Chamomile tea is an herbal infusion made from the dried flowers of the chamomile plant, most commonly German chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla). It has been used as a mild tranquilizer and sleep aid for thousands of years and remains one of the most popular herbal teas worldwide. The flowers contain dozens of active compounds, including 28 terpenoids and 36 flavonoids, that give the tea its distinctive apple-like flavor and its calming, digestive, and anti-inflammatory properties.
What’s Actually in the Cup
Chamomile flowers pack a surprisingly complex chemistry. The most studied compound is apigenin, a flavonoid that acts on the same brain receptors targeted by anti-anxiety medications. When you drink chamomile tea, apigenin binds to specific sites on GABA receptors in your brain, the same docking points that drugs like diazepam use. This is what produces that gentle wave of relaxation people associate with a cup before bed. The effect is milder than a pharmaceutical, but it’s working through a real, measurable mechanism.
Beyond apigenin, chamomile contains alpha-bisabolol (an anti-inflammatory oil), quercetin (an antioxidant), mucilage polysaccharides that coat and soothe mucous membranes, and small amounts of coumarins, which are natural blood-thinning compounds. The essential oils give the tea its warm, floral, slightly sweet taste.
Sleep and Relaxation
The reputation as a bedtime tea holds up reasonably well in clinical research. A meta-analysis of clinical trials found that chamomile significantly improved sleep quality scores, with three out of four studies also showing that people fell asleep faster after drinking it. The improvement isn’t dramatic. You won’t be knocked out the way a sleeping pill would affect you. But for people with mild sleep difficulties, a nightly cup can meaningfully shift the needle toward falling asleep more easily and sleeping more soundly.
The calming effect isn’t limited to bedtime. Because apigenin activates GABA receptors at a gentle level, chamomile tea can take the edge off daytime anxiety without causing drowsiness for most people. That said, individual responses vary, and some people do find it mildly sedating even during the day.
Digestive Benefits
Chamomile has a long folk history as a stomach soother, and modern pharmacology backs this up. The plant has confirmed antispasmodic properties, meaning its compounds relax the smooth muscle lining your digestive tract. If you’re dealing with bloating, mild cramps, or an upset stomach after eating, chamomile can help the muscles of your intestines stop clenching. It also has anti-inflammatory and mild antibacterial activity in the gut.
The mucilage content (about 10% of the flower) forms a gel-like coating that can protect irritated stomach and intestinal lining, which is why chamomile tea often feels soothing to drink when your stomach is off. This combination of muscle relaxation and mucosal protection is what makes it a go-to for general digestive discomfort.
Blood Sugar Effects
One of the more surprising findings from recent research is chamomile’s effect on blood sugar. A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials found that chamomile consumption significantly reduced both fasting blood sugar and HbA1c, a marker of long-term blood sugar control. The consistency across studies was notable, with very low variation between results for fasting glucose.
This doesn’t mean chamomile tea replaces any treatment for diabetes. But for people who are prediabetic or managing blood sugar through lifestyle changes, regular chamomile consumption appears to offer a modest, real benefit.
How to Brew It Properly
Getting the most out of chamomile tea comes down to temperature and time. Use water that’s hot but just below boiling, around 200°F (93°C). If you don’t have a thermometer, bring water to a full boil and let it sit for about 30 seconds before pouring. Steep the flowers or tea bag for 5 to 10 minutes. Going shorter than five minutes means you’re leaving flavonoids and essential oils behind in the flowers. Going past 10 minutes won’t ruin the tea, but it can turn slightly bitter.
Cover your cup while steeping. The essential oils in chamomile are volatile, meaning they evaporate easily. A lid, saucer, or even a small plate traps the steam and keeps those compounds in your tea instead of floating away into the air.
Allergies and Cross-Reactivity
Chamomile belongs to the Asteraceae family, a large plant family that includes ragweed, marigolds, chrysanthemums, dandelions, echinacea, and mugwort. If you’re allergic to any of these plants, there’s a chance chamomile will trigger a reaction too. Research shows that about 3% of people tested develop an Asteraceae-related allergic reaction, and among those individuals, more than half are specifically allergic to chamomile.
The relationship with mugwort is particularly notable. People sensitive to chamomile are usually also allergic to mugwort, though the reverse isn’t always true. Cross-reactivity with food and pollen allergens is also considered highly probable in people sensitized to chamomile. Reactions can range from mild contact dermatitis to, in rare cases, more serious allergic responses. If you have known ragweed or daisy-family allergies and haven’t tried chamomile before, start with a small amount.
Some researchers have also noted that allergic reactions attributed to chamomile may actually result from contamination with a look-alike species called stinking chamomile (Anthemis cotula), which is harder to distinguish from true chamomile and is known to be more allergenic. Buying chamomile from reputable sources reduces this risk.
Interactions With Medications
The coumarins naturally present in chamomile can interact with blood-thinning medications like warfarin. Coumarins have anticoagulant properties similar to warfarin itself (which was originally derived from sweet clover, another coumarin-containing plant). In at least one documented case, a patient drinking chamomile tea while on warfarin developed dangerously elevated blood-thinning levels. The chamomile’s coumarins likely worked in synergy with the medication, amplifying its effect.
If you take blood thinners, this is worth a conversation with your prescriber. For most other people, chamomile tea consumed in normal amounts (one to three cups per day) has an excellent safety profile and no significant side effects beyond the allergy risks described above.