Chamomile has been used as an herbal remedy since the time of Hippocrates, the father of medicine, in 500 BC. The list of conditions for which it's been used is extensive. It includes fever, headaches, kidney, liver, and bladder problems, digestive upset, muscle spasms, anxiety, insomnia, skin irritations, bruises, gout, ulcers, rheumatic pain, hay fever, inflammation, hemorrhoids, colic, and menstrual disorders. The generic name, Matricaria, comes from the Latin matrix, meaning womb, because chamomile was used historically to treat disorders of the female reproductive system. Germans refer to chamomile as alles zutraut, meaning capable of anything.