Chamomile
Matricaria chamomilla (German chamomile) and Chamaemelum nobile (Roman chamomile), from the daisy family
The dried flowers of a small daisy-like plant, best known as a herbal tea. Studied as a tea or capsule, as an oil or gel on the skin, as a mouthwash and as a scent, mostly for pain, anxiety, the skin and the mouth. Here is every study in people we could find, sorted from each study's summary.
- Part used: flower
- Tested as tea, capsules, oils, gels and mouthwash
- Mostly 12 weeks or less
From every paper to the studies that matter
Most research on chamomile is in the lab or about the plant's chemistry. Only a small share tests it in people, and that is what this page is about.
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2,177 papers mention chamomile.Every record in PubMed, all years
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246 are about people.The rest: 610 lab and animal studies, 267 reviews, 1,054 on chemistry, farming and more
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116 give chamomile on its own.79 more test it inside a blend, often with other herbs or essential oils
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55 are randomised against a placebo.Randomised controlled trials In a randomised controlled trial, people are put into groups by chance, one taking the treatment and one a placebo or other comparison. Chance spreads differences such as age and health evenly, so a difference between the groups is more likely to be down to the treatment., the strongest kind of study
Bar lengths use a square-root scale so the small numbers stay visible.
How much research there is
- 116 studies giving chamomile to people
- 55 of them randomised against a placebo A placebo-controlled trial compares a real treatment with a dummy that looks the same, the placebo. People often feel better when they expect to, so comparing against a placebo shows how much of the change comes from the treatment itself.
- 7,212 people taking part, where studies say
- 97 systematic reviews A systematic review searches for every study on a question in a set, written-down way, judges the quality of each and sums up what they show together. Many include a meta-analysis. The Atlas lists these as pooled reviews. pooling the trials
Studies in people, by year published
Chamomile on its own, by mouth, on the skin or breathed in.
What the studies looked at
Each study can measure several things. Choose a topic to see its studies in the list below.
Studies in people with a diagnosed condition are counted here and listed with their population. We describe what they measured, not what they might treat. Most studies also report safety; see below.
What was tested, and how much
Chamomile is tested as tea, capsules of extracts made in different ways, oils, gels, mouthwashes and scents, so milligrams don't compare well from one study to the next. Most studies on the skin, in the mouth or breathed in don't give a daily amount.
Daily amount, one dot per study
Studies per extract
Named extracts are the maker's brand. "Not named" means the study didn't say.
Have a label with a %? Work out the apigenin in your own label
All studies in people
Filter the list, then open a study on PubMed. Each row comes from the study's published summary.
| Study | Who took part | People | Extract and daily dose | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lile 2026RCT, placebo | Systemically healthy young adults | 175 | Not named | 12 weeks |
| Iravani 2026RCT, active or other control | Primiparous women in labor | 154 | Not namedOn the skin | – |
| Nikkhah 2026RCT, placebo | Breast cancer patients on paclitaxel | 80 | Not named | – |
| Mohsenzadeh-Ledari 2026RCT, placebo | Postmenopausal women with menopausal symptoms | 80 | Not named, 400 mg | 12 weeks |
| Yeum 2026Single-arm or open-label | University students | 33 | Not named | – |
| Meneses 2025RCT, placebo | Breast cancer patients having radiotherapy | 100 | Not namedOn the skin | – |
| Abdel Rehim 2025RCT, active or other control | Children receiving pulp therapy | 100 | Not named | – |
| Deepa 2025RCT, active or other control | Young adults with insomnia | 80 | Not named | 2 weeks |
| Mohsenzadeh-Ledari 2025RCT, placebo | Postmenopausal women with menopausal symptoms | 80 | Not named, 400 mg | 12 weeks |
| Amiri 2025RCT, placebo | Patients with diabetic neuropathy on gabapentin | 72 | Not namedOn the skin | – |
| Benmoussa 2025Non-randomised controlled | Chemotherapy-naive patients | 72 | Not named | 3 weeks |
| Sheikhi 2025RCT, active or other control | Breast cancer survivors with lymphedema | 63 | Not namedOn the skin | – |
| Pourshaikhian 2024RCT, placebo | Patients with acute coronary syndrome | 154 | Not named | 0 weeks |
| Hosseinipour 2024RCT, placebo | Women having elective cesarean section | 148 | Not namedOn the skin | – |
| Sarkhosh 2024RCT, placebo | Patients undergoing middle ear surgery | 110 | Not named, 500 mg | – |
| Khalajinia 2024RCT, placebo | Women with endometriosis | 102 | Not named, 3,000 mg | 8 weeks |
| Bahrami 2024RCT, active or other control | Emergency orthopedic surgery patients | 90 | Not named | – |
| Menêses 2024RCT, placebo | Head and neck cancer patients having radiotherapy | 60 | Not namedOn the skin | – |
| Kimura 2024Other | Healthy volunteers | 8 | Not named, 500 mg | – |
| Eskandari 2023RCT, active or other control | Primiparous women in labor | 159 | Not namedOn the skin | – |
| Zamani Habibabad 2023RCT, active or other control | Women after cesarean section | 136 | Not named | – |
| Ebrahimian 2023RCT, active or other control | Ventilated ICU trauma patients | 80 | Not named | – |
| Salimi Zadak 2023RCT, placebo | Patients after laparoscopic cholecystectomy | 64 | Not named | – |
| Schwartz 2023Crossover, placebo | Healthy volunteers | 12 | Not named | 1 weeks |
| Lee 2023Non-randomised controlled | Dementia patients with insomnia | – | Not namedOn the skin | – |
| Williams 2022RCT, placebo | Adults with cancer receiving IV therapy | 248 | Not named | 1 weeks |
| Ebrahimi 2022RCT, placebo | Community-dwelling older adults | 183 | Not named | 4 weeks |
| Eskandari 2022RCT, active or other control | Primiparous women in labor | 154 | Not namedOn the skin | – |
| Shirzad-Siboni 2022RCT, placebo | Emergency technicians with low back pain | 90 | Not namedOn the skin | 3 weeks |
| Afiat 2022RCT, placebo | Women with polycystic ovarian syndrome | 70 | Not named, 1,000 mg | 13 weeks |
| Garbuio 2022RCT, placebo | Women with breast cancer having radiotherapy | 54 | Not namedOn the skin | – |
| Elhadad 2022RCT, active or other control | Patients on chemotherapy | 45 | Not namedOn the skin | 3 weeks |
| Menêses 2022Single-arm or open-label | Head and neck cancer radiotherapy patients | 43 | Chamomilla recutita infusionOn the skin | – |
| Choi 2022Single-arm or open-label | Adult women | 23 | Not named | – |
| Borges 2022Pharmacokinetic | Healthy male adults | – | Not named | – |
| Zardosht 2021RCT, placebo | Primiparous women after cesarean section | 128 | Not named | – |
| Nemati 2021RCT, placebo | Patients with chronic rhinosinusitis | 74 | Not namedOn the skin | – |
| Shiravani 2021RCT, active or other control | Women with vulvovaginal candidiasis | 73 | Not namedOn the skin | 2 weeks |
| Islam 2021RCT, active or other control | Patients with knee osteoarthritis | 48 | Not namedOn the skin | 3 weeks |
| Amsterdam 2020Single-arm or open-label | Adults with generalized anxiety disorder | 179 | Not named, 1,500 mg | 8 weeks |
| Habibzadeh 2020RCT, active or other control | Hemodialysis patients | 120 | Not namedOn the skin | 9 weeks |
| Mollabashi 2020RCT, placebo | Female university students | 118 | Not named, 750 mg | 4 weeks |
| Bosak 2020RCT, placebo | Postmenopausal women with dyspareunia | 96 | Not namedOn the skin | 12 weeks |
| Agarwal 2020RCT, placebo | Patients with chronic periodontitis | 75 | Not named | 4 weeks |
| Ferreira 2020RCT, active or other control | Head and neck cancer patients having radiotherapy | 48 | Not namedOn the skin | – |
| Daneshfard 2020RCT, placebo | Children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia | 40 | Not named | 4 weeks |
| Tarumi 2020Crossover, placebo | Postmenopausal women | 15 | Roman chamomile essential oil | – |
| Lundh 2020RCT, placebo | Adults with and without sesquiterpene lactone allergy | – | Not named | – |
| Kabiri 2019RCT, active or other control | Women with idiopathic hyperprolactinemia | 56 | Not named | 4 weeks |
| Khayyal 2019Other | Patients receiving radiotherapy | – | Not named | – |
| Khadem 2018RCT, placebo | Women after cesarean section | 142 | Not namedOn the skin | – |
| Heidari-Fard 2018RCT, active or other control | Primiparous women in labor | 130 | Not named | – |
| Zargaran 2018Crossover, placebo | Migraine without aura patients | 100 | Chamomile oleogelOn the skin | – |
| Heidary 2018RCT, placebo | Women with polycystic ovary syndrome | 80 | Not named, 1,110 mg | 12 weeks |
| Saghafi 2018RCT, placebo | Women with cyclic mastalgia | 60 | Chamomile extract drops | 8 weeks |
| Tvarijonaviciute 2018RCT, placebo | Oral lichen planus patients | 55 | 2% Chamaemelum nobile gelOn the skin | 4 weeks |
| Keefe 2018Single-arm or open-label | Adults with generalized anxiety disorder | 45 | Chamomile extract | – |
| Garbuio 2018Non-randomised controlled | Healthy adults | 35 | Not namedOn the skin | 4 weeks |
| Awaad 2018Other | Normotensive and hypertensive volunteers (plus rats) | – | Matricaria chamomilla beverages | – |
| Aradmehr 2017RCT, placebo | Primiparous women after episiotomy | 114 | Chamomile creamOn the skin | 1 weeks |
| Hashempur 2017RCT, placebo | Mild to moderate carpal tunnel syndrome patients | 86 | Chamomile oilOn the skin | 4 weeks |
| Sharifi 2017RCT, placebo | Children with monosymptomatic enuresis | 80 | Matricaria recutita oilOn the skin | 6 weeks |
| Abdullahzadeh 2017Non-randomised controlled | Elderly nursing home residents | 77 | Chamomile extract capsules, 800 mg | 4 weeks |
| Adib-Hajbaghery 2017RCT, placebo | Elderly nursing home residents | 60 | Chamomile extract capsules, 400 mg | 4 weeks |
| Sharifi-Ardani 2017RCT, placebo | CCU patients on amiodarone infusion | 40 | Chamomile ointmentOn the skin | 0 weeks |
| Keefe 2017Single-arm or open-label | Adults with generalized anxiety disorder | – | Chamomile extract | 8 weeks |
| Shinohara 2017Crossover, placebo | Perimenopausal women | – | Roman chamomile essential oil | – |
| Zafar 2016RCT, placebo | Women in labour | 99 | Chamomilla (homeopathic) | – |
| Chang 2016RCT, active or other control | Postnatal women with poor sleep | 80 | Chamomile tea | 2 weeks |
| Gholami 2016RCT, placebo | Post-term pregnant women | 80 | Chamomile capsules | – |
| Sanaati 2016RCT, active or other control | Women with breast cancer on chemotherapy | 65 | Chamomile capsules, 1,000 mg | 1 weeks |
| Valenzuela 2016RCT, placebo | Burning mouth syndrome patients | 62 | 2% chamomile gelOn the skin | 4 weeks |
| Lopez Jornet 2016RCT, placebo | Oral lichen planus patients | 60 | 2% Chamaemelum nobile gelOn the skin | 4 weeks |
| Azimi 2016RCT, active or other control | Intubated ICU patients | 39 | Matrica drop mouthwash | 0 weeks |
| Dos Reis 2016RCT, active or other control | Cancer patients on 5-FU chemotherapy | 38 | Chamomile infusion cryotherapy | – |
| Goes 2016RCT, placebo | Orthodontic patients with gingivitis | 30 | 1% Matricaria chamomilla mouthwash | 2 weeks |
| Keefe 2016Single-arm or open-label | Adults with generalized anxiety disorder | – | Chamomile pharmaceutical grade extract, 1,500 mg | 8 weeks |
| Mao 2016RCT, placebo | Adults with generalized anxiety disorder | – | Chamomile pharmaceutical grade extract, 1,500 mg | 38 weeks |
| Bahramnezhad 2015Non-randomised controlled | Head and neck cancer radiotherapy patients | 105 | German chamomile mouthwash | 2 weeks |
| Rafraf 2015RCT, active or other control | Adults with type 2 diabetes | 64 | Chamomile tea, 9,000 mg | 8 weeks |
| Braga 2015RCT, active or other control | Allogeneic stem cell transplant patients | 40 | Chamomilla recutita liquid extract mouthwash | – |
| Hashempur 2015RCT, placebo | Severe carpal tunnel syndrome patients | 26 | Standardized chamomile oilOn the skin | 4 weeks |
| Shoara 2015RCT, placebo | Knee osteoarthritis patients | – | Chamomile oilOn the skin | 3 weeks |
| Sharifi 2014RCT, active or other control | Female students with premenstrual syndrome | 90 | Chamomile extract capsules, 300 mg | 8 weeks |
| Herman 2014Other | Healthy volunteers | 40 | Matricaria chamomilla extract in emulsionOn the skin | 8 weeks |
| Seyyedi 2014RCT, placebo | Patients with recurrent aphthous stomatitis | 36 | Chamomilla tincture mouthwash | – |
| Darvishi Khezri 2013RCT, active or other control | Mechanically ventilated ICU patients | 80 | Matrica 10% mouthwash | – |
| Beikert 2013RCT, placebo | Healthy volunteers, UV erythema | 40 | Chamomilla recutita formulationOn the skin | – |
| Ross 2013Other | Adults with generalized anxiety disorder | – | Standardized Matricaria recutita extract | – |
| Shimelis 2012RCT, placebo | People with eczema-like skin lesions | – | 10% chamomile extract creamOn the skin | – |
| Amsterdam 2012RCT, placebo | Adults with anxiety and comorbid depression | – | Chamomile extract | – |
| Charousaei 2011Non-randomised controlled | Colostomy patients with peristomal skin lesions | 72 | German chamomile solutionOn the skin | – |
| Zick 2011RCT, placebo | Adults with chronic primary insomnia | 34 | Standardized chamomile extract, 540 mg | 4 weeks |
| Reis 2011Other | Patients with chemotherapy-induced phlebitis | 25 | Chamomilla recutita capitula extractOn the skin | – |
| Arsić 2011Other | Patients with inflammatory skin conditions | – | Apigenin-enriched chamomile extractOn the skin | – |
| Amsterdam 2009RCT, placebo | Adults with mild to moderate generalized anxiety disorder | 57 | Chamomile extract | 8 weeks |
| Niederhofer 2009Single-arm or open-label | Adolescent boys with ADHD | 3 | Matricaria chamomilla | – |
| Olivares 2007Pharmacokinetic | Women, iron absorption study | 13 | Chamomile infusion | – |
| Ramos-e-Silva 2006Single-arm or open-label | Patients with oral aphthae or ulcers | – | Fluid extract | – |
| Wang 2005Single-arm or open-label | Healthy volunteers | – | Chamomile tea | 2 weeks |
| Charuluxananan 2004RCT, active or other control | Surgical patients under general anaesthesia | 161 | Kamillosan M spray, 370 mgOn the skin | – |
| Kyokong 2002RCT, placebo | Surgical patients under general anaesthesia | 161 | Chamomile extract spray, 111 mgOn the skin | – |
| Masago 2000Crossover, placebo | Healthy women | 13 | Not named | – |
| Patzelt-Wenczler 2000RCT, placebo | Patients with atopic eczema | – | Kamillosan creamOn the skin | 2 weeks |
| Wilkinson 1999RCT, active or other control | Palliative care cancer patients | 103 | Roman chamomile essential oilOn the skin | – |
| Hurrell 1999Pharmacokinetic | Healthy adults, iron absorption | – | Camomile tea | – |
| Fidler 1996RCT, placebo | Patients on 5-FU chemotherapy | 164 | Chamomile mouthwash | 2 weeks |
| Wilkinson 1995Non-randomised controlled | Palliative care cancer patients | – | Roman chamomile essential oilOn the skin | 3 weeks |
| Tschiersch 1993Pharmacokinetic | Human volunteers | – | Not named | – |
| Roberts 1992Non-randomised controlled | Healthy volunteers | 22 | Chamomile oil | – |
| Maiche 1991RCT, active or other control | Patients with radiation skin reaction | – | Chamomile creamOn the skin | – |
| Glowania 1987Non-randomised controlled | Patients after tattoo dermabrasion | 14 | Chamomile extractOn the skin | – |
| Ruszyńska 1986Other | Dental patients | – | Not named | – |
| Benetti 1985Other | Women with vaginitis | – | Not named | – |
| FRANKE 1962Single-arm or open-label | Surgical wound patients | – | Chamo BuergerOn the skin | – |
| BLUEFARB 1954Other | Unclear | – | Not namedOn the skin | – |
What's known about safety
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In trials
A review of 72 trials found side effects were uncommon and mild, mostly stomach upset and drowsiness, and none were allergic. Case reports describe allergic reactions, a few of them severe, to chamomile tea and other products.
Ostovar 2025, review of 72 trials and 11 case reports; NCCIH, updated Nov 2024
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In the UK
Chamomile flower is widely sold as a herbal tea. One UK registered traditional herbal medicine contains it, based on long use rather than proof that it works. We found no official UK upper limit.
MHRA list of THRs granted, 27 Oct 2025 (1 contains Matricaria flower); EMA Matricaria flower monograph, 2016
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Check first
Avoid it if you're allergic to plants in the daisy family, such as ragweed, marigolds or daisies. Little is known about its safety in pregnancy or breastfeeding. Speak to a pharmacist or doctor first if you take warfarin or another blood thinner, sedatives, the contraceptive pill or other regular medicines.
NCCIH, updated Nov 2024; EMA Matricaria flower monograph, 2016; Segal 2006, warfarin case report
Where these studies come from
We list every published study of chamomile in people. German and Roman chamomile both count, whether taken by mouth, put on the skin or breathed in. Studies of single compounds from the plant, such as apigenin, bisabolol or luteolin, are left out. This first version is built from each study's summary; full-paper checks come next.
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We search
PubMed, the world's main library of medical research, for every paper on L-theanine.
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We keep studies in people
Lab and animal work is counted but left out of the list, because it doesn't tell you what happens in people.
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We note the basics
Who took part, how many, how much and for how long, from each study's published summary. A second check corrects what the first read gets wrong.
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We read them in full
Results appear once we've read the whole paper and checked every number. The date at the top shows when this entry was last updated.
Download the study list
Every study in people as a spreadsheet, 116 rows, free to reuse with a link back.
Versions
Each update to the data gets a new version number, so you can tell what changed and when.
See every version
1.0 · 24 Oct 2026. First release. Every published study giving chamomile on its own to people is listed from its summary. None is read in full yet.
