Chamomile: Cleopatra's Favorite Facial Cosmetic
By the editors of Mothernature.com News

Cosmetic consumers can be forgiven the impulse to scream when faced with breathless ads for the latest "miracle cream." Screaming would be an extreme but understandable response to the trail of broken promises left by myriad over-hyped cosmetics. In the case of cosmetic claims for chamomile, skepticism fades in the face centuries of tradition and scads of scientific tests. The cosmetic uses of chamomile date back at least 2,000 years, when upper class Egyptian women like Cleopatra crushed the petals of the flower to beautify and protect their skin from harsh, dry weather.

Germans refer to chamomile as "alles zutraut," or "good for anything." In fact, chamomile is sometimes called "German ginseng," because of its versatile role in central European herbal healing. Chamomile tea is justly famous as a safe relaxant, digestive aid and treatment for children's ailments such as colic and teething pains. Whole chamomile flowers and extracts have an entirely different chemical makeup and set of uses, including impressive wound healing, cancer-inhibiting and skin smoothing and conditioning powers.

The Cosmetic Power of Camomile
Over the last 40 years, chamomile has been the subject of hundreds of scientific tests that have confirmed its healing, cosmetic powers and revealed its active ingredients, levomenol, azulenes and flavonoids. Of the two main species of chamomile, Roman and German, Matricaria chamomilla, German chamomile, is by far the richest in levomenol, which dramatically improves the texture of skin and reduces fine lines and wrinkles caused by pollution, stress and sun. Chamomile's flavonoids possess well documented antioxidant properties, which protect skin from the UV rays and the ravages of free radicals in the air. Chamomile's skin-restoring properties are most effective when all of its active components are combined in a whole extract that contains guaranteed amounts of each.

Laboratory Evidence
A patented chamomile extract (Camillosan) used in Camocare products was clinically tested by dermatologists at the University of Bonn, Germany, who reported that it reduces the appearance of lines and wrinkles. Camillosan also features a standardized form of alpha lipoic acid, an extraordinarily powerful antioxidant that protects against free radicals, which are destructive molecules in the invisibly polluted air that surrounds us.