{"url":"https://whatshealthyandwhy.com/tea/chamomile","path":"/tea/chamomile","alternates":{"json":"https://whatshealthyandwhy.com/api/articles/tea/chamomile.json","markdown":"https://whatshealthyandwhy.com/tea/chamomile.md"},"topic":{"slug":"tea","name":"Tea","url":"https://whatshealthyandwhy.com/tea"},"slug":"chamomile","order":9,"title":"Chamomile Tea","question":"Does chamomile tea help with sleep and anxiety?","answer":"Chamomile extract may ease anxiety and modestly improve sleep, but trials used concentrated capsules rather than brewed tea.","description":"How chamomile's calming compounds may support sleep, ease anxiety, and soothe digestion","confidence":2,"confidenceNote":"One 179-person, 38-week RCT of 1,500 mg/day extract in anxiety disorder; sleep evidence is from reviews, and the calming mechanism comes from animal work.","evidenceSummary":{"rctCount":1,"totalParticipants":"179","replicated":false,"newestStudyYear":2016},"category":{"categoryTitle":"What's Good For You","categorySlug":"good-for-you","subcategoryName":"Foods & Drinks","subcategorySlug":"foods","url":"https://whatshealthyandwhy.com/explore/good-for-you/foods"},"actions":["Drink a cup of chamomile tea in the evening; it is naturally caffeine-free, so it fits a wind-down routine.","Try a cup after meals for mild bloating or cramps, its traditional use, though this is mechanistic, not trial-tested [1][2].","If anxiety is persistent, ask your doctor about standardized chamomile extract, the form tested in the 38-week trial (1,500 mg/day) [3]."],"cautions":["If you are allergic to ragweed, daisies or chrysanthemums (Asteraceae), be cautious; contact dermatitis and rare anaphylaxis have been reported.","A cup of tea delivers far less apigenin than the trial extracts, so results may not carry over to tea.","Not a substitute for care of generalized anxiety disorder or persistent insomnia; see a doctor if symptoms continue."],"simpleText":"Chamomile is one of the most popular herbal teas in the world, made from the dried flowers of Matricaria chamomilla -- not from the Camellia sinensis tea plant. People have been drinking it for centuries as a gentle way to unwind before bed.\n\nIt is naturally caffeine-free, making it a sensible evening drink. If you find it helps you relax, that is likely not just placebo -- there is real science behind the calming effect.\n\nChamomile pairs well with a good sleep routine -- see our Sleep page for the full picture.","mediumText":"The Key Compound: Apigenin\n\nChamomile's calming reputation traces back largely to apigenin, a flavonoid found abundantly in the flowers [1]. Apigenin binds to GABA-A receptors in the brain -- the same receptors targeted by benzodiazepine medications -- producing a mild sedative and anxiolytic effect [4]. Unlike pharmaceutical sedatives, apigenin does not appear to cause dependence or significant side effects at typical dietary doses.\n\nBeyond apigenin, chamomile contains over 120 chemical constituents including other flavonoids (quercetin, patuletin, luteolin), terpenoids (bisabolol, chamazulene), and coumarins. These compounds contribute anti-inflammatory and antispasmodic properties that explain chamomile's traditional use for digestive complaints [2].\n\nSleep and Anxiety\n\nClinical evidence suggests chamomile can modestly improve sleep quality. A systematic review found that chamomile preparations improved subjective sleep quality measures in several trials, though the magnitude of effect is moderate [1].\n\nFor anxiety, the evidence is stronger. A randomized clinical trial found that long-term chamomile supplementation significantly reduced moderate-to-severe generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) symptoms compared to placebo, with a meaningful reduction in relapse rates during follow-up [3].\n\nDigestive Benefits\n\nChamomile's antispasmodic action on smooth muscle makes it useful for easing mild digestive discomfort, bloating, and cramping. The mechanism involves relaxation of intestinal smooth muscle via flavonoid-mediated inhibition of specific enzymes [1][2].","deepText":"Evidence Review\n\nMechanism of Action\n\nApigenin is a selective ligand for central benzodiazepine receptors. Viola et al. (1995) demonstrated that apigenin competitively inhibits flunitrazepam binding at central benzodiazepine receptors and produces anxiolytic effects in mice without sedation at lower doses and with mild sedation at a 10-fold higher dose [4]. This dual dose-response profile distinguishes it from many synthetic anxiolytics.\n\nThe broader phytochemical profile of chamomile has been well characterized. Srivastava et al. (2010) reviewed the evidence for chamomile's anti-inflammatory activity (via inhibition of COX-2 and iNOS expression), antioxidant effects, and antimicrobial properties [1]. Miraj and Alesaeidi (2016) confirmed these findings and extended the review to include evidence on wound healing and glucose metabolism [2].\n\nClinical Evidence for Anxiety\n\nThe most rigorous trial to date is the phase II randomized controlled trial by Mao et al. (2016), which enrolled 179 participants with moderate-to-severe GAD [3]. Over 38 weeks of treatment with pharmaceutical-grade chamomile extract (1500 mg/day), participants showed significant improvement in GAD-7 scores compared to placebo. During a follow-up discontinuation phase, chamomile-treated participants demonstrated lower relapse rates (15.2% vs. 25.5%), suggesting a sustained anxiolytic benefit. Effect sizes were modest but clinically meaningful.\n\nLimitations\n\nMost sleep studies use chamomile extract capsules rather than brewed tea, making it difficult to directly equate results with typical consumption. Apigenin content varies significantly between commercial chamomile teas depending on source, preparation time, and water temperature. Standardized extracts used in trials typically deliver far more apigenin than a single cup of tea.\n\nChamomile is generally well-tolerated, but individuals with allergies to plants in the Asteraceae family (ragweed, daisies, chrysanthemums) should exercise caution. Case reports of contact dermatitis and rare anaphylaxis exist, though serious reactions from ingestion of tea are extremely uncommon.","deepTruncated":false,"references":[{"id":"1","title":"Chamomile: A herbal medicine of the past with bright future","authors":"Srivastava JK, Shankar E, Gupta S","year":2010,"journal":"Molecular Medicine Reports","pmid":"21132119","url":"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21132119/"},{"id":"2","title":"A systematic review study of therapeutic effects of Matricaria recuitta chamomile (chamomile)","authors":"Miraj S, Alesaeidi S","year":2016,"journal":"Electronic Physician","pmid":"27790360","url":"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27790360/"},{"id":"3","title":"Long-term chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla L.) treatment for generalized anxiety disorder: A randomized clinical trial","authors":"Mao JJ, Xie SX, Keefe JR, Soeller I, Li QS, Amsterdam JD","year":2016,"journal":"Phytomedicine","pmid":"27912875","url":"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27912875/"},{"id":"4","title":"Apigenin, a component of Matricaria recutita flowers, is a central benzodiazepine receptors-ligand with anxiolytic effects","authors":"Viola H, Wasowski C, Levi de Stein M, Wolfman C, Silveira R, Dajas F, Medina JH, Paladini AC","year":1995,"journal":"Planta Medica","pmid":"7617761","url":"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7617761/"}],"wordCount":575,"source":{"path":"src/content/topics/tea/chamomile.md"},"citeAs":"“Does chamomile tea help with sleep and anxiety?.” What's Healthy and Why. https://whatshealthyandwhy.com/tea/chamomile","notice":"General information backed by peer-reviewed research, not medical advice."}