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Benefits of Chamomile

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Evidence-Based Benefits

  • Generalized anxiety disorder — Amsterdam et al. (2009) conducted an 8-week RCT of 57 patients with mild-to-moderate GAD, finding 220mg chamomile extract (1.2% apigenin) produced significantly greater reduction in HAM-A anxiety scores compared to placebo
  • Long-term anxiety management — Mao et al. (2016) extended this work with a 38-week study showing continued chamomile use significantly reduced GAD relapse rates compared to placebo, with sustained low symptom severity during treatment
  • Sleep quality — chamomile tea or extract taken before bed provides mild sedation through apigenin-mediated GABA-A receptor activation, with a 2017 RCT by Adib-Hajbaghery & Mousavi in elderly nursing home residents showing significantly improved sleep quality
  • Anti-inflammatory effects — chamomile contains chamazulene and alpha-bisabolol, which inhibit COX-2 and reduce inflammatory cytokines, providing systemic anti-inflammatory benefits alongside its calming effects
  • Digestive comfort — chamomile relaxes smooth muscle in the GI tract, reducing stress-related digestive symptoms like bloating, cramping, and nausea

What the Research Says

Chamomile has some of the strongest evidence among herbal anxiolytics for generalized anxiety disorder. Amsterdam et al. (2009) established chamomile's efficacy in an 8-week RCT, finding significant reductions in HAM-A scores compared to placebo. Mao et al. (2016) provided rare long-term data, showing chamomile maintained anxiolytic effects over 38 weeks and reduced relapse rates. Amsterdam et al. (2012) further demonstrated antidepressant activity alongside anxiolytic effects. The mechanism is primarily mediated by apigenin binding to the benzodiazepine site on GABA-A receptors (Avallone et al., 2000), with additional contributions from anti-inflammatory effects on neuroinflammation.

Related Conditions

StressSleep
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References

  1. (). A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of oral Matricaria recutita (chamomile) extract therapy for generalized anxiety disorder. Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology. DOI
  2. (). Long-term chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla L.) treatment for generalized anxiety disorder: A randomized clinical trial. Phytomedicine. DOI
  3. (). The effects of chamomile extract on sleep quality among elderly people: A clinical trial. Complementary Therapies in Medicine. DOI
  4. (). Chamomile (Matricaria recutita) may provide antidepressant activity in anxious, depressed humans: an exploratory study. Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine.