Herb Profile

Chamomile

Matricaria chamomilla

Sleep meta analysis reports PSQI improvement and some sleep onset/awakening improvements, but limited objective data; oral anxiety review found most included studies reported anxiety reduction.

Last reviewed: July 9, 2026•7 sources citedReport a correctionProfile-wide ·B Moderate

Use extra caution — May support sleep quality and calm/anxiety symptoms; evidence is supportive but not definitive. Details

Evidence: Moderate Evidence
Typical onset: Varies by prep
Safety rating: Moderate caution
Best for: Sleep, Stress
Avoid / review if: Anticoagulants (Coumarin Content)

Generated profile category visual

At a glance

From this profile's structured data

Evidence: Grade B
Safety: May support sleep quality and calm/anxiety symptoms; evidence is supportive but not definitive.
Profile context: sleep, stress

Next stepsWhere to go next — guides & comparisons

If you want help sleeping → Sleep guides
If you want help with anxiety or stress → Anxiety & stress guides
If you want to browse more herbs → All herbs

Safety

Safety & Cautions

May support sleep quality and calm/anxiety symptoms; evidence is supportive but not definitive. | Do not claim it treats insomnia or anxiety disorders; do not imply sleep duration/efficiency improvements are consistent.

Elevated caution

Caution level: Elevated. One caution category applies — read it before use.

Stimulant-Like ProfileStimulant-like or activating caution language is present.

Detailed safety fields

Pregnancy, breastfeeding, and contraindications

Anticoagulants (Coumarin Content)

Safety classifications

Stimulant-Like Profile: Stimulant-like or activating caution language is present.

Full safety note

May support sleep quality and calm/anxiety symptoms; evidence is supportive but not definitive. | Do not claim it treats insomnia or anxiety disorders; do not imply sleep duration/efficiency improvements are consistent. | Use as beginner friendly sleep/anxiety page with allergy and objective evidence caveats.

Safety labels

Stimulant-Like Profile

Evidence-based safety

Caution when combined

Severity and certainty are shown separately. A high-priority caution can still be theoretical: these pairings are screened from shared contraindication mechanisms and are not automatically documented clinical interactions. Provenance identifies the source fields that produced each flag; it does not upgrade the certainty of the pairwise claim.

High-Priority Caution

147 flagged pairings

Bleeding / anticoagulant risk

Representative pairings are shown below. Large mechanism groups are intentionally summarized to keep profiles focused and crawl-efficient.

Bleeding / anticoagulant riskCertainty: Theoretical

Data provenance recorded for 147 of 147 pairings in this mechanism group.

+135 more pairings share this mechanism. Use the Safety Checker to review a specific combination.

Evidence

Evidence Summary

Evidence lens

Useful signal, but study design, dose, and population still matter.

ModerateModerate Evidence

Human clinical evidence: Present in source signals

Mechanistic / preclinical: Mechanism mapped — Stress Response Modulation

Research maturity: Established research — Long Term Human Evidence May Be Limited.

Safety boundary: Safety note available — May support sleep quality and calm/anxiety symptoms; evidence is supportive but not definitive.

This profile cites 7 human studies.

Study design details

Evidence Grade

Grade B: Moderate Evidence

Evaluation of methodological rigor, population reach, and evidence alignment.

Design Match: Meta-analysis
Risk of Bias: Low
Consistency: Consistent

Strongest recorded design is a meta-analysis, drawn from 7 recorded studies, 4 in people. No disagreement is recorded across them.

How evidence grades work

Each grade reflects the strength and consistency of published human evidence — not marketing claims. Grades are based on study count, design quality, effect size, consistency, and recency.

Strong: Multiple RCTs, consistent direction, adequate effect size
Moderate: Some RCTs or consistent observational data in humans
Preliminary / Mixed: Animal or in-vitro only, or conflicting human data
Traditional / Theoretical: Traditional use only; no controlled human trials

Clinical Study Summaries (6)3 human evidence sources · 0 human trials · Participant totals not consistently reported · Consistency not yet classifiable

Filter by study class

Showing 6 of 6 studies.

What the evidence actually shows

This table contains 6 structured sources, including 3 human evidence sources; 0 are human trials. A reliable participant total cannot be calculated because sample size is not consistently structured in the cited sources. Source-to-conclusion relationships are not classified in this structured set, so consistency is not yet classifiable.

Profile-wide evidence grade: see the profile grade above · Confidence: not separately assigned

What would change our conclusion?

Larger, well-controlled human trials using comparable populations, doses, preparations, and clinically meaningful outcomes could materially strengthen or weaken this conclusion. Replication in a different population or a high-quality synthesis resolving current disagreement could also materially change confidence.

Study	Design	N	Dose	Duration	Population	Outcome	Result & magnitude	Source
Effects of chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla L.) on sleep: A systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials Asma Kazemi; S. Shojaei-Zarghani; Parham Eskandarzadeh; Mohammad Hashem Hashempur · Complementary Therapies in Medicine · 2024 Background	Meta-analysis Statistically combines results from multiple eligible studies; confidence still depends on the quality, consistency, and directness of those studies.	—	—	—	—	—	—	Source →
Effects of chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla L.) on sleep: A systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials Background	Meta-analysis Statistically combines results from multiple eligible studies; confidence still depends on the quality, consistency, and directness of those studies.	—	—	—	—	—	Chamomile improved subjective sleep quality and some sleep-initiation/maintenance measures.	PubMed →
Warfarin and food, herbal or dietary supplement interactions: A systematic review Tan CSS et al. · Br J Clin Pharmacol · 2021 Background	Systematic review Uses a predefined method to find and evaluate relevant studies, but may or may not pool their results statistically.	—	—	—	—	—	—	PubMed →
Anti-Inflammatory and Skin Barrier Repair Effects of Topical Application of Some Plant Oils Lin TK et al. · Int J Mol Sci · 2017 Background	Narrative review Summarizes selected literature without the full prespecified search and selection methods of a systematic review.	—	—	—	—	—	—	PubMed →
Chamomile: A Review of Its Traditional Uses, Chemical Constituents, Pharmacological Activities and Quality Control Studies Dai YL et al. · Molecules · 2022 Background	Narrative review Summarizes selected literature without the full prespecified search and selection methods of a systematic review.	—	—	—	—	—	—	PubMed →
The Effect of Oral Chamomile on Anxiety: A Systematic Review of Clinical Trials Sogand Saadatmand; Foad Zohroudi; Hadith Tangestani · Clinical Nutrition Research · 2024 Background	Narrative review Summarizes selected literature without the full prespecified search and selection methods of a systematic review.	—	—	—	—	—	—	PubMed →

Dosing & Timing

No standardized dose: Dose/form varies widely across tea, extract, capsule, and inhalation studies. Use source specific dose when known. | Oral chamomile and chamomile preparations; aromatherapy evidence is separate and should not be merged with oral extract/tea.

How Chamomile works

Simplified mechanism pathway based on preclinical and pharmacological evidence. Does not confirm clinical efficacy.

Mechanism Pathway — How Chamomile Works

CompoundTarget / ReceptorMechanismEffect / Outcome

Mechanisms & biological pathways

Preclinical pathways. Proposed mechanisms from in vitro and animal research; these do not confirm clinical outcomes in humans.

Stress Response Modulation

Active Compounds

Key constituents studied in Chamomile, with full pharmacology and safety profiles.

Compare related active botanicals

Explore botanicals with similar chemistry, effects, or safety considerations in the Botanical Activity Atlas.

Guides that use Chamomile

Condition guides

Compare & Sourcing

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Review available sources for Chamomile

Independent database mapping — evaluated separately from safety and efficacy scores.

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Safety first · Harm reduction

This information is educational and not medical advice. Start low, avoid risky combinations, and consult a licensed clinician before making health decisions—especially if you use medications, have diagnosed conditions, or are pregnant/breastfeeding.

Learn how we evaluate confidence, safety, and intensity on the methodology page.

Editorial Review

Checked against primary sources, cited evidence, and contraindication language before publication. Evidence claims, safety language, and affiliate modules are reviewed independently. Not personal medical advice.

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Botanical profile context

How to interpret Chamomile

Chamomile herb profile with evidence context, key research topics, source notes, safety context, and references presented in an evidence-first format. Use this herb profile as a starting point for evidence review, not as a recommendation to start a new supplement. Botanical products can vary by plant part, extract ratio, standardization, dose, and contaminant testing, so two labels with the same common name may not behave the same way.

When reviewing Chamomile, compare the traditional-use context against the human evidence, mechanism notes, and safety cautions. Pay special attention to pregnancy, breastfeeding, liver or kidney disease, blood-pressure effects, sedation, stimulation, anticoagulant use, antidepressants, and any prescription medication overlap.

For product decisions, prefer transparent labels, named extracts, clear serving sizes, and third-party quality testing. Avoid treating a long list of possible mechanisms as proof that an herb will solve a specific condition.