HealthWatchlist verdict: A small trial of a chamomile-pumpkin preparation reported improvement in psoriasis plaques. It does not establish that chamomile essential oil alone works. Laboratory research offers a possible explanation, but routine treatment and skin tolerability remain essential.
What was actually tested?
The most relevant human study used an oleogel, an oil-based gel containing chamomile and pumpkin seed oil. The preparation matters: a combined herbal product cannot tell us which ingredient helped.
Kolahdooz and colleagues enrolled 40 adults with mild to moderate plaque psoriasis. Matching plaques on each person received the active gel or placebo twice daily for four weeks. Thirty-seven participants completed the trial.
The average reduction in the plaque severity score was 4.09 points with the active gel and 0.48 with placebo. Thirteen of 37 treated plaques achieved marked to complete improvement, compared with none of the placebo-treated plaques.
Three participants withdrew after plaques on both sides worsened during the first week. The short follow-up, withdrawals and combined formulation limit confidence. This was not evidence of lasting remission, treatment of severe psoriasis or superiority to prescribed medicines.
Why the laboratory study is a different kind of evidence
Chen and colleagues studied German chamomile essential oil in 2024. Their work used cultured skin cells and mice with experimentally induced psoriasis-like inflammation.
Several inflammatory measures improved, although the reported mouse findings did not include a reduction in IL-17A. Human samples were used to study inflammatory markers; that did not make the experiment a treatment trial in patients.
The work helps researchers identify mechanisms worth testing. It leaves unanswered whether an acceptable skin preparation improves human psoriasis, what concentration is tolerable and whether benefit lasts.
| Evidence | What it supports |
|---|---|
| Chamomile-pumpkin gel trial | A preliminary, product-specific improvement in plaques. |
| Essential oil in cells and mice | A research lead, without established patient benefit. |
| Bottled oil used at home | No equivalent treatment regimen established by these studies. |
Could chamomile make the skin worse?
NCCIH notes that chamomile can cause allergic reactions, particularly in people allergic to related plants. It also highlights limited safety information in pregnancy and breastfeeding.
Essential oils can cause contact dermatitis. An itchy reaction may be mistaken for worsening psoriasis, encouraging further application of the product causing the problem.
Do not put concentrated oil on plaques or reproduce an experimental formulation. Discuss any proposed skin product with a pharmacist or dermatology team, especially when the skin is cracked or sore.
Where this leaves treatment
NHS psoriasis guidance describes moisturisers, prescribed topical treatments and specialist options. Treatment depends on the site, extent and effect on daily life. Joint pain or swelling also deserves assessment.
The practical question is whether a specified product adds worthwhile benefit to care you can use consistently. A promising small trial warrants better research; it does not justify abandoning a treatment plan that controls the disease.
Evidence assessment
Not adequately tested; indirect evidence for chamomile oil alone. The positive human result concerns a combined gel. No convincing standalone chamomile-oil clinical benefit was identified in this search.
How this review was researched
Research checked on 14 September 2026. Targeted web searches used the oil name, botanical or ingredient names, the condition and clinical-trial terms. We checked accessible primary reports, PubMed records and the guidance cited below. This is an editorial review, not a systematic review. Some full texts were inaccessible; absence from these searches does not prove that no study exists. Different preparations and laboratory results are identified explicitly.
Related reading
References
- Kolahdooz S et al. (2018). Evaluation of the efficacy of a topical chamomile-pumpkin oleogel for the treatment of plaque psoriasis: an intra-patient, double-blind, randomized clinical trial. Biomedical Research and Therapy. doi:10.15419/bmrat.v5i11.499.
- Chen G et al. (2024). Essential Oil of Matricaria chamomilla Alleviate Psoriatic-Like Skin Inflammation by Inhibiting PI3K/Akt/mTOR and p38MAPK Signaling Pathway. Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology 17:59–77.
- NCCIH. Chamomile: usefulness and safety.
- DermNet. Allergic contact dermatitis to essential oils.
- NHS. Psoriasis.