antitumor, antioxidant, hypoglycemic, hypotensive, anti-allergic, antidepressant, antianxiety, analgesic, antipruritic, antidiarrheal, hepatoprotective and neuroprotective effects. Chamomile's effectiveness in treating various skin issues is also attributed to its diverse bioactive components. The research delving into chamomile's therapeutic potential reveals that its historical use for skin conditions is not merely based on folklore, but is substantiated by the intricate interactions among its chemical constituents at the molecular level. The goal of this review is to synthesize existing knowledge about chamomile's traditional uses in the treatment of inflammatory skin disorders, with a focus on the findings reported in contemporary scientific literature by scanning PubMed and Scopus for research.