Choose tea or capsules, type the amount and how many a day. A cup of tea is compared only with the tea trial, an extract capsule only with the extract trials — with who they were given to, whether there was a placebo, and what each found, including the one that found nothing.
Your 2 g of flowers a day is
About the tea the trial gave 2 g of dried flowers a day — the tea trial gave 2 g, one cup a day
Of the 4 controlled trials of chamomile alone with a sleep measure we could read, only 2 had a placebo — 1 reported better sleep scores, 1 found no difference on any sleep-diary measure. The other 2 compared with people who took nothing, and both reported better scores (in one, gone by 4 weeks).
Nearest: Chang & Chen 2016 gave one cup a day for 2 weeks (2 g of dried flowers in 300 mL of hot water, as two reviews describe it) to 80 postnatal women with poor sleep (time of day not given), against no treatment, and reported better sleep scores than its control group: “Compared with the control group, the experimental group demonstrated significantly lower scores of physical-symptoms-related sleep inefficiency (t = -2·482, P = 0·015) and the symptoms of depression (t = -2·372, P = 0·020). However, the scores for all three instruments were similar for both groups at 4-week post-test, suggesting that the positive effects of chamomile tea were limited to the immediate term.”
| Trial | A day | Against | Found |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zick 2011 | 540 mg extract | placebo | no difference |
| Adib-Hajbaghery 2017 | 400 mg extract | placebo | better scores |
| Abdullahzadeh 2017 | 800 mg capsules | nothing | better scores |
| Chang 2016 | 1 cup of tea (2 g) | nothing | better at 2 weeks, gone by 4 |
NCCIH: “There’s very little information on chamomile’s effect on insomnia. A 2019 review of chamomile use found one study on insomnia, which found no benefit from its use for this sleep disorder.”
NCCIH on safety: “People are more likely to experience allergic reactions to chamomile if they’re allergic to related plants such as ragweed, chrysanthemums, marigolds, or daisies.” “Preliminary studies suggest that taking chamomile along with birth control pills might decrease the effects of birth control pills.” “Interactions between chamomile and some drugs metabolized by the liver and warfarin (a blood thinner) have been reported, and there are theoretical reasons to suspect that chamomile might interact with other drugs as well, such as sedatives.” “Little is known about whether it’s safe to use chamomile during pregnancy or while breastfeeding.”
This is not medical advice. No official body sets a dose or an upper limit for chamomile; this shows what the trials gave, not what you should take. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist — especially if you take a blood thinner, birth control pills, sedatives or antidepressants.
Four controlled trials have tested chamomile alone for sleep, and only two had a placebo. In 34 adults with chronic insomnia, 270 mg of extract twice a day made no difference on any sleep-diary measure; in 60 older adults, 200 mg twice a day gave better sleep-quality scores. The one tea trial, a cup a day, helped for two weeks.
How to use it
Choose what you take. For tea, type the grams of dried flowers in one cup — a tea bag’s weight is the box’s net weight divided by the number of bags — and how many cups a day. For capsules, type the milligrams in one capsule and how many a day, and say whether the label calls it an extract or ground flowers. A cup of tea is compared only with the tea trial, and an extract only with the extract trials: the same milligrams of powder and of extract are not the same amount of chamomile. “About the same” means within 10% of what the trials of that form gave — a band of ours, not a dose. The tool never suggests an amount.
The four trials
| Trial | How it was run | Who | What they took | Found |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zick 2011 | randomized, double-blind, against a placebo | 34 adults aged 18 to 65 with chronic insomnia | 270 mg of extract twice a day for 28 days | no difference |
| Adib-Hajbaghery 2017 | randomized, single-blind, against wheat-flour capsules | 60 adults aged 60 or more at a day-care nursing home | 200 mg of extract twice a day for 28 days | better sleep-quality scores |
| Abdullahzadeh 2017 | quasi-experimental, against a group that took nothing | 77 older adults living in nursing homes | 400 mg capsules twice a day for 4 weeks | better sleep-quality scores |
| Chang 2016 | randomized, against regular postpartum care only | 80 postnatal women with poor sleep | one cup of tea a day for 2 weeks | better at 2 weeks, gone by 4 |
Zick 2011 was NIH-funded: “Participants were instructed to take their study capsules between lunch and dinnertime and the second capsule around one hour before bed.” It found: “There were no significant differences between groups in changes in sleep diary measures, including total sleep time (TST), sleep efficiency, sleep latency, wake after sleep onset (WASO), sleep quality, and number of awakenings.” “Chamomile did show modest advantage on daytime functioning, although these did not reach statistical significance.” Adib-Hajbaghery 2017: “However, after the intervention, sleep quality in the treatment group was significantly better than the control group (P<0.05).” Abdullahzadeh 2017 had no placebo — “The control group did not receive the intervention.” — and reported: “After intervention, the mean score of sleep quality was a significant difference between experimental and control groups (P < 0.001).” Chang 2016 compared the tea with care as usual — “The participants in the control group received regular postpartum care only.” — and found: “Compared with the control group, the experimental group demonstrated significantly lower scores of physical-symptoms-related sleep inefficiency (t = -2·482, P = 0·015) and the symptoms of depression (t = -2·372, P = 0·020).” “However, the scores for all three instruments were similar for both groups at 4-week post-test, suggesting that the positive effects of chamomile tea were limited to the immediate term.” Left out of the count, and why: aromatherapy and massage oils (breathed in or on the skin, not swallowed), a chamomile and L-theanine drink and a chamomile–angelica product (blends), and a footbath case report.
What the reviews say
A 2019 meta-analysis (Hieu et al., Phytotherapy Research) pooled the sleep-quality trials: “Noteworthy, our meta-analysis showed a significant improvement in sleep quality after chamomile administration (standardized mean difference = -0.73, 95% CI [-1.23, -0.23], P < 0.005).” and, for insomnia itself: “Moreover, there is only one RCT that evaluated the effect of chamomile on insomnia and it found no significant change in insomnia severity index (P > 0.05).” A 2015 review of herbal medicines for insomnia (Leach & Page, Sleep Medicine Reviews): “There was no statistically significant difference between any herbal medicine and placebo, or any herbal medicine and active control, for any of the thirteen measures of clinical efficacy.” NCCIH, the NIH’s center for complementary health: “Studies of the effectiveness of chamomile for a variety of specific conditions have not produced sufficient reliable evidence to rate clinical usefulness.” “There’s very little information on chamomile’s effect on insomnia. A 2019 review of chamomile use found one study on insomnia, which found no benefit from its use for this sleep disorder.”
What is in a cup
Chang 2016’s abstract gives no amount; two reviews describe its tea as one cup a day of 2 g of dried flowers in 300 mL of hot water — a Cureus 2025 review’s table: “1 cup (2 g dried flowers, 300 mL water, 10-15 min steep)”. Tea bags differ, so the cups that make 2 g depend on your box:
| Flowers in one bag | Cups for 2 g |
|---|---|
| 1 g | 2 |
| 1.5 g | 1.3 |
| 2 g | 1 |
Capsules: extract or ground flowers
Zick 2011 used a standardized extract (Chamomile High Grade Extract, MediHerb) and Adib-Hajbaghery 2017 an extract; Abdullahzadeh 2017 calls its capsules chamomile extract in its conclusion. No trial here gave ground flowers in a capsule, so a flower-powder capsule is shown but not placed. The three capsule trials gave 400 to 800 mg a day, in two doses.
Safety, in NCCIH’s words
“Chamomile is likely safe when used orally in amounts commonly found in teas and other foods. It is possibly safe when used by adults and children orally for medicinal purposes over the short term.” “Side effects are uncommon and may include nausea, dizziness, and allergic reactions, including severe hypersensitivity reactions and anaphylaxis, in some people.” “People are more likely to experience allergic reactions to chamomile if they’re allergic to related plants such as ragweed, chrysanthemums, marigolds, or daisies.” “Preliminary studies suggest that taking chamomile along with birth control pills might decrease the effects of birth control pills.” “Interactions between chamomile and some drugs metabolized by the liver and warfarin (a blood thinner) have been reported, and there are theoretical reasons to suspect that chamomile might interact with other drugs as well, such as sedatives.” “Little is known about whether it’s safe to use chamomile during pregnancy or while breastfeeding.” This page names those medicines; it does not check them — your pharmacist does.
Worked examples
- One cup with a 2 g bag (the page’s example): about the tea the trial gave.
- One cup with a 1.5 g bag: less than the trial’s 2 g.
- 270 mg extract, twice a day: 540 mg — exactly Zick 2011’s dose, the placebo-controlled trial that found no difference on sleep.
- 400 mg extract, three a day: 1,200 mg — more than any trial gave.
Common mistakes
- Counting the trials that had no placebo as proof. Two of the four compared chamomile with taking nothing.
- Comparing a powder capsule with an extract trial. The milligrams are not the same amount of chamomile.
- Reading “sleep quality” as “insomnia”. The one placebo-controlled trial in people with insomnia found no difference.
Frequently asked questions
Does chamomile tea help you sleep?
One trial gave tea: postnatal women who drank a cup a day for two weeks had better sleep scores than women who drank nothing, and the difference was gone by four weeks. No tea trial had a placebo.
How much chamomile tea for sleep?
The tea trial gave one cup a day, made — as two reviews describe it — from 2 g of dried flowers in 300 mL of hot water. No official body sets an amount.
Does chamomile help with insomnia?
The one placebo-controlled trial in people with chronic insomnia (Zick 2011, 270 mg of extract twice a day) found no difference on any sleep-diary measure. NCCIH: “There’s very little information on chamomile’s effect on insomnia.”
When should you take chamomile for sleep?
Zick 2011 gave one capsule between lunch and dinner and the second about an hour before bed; Abdullahzadeh 2017 gave capsules after lunch and after dinner; the others give no time.
Is chamomile tea or a capsule better for sleep?
No trial compared them. The tea trial and the capsule trials studied different people, for different lengths of time, against different controls.
Who should not take chamomile?
NCCIH names people allergic to ragweed, chrysanthemums, marigolds or daisies; people on birth control pills, warfarin or drugs metabolized by the liver; and says little is known in pregnancy and breastfeeding. Ask your pharmacist.
More sleep tools: Valerian for Sleep, Glycine for Sleep, Magnesium for Sleep, L-Theanine for Sleep and the Melatonin Dose & Timing calculator. If you drink other teas in the evening, the tea caffeine checker shows what is in them.
Read next
This is not medical advice, and nothing here diagnoses, treats or prevents anything. It shows what the chamomile sleep trials gave and found; no official body sets a dose or an upper limit for chamomile. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist — especially with a blood thinner, birth control pills, sedatives or antidepressants, or in pregnancy. Some links on this site are affiliate links: I buy what I review at full price, and a commission never changes a verdict.