Chamomile
Also known as: Matricaria chamomilla, German chamomile, Chamomilla recutita
The bedtime tea flower — genuinely calming, with modest evidence for sleep, anxiety, and skin soothing.
Chamomile extracts show a moderate signal for anxiety and more limited evidence for subjective sleep quality. Tea, standardized oral extract, topical cream, and multi-herb products are not interchangeable, and evidence for wound healing or digestive treatment is insufficient.1, 3
- Dried flowers of Matricaria chamomilla (German chamomile)1, 3
- Active flavonoid apigenin binds benzodiazepine receptors1, 3
- Best evidence: mild sleep and anxiety support1, 3
- Avoid if allergic to ragweed or daisy-family plants1, 3
What is Chamomile?
Chamomile is folk medicine's gentlest ambassador: a flower that never overpromises and therefore rarely disappoints. Modern pharmacology gave the tradition a mechanism — apigenin, chamomile's signature flavonoid, docks onto GABA-A receptors, the brain's main inhibitory switches, producing calm without sedation. Clinical trials have since found small but consistent benefits for sleep and anxiety, plus anti-inflammatory and wound-healing support for skin.1
Where it comes from
Natural sources
- Flower heads of German chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla)
- Roman chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile) used similarly in Europe
- Dried for teas; essential oil for aromatherapy
How it's made
Supplements use dried flower powder, standardized extracts (often 1.2% apigenin), or the isolated compound.
What it does in products
Benefits
Sleep quality
limited evidenceTrials in older adults and postpartum women report modest improvements in sleep quality with chamomile tea or extract — a gentle, low-risk bedtime aid.4, 3, 1
Meta-analysis suggests improvement in subjective sleep quality, but preparations, populations, and outcomes differ and insomnia treatment evidence remains limited.
Generalized anxiety
moderate evidenceAn 8-week trial of 500 mg extract three times daily found significant reductions in anxiety scores — small study, but mechanistically consistent with apigenin's receptor profile.2, 3
A controlled trial and pooled review support a signal in generalized anxiety, but sample sizes are modest and extracts are not interchangeable with tea.
Skin irritation and wound care
insufficient evidenceChamomile is used topically for irritated skin, but reliable clinical evidence for faster wound healing or treatment of inflammatory skin disease is insufficient.1
Small or combination-product studies cannot establish a broad topical treatment claim.
Digestive comfort
insufficient evidenceTraditional use for digestive discomfort is longstanding, but rigorous trials of chamomile alone are too sparse to establish a digestive benefit.1
Evidence from multi-herb products cannot isolate chamomile's contribution.
Evidence scope and limitations
The review distinguishes chamomile tea, standardized oral extracts, topical products, and multi-herb preparations rather than treating them as one intervention.
- Most trials are small and use non-equivalent preparations and subjective outcomes.
- People with ragweed-family allergy can react to chamomile, and product contamination or substitution is possible.
Evidence last checked: 2026-09-26
Side effects & safety
Safety considerations
- Large amounts are traditionally discouraged in pregnancy due to uterine-stimulating concerns; occasional tea is generally considered fine — ask your provider.
- Adds to the sedative effect of sleep medications and alcohol.
- May slow clotting at high doses — caution with warfarin.
- Not for: Ragweed/daisy-family allergy
- Not for: Planned surgery (stop high doses 2 weeks prior)
Amounts studied & product use
These figures describe research or common product use, not a personal dose or treatment recommendation.
In supplement studies and products
Anxiety, sleep, and postpartum trials use different teas, capsules, oils, and standardized extracts. A trial amount for a measured extract cannot be converted reliably into cups of tea, and the evidence does not define a universal bedtime dose.
Regulatory status
- Dietary supplement under DSHEA; chamomile is GRAS as a food and flavoring ingredient.
- GRAS (generally recognized as safe) for food use.
Tea vs extract: matching dose to goal
A cup of chamomile tea delivers roughly 10–20 mg of apigenin — enough for a gentle evening wind-down, which is how most people use it. Clinical anxiety trials used extracts at hundreds of milligrams of flavonoids, a dose unreachable by tea alone. The practical rule: tea for bedtime ritual and mild sleep support; standardized extracts for measurable anxiety effects.
1Frequently asked questions
Does chamomile tea actually help you sleep?
Modestly, yes. Trials show small improvements in sleep quality, and the ritual itself — a warm, caffeine-free evening drink — contributes. It is not a sleeping pill; think of it as lowering the volume on a busy mind.1, 3
The bottom line
Chamomile is generally gentle, with the most credible clinical signal in selected anxiety studies. Sleep, skin, and digestive claims need narrower wording.
References
- Chamomile. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (2025) · government guidance
- Chamomile for generalized anxiety disorder: a randomized clinical trial. Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology (2012) · randomized trial · PMID 22894890
- Chamomile for anxiety, insomnia, and sleep quality: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Phytotherapy Research (2019) · meta analysis · PMID 31006899
- Effects of chamomile on sleep: a systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials. Complementary Therapies in Medicine (2024) · meta analysis · PMID 39106912
- Dietary Supplements. U.S. Food and Drug Administration (2025) · government guidance
Revision history
- Replaced search-result citations with exact sources, mapped claims to evidence, and reassessed evidence strength.