---
topic: "Tea"
title: "Chamomile Tea"
order: 9
description: "How chamomile's calming compounds may support sleep, ease anxiety, and soothe digestion"
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."
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."
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
references:
  - id: "1"
    pmid: "21132119"
    title: "Chamomile: A herbal medicine of the past with bright future"
    authors: "Srivastava JK, Shankar E, Gupta S"
    year: 2010
    journal: "Molecular Medicine Reports"
  - id: "2"
    pmid: "27790360"
    title: "A systematic review study of therapeutic effects of Matricaria recuitta chamomile (chamomile)"
    authors: "Miraj S, Alesaeidi S"
    year: 2016
    journal: "Electronic Physician"
  - id: "3"
    pmid: "27912875"
    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"
  - id: "4"
    pmid: "7617761"
    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"
---

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.

It 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.

Chamomile pairs well with a good sleep routine -- see our Sleep page for the full picture.

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## The Key Compound: Apigenin

Chamomile'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.

Beyond 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].

## Sleep and Anxiety

Clinical 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].

For 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].

## Digestive Benefits

Chamomile'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].

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## Evidence Review

### Mechanism of Action

Apigenin 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.

The 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].

### Clinical Evidence for Anxiety

The 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.

### Limitations

Most 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.

Chamomile 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.