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Western herbalism

ChamomileMatricaria chamomilla (syn. Matricaria recutita)

A tea herb with a long record for cramps and wind but few gut trials of its own; the controlled data are mostly of mixtures with other ingredients.

Botanical name
Matricaria chamomilla (syn. Matricaria recutita)
Part used
flower head
Also called
German chamomile, Hungarian chamomile, Matricariae flos, Camomile
Used in
Western herbalism
Taken for
Bloating, Gas, Cramping and pain, Indigestion, Nausea
Sold as
tea, capsules, tincture, extract, drops, essential oil

The plant

Chamomile here means German chamomile, Matricaria chamomilla, a small daisy-like annual whose dried flower heads are the part used. A second plant, Roman chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile), is also sold under the same name and appears in the traditional literature, which is worth knowing when reading older sources. Both belong to the daisy family, Asteraceae.

The flowers are steeped as tea, extracted in alcohol-and-water liquid extracts, taken as capsules and drops, or distilled into an essential oil. The European herbal monograph lists the tea at 1.5 to 4 g of flowers in 150 ml of boiling water. The alcohol extracts also carry label rules for ethanol.

Many gut products contain chamomile alongside other herbs. A liquid formula called STW 5 combines chamomile with peppermint and Iberis (bitter candytuft), and an infant colic product combines it with fennel and lemon balm. Trials of those products test the combination, not chamomile alone, and we flag that for each trial below. Roman chamomile and extracts differ in oil and flavonoid content, so one product’s results do not transfer to another.

How the traditions use it

Western herbalism

A review traces chamomile in Greece, Rome and ancient Egypt, where it was used for stomach problems, cramps, skin conditions and minor infections. The European Medicines Agency’s herbal committee lists chamomile flower as a traditional herbal medicine for the symptomatic treatment of minor gastrointestinal complaints such as bloating and minor spasms, a listing based on long-standing use alone, alongside non-gut uses for colds, mouth and throat inflammation, and skin conditions.

What is in it

The flowers contain flavonoids, mainly apigenin, quercetin, patuletin and luteolin, and an essential oil whose main components are alpha-bisabolol and its oxides and the azulene chamazulene, according to a review of the tea. The same review reports moderate antioxidant and antimicrobial activity, antiplatelet activity in vitro, and anti-inflammatory and antispasmodic effects in animal studies, noting that human studies are limited. Another review adds coumarins to the constituents. In a laboratory test on recombinant enzymes, the essential oil inhibited several human drug-metabolizing enzymes, most strongly one called CYP1A2.

What the human trials show

We could not find a randomized trial of chamomile tea alone for a chronic gut condition such as IBS or functional dyspepsia. The controlled data are of mixtures and of short surgical settings.

In children with diarrhea, a trial of apple pectin plus chamomile extract added to rehydration (39 treated, 40 on placebo) found the diarrhea had ended by day 3 in 33 of 39 against 23 of 40 (P < 0.05), shortening it by at least 5.2 hours. In 93 breastfed colicky infants, a standardized extract of chamomile, fennel and lemon balm cut daily crying from 201 to 77 minutes against 199 to 170 on placebo. The multi-herb formula STW 5, which includes chamomile and peppermint, improved the most bothersome symptom in a pooled analysis of three placebo-controlled trials (OR 0.22, 95% CI 0.11 to 0.47). In all three studies, chamomile is one ingredient.

Single-ingredient trials are small and post-operative. In 110 patients having middle ear surgery, 500 mg of chamomile drops before surgery did not change nausea or vomiting at most time points but lowered nausea severity at 4 hours (P = 0.03). In 64 patients having gallbladder surgery, chamomile drops before the operation lowered the frequency and severity of flatulence in the ward against placebo.

StudyDoseWhat it found
Randomized placebo-controlled trial, 79 children with acute diarrhea (apple pectin plus chamomile extract; a combination) PMID 9463302Added to rehydration for 3 daysDiarrhea ended in 33/39 vs 23/40 on placebo (P < 0.05); duration shortened by at least 5.2 hours
Randomized trial, 93 breastfed colicky infants (chamomile, fennel and lemon balm extract; a combination) PMID 16041731Twice daily for 1 weekCrying time 201 to 77 min/day vs 199 to 170 on placebo (P < 0.005)
Pooled analysis of 3 placebo-controlled trials of STW 5 (includes chamomile, peppermint, bitter candytuft) in functional dyspepsia, 273 people PMID 15606389Liquid formulaMost bothersome symptom improved vs placebo (OR 0.22, 95% CI 0.11 to 0.47); adverse events similar to placebo
Randomized triple-blind trial, 110 patients after middle ear surgery PMID 40092536500 mg chamomile drops one hour before surgeryNausea severity lower at 4 hours (P = 0.03); no difference at other time points; no GI side effects
Randomized triple-blind trial, 64 patients after laparoscopic gallbladder surgery PMID 37336118Chamomile drops one hour before surgeryFlatulence less frequent than on placebo in the ward, with a smaller rise in severity
Randomized crossover trial, 12 healthy volunteers, coagulation tests (safety) PMID 37730613Tea (9 bags a day) or extract capsule three times daily for 7 daysProthrombin time and INR unchanged vs placebo

How much the studies and the texts used

The European monograph’s traditional-use doses for minor gastrointestinal complaints are a tea of 1.5 to 4 g of flowers in 150 ml of boiling water 3 to 4 times daily for adults, and smaller amounts for children: 0.5 to 1.0 g for ages 6 months to 2 years, 1.0 to 1.5 g for ages 2 to 6, and 1.5 to 3.0 g for ages 6 to 12.

The surgical trials used a single 500 mg dose of chamomile drops before the operation. The coagulation study used 9 tea bags a day or an extract capsule three times daily for a week.

Doses here describe what studies and pharmacopoeias used. They are not a recommendation for any person; a clinician or pharmacist who knows your medicines and conditions is the right person to ask.

Side effects and cautions

The main documented risk is allergy. The monograph contraindicates chamomile in people hypersensitive to plants of the daisy family (Asteraceae) and reports severe allergic reactions, including breathing difficulty and anaphylactic shock, after mucosal contact with liquid chamomile preparations. A tea review makes the same point about daisy-family allergies. Trials of chamomile drops and tea reported no gastrointestinal side effects.

On pregnancy and breastfeeding, the monograph states that safety has been established for the herbal tea, but not for the liquid and dry extracts, for which use is not advised for lack of data. For children, oral use of the tea under 6 months is not established, and many extract forms are not established under 6 or 12 years. No overdose cases are on record.

Interactions

Chamomile contains coumarin-type compounds. A systematic review of food and herb interactions with warfarin lists chamomile tea among items linked to increased bleeding risk, based on case-level reports, including a 70-year-old woman on warfarin admitted with internal bleeding after using chamomile tea and lotion. In a 12-person crossover trial, chamomile tea or capsules for a week did not lengthen prothrombin time in people not on warfarin. The monograph reports CYP450 interactions in kidney-transplant patients taking high doses for about two months, and laboratory work shows the oil inhibiting several drug-metabolizing enzymes. The catalog’s own drug rules are listed automatically on this page.

Medicines the quiz checks chamomile against

When a quiz taker names one of these medicines, the rule below fires. Each comes from a published interaction reference; none is a diagnosis:

Chamomile on the shelf: the products that contain it

The products here name chamomile among their actives. How much of it a serving holds, and whether that matches any trial, is on each page.

Calming Blends Diverticulitis Tea 4.5 out of 5 from 4,259 ratings from Amazon · $0.53 per cup; the pouch directs two to three cups a day Traditional Medicinals Organic Gas Relief Tea 4.5 out of 5 from 1,766 ratings from Amazon · $0.44 per cup on Amazon and iHerb; the brand directs one to four cups a day Traditional Medicinals Organic Chamomile Tea 4.7 out of 5 from 1,401 ratings from Amazon · $0.44 a day Terra Health Essentials Acid Relief 4 out of 5 from 452 ratings from Amazon · $1.63 a day Iberogast Liquid Drops 4.1 out of 5 from 421 ratings from Walmart · $4.30 per 20 mL bottle The Loose Leaf Happy Intestine Tea 4.65 out of 5 from 417 ratings from thelooseleaftea.com · $0.36 a day It’s Health Tea GERD Natural Herbal Tea 4.1 out of 5 from 315 ratings from Amazon · $0.71 a day Designs for Health GI Revive Peach Powder 4.8 out of 5 from 248 ratings from iHerb · $89.49 for 225 g (28 servings), about $3.20 a day Designs for Health GI Revive Capsules 4.8 out of 5 from 57 ratings from iHerb · $99.99 for 210 capsules, about $3.33 a day at 7 capsules Haya Herbs Belly Bliss Tea 4.95 out of 5 from 22 ratings from hayaherbs.com · $0.90 a day

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Often paired or compared

Western Peppermint Mentha x piperita Western Lemon balm Melissa officinalis Ayurvedic / TCM / Western Fennel Foeniculum vulgare Western Bitter candytuft Iberis amara Ayurvedic / TCM / Western Licorice Glycyrrhiza glabra

The questions that come up

Does chamomile tea help an upset stomach?

It has a long traditional record, and the European herbal committee lists it for minor gastrointestinal complaints such as bloating and minor spasms on that basis. We could not find a randomized trial of the tea alone for a chronic gut condition. The controlled trials we found are of mixtures or short post-operative uses.

Is chamomile safe with warfarin?

A systematic review lists chamomile tea among items linked to increased bleeding with warfarin, and one case report describes internal bleeding in a woman on warfarin using chamomile tea and lotion. In healthy volunteers not on warfarin, a week of tea or capsules did not change prothrombin time. Anyone on anticoagulants should check with a prescriber.

Who should avoid chamomile?

The European monograph contraindicates it for people allergic to plants of the daisy family (Asteraceae), and reports severe reactions after mucosal contact with liquid preparations. It states safety in pregnancy and breastfeeding is established for the tea only, not for extracts.

Is German chamomile the same as Roman chamomile?

No. German chamomile is Matricaria chamomilla and Roman chamomile is Chamaemelum nobile, which belong to different genera. Most of the trials and the European monograph quoted here concern German chamomile.

Did chamomile help colic or diarrhea in children?

A chamomile, fennel and lemon balm extract cut crying time in 93 breastfed infants, and an apple pectin plus chamomile product shortened diarrhea in a children’s trial. Neither isolates chamomile. The monograph says oral tea use under 6 months has not been established.

Sources