Updated 5 January 2024
Common names
- Golden Camomile
Common origins
- South America (Bolivia, Peru), then introduced to Africa
Botanical classification
- Kingdom: Plantae
- Division: Magnoliophyta
- Class: Magnoliopsida
- Order: Asterales
- Family: Asteraceae
- Genus: Chrysanthellum
Components
- Rich in rare flavonoids: maritimetin, maréine, as well as aurone, chalcone and flavonone derivatives.
- Triterpenic saponosides: chrysanthellin A, chrysanthellin B
- Tannins
- Alkaloids
Parts used
- Whole plant
Organoleptic properties
- Odour: faint
- Taste: sweet then bitter
Properties
- Hepatoprotective
- Biliary, salivary and renal anti-lithiasis
- Choleretic
- Lipid lowering: cholesterol lowering, triglyceride lowering
- Pancreatic protector
- Anti-inflammatory, anti-oedema
- Improves microcirculation
- Angioprotective
- Antioxidant
Indications
- Biliary lithiasis
- Liver diseases
- Jaundice
- Cirrhosis
- Chemotherapy
- Alcoholism (alcohol detoxification)
- Urinary lithiasis
- Arterial and venous vascular diseases
- Eye diseases of vascular origin: retinopathy
- Metabolic overload, hypertriglyceridemia, hypercholesterolaemia
- Salivary lithiasis
Precautions / Contraindications
- None known under normal conditions of use.
- In rare cases nausea or headache may occur due to its choleretic effect.
- It is contraindicated in children, pregnant and breastfeeding women, and people with biliary dyspepsia.
- It is also not recommended for people with allergies to plants from the Asteraceae family.
How to use / Current dose
- Infusion: 40 g of the plant in 1 litre of water. Drink 2 to 3 cups a day.
- As liquid extract: 40 drops in a little water 2 to 3 times a day.
- In dry extract capsules
Additional information
Habitat and botanical description
This 15-20 cm high herbaceous annual resembles its cousin, chamomile. Its stems are spindly and its alternate leaves are lobed, bipinnate or tripartite. Its golden to orange flowers form a capitulum of florets in tubules or tongues. The fruits are achenes. It grows on roadsides and waste ground.
Harvest time
It is harvested at flowering.
Mythology / History / Anecdotes and traditional virtues
Chrysanthellum comes from the Greek 'chrysos' meaning 'gold' and 'anthos' meaning 'flower'.
The Andean Indians used it to treat gastro-duodenal disorders, fever and migraine. In Africa, it is known as a healing agent and for the treatment of enterocolitis, kidney stones (Cameroon, Burkina Faso), hepatitis (Nigeria), jaundice (Congo) and in Ghana it is called "leaf for the heart".
It has only recently been included in the European Pharmacopoeia, hence the lack of a vernacular name. It was Dr Couderc who demonstrated its value in biliary and salivary lithiasis, chronic colibacillosis and infectious hepatitis. It is the plant for overeating and alcohol abuse, which it is said to eliminate 5 times faster.