Does Chamomile Tea Have Caffeine? Usually, No

Plain chamomile tea has no caffeine. A laboratory analysis of 20 commercial teas found none in the herbal varieties, while white, green and black teas held 14 to 61 mg per 6 or 8 oz serving¹. Chamomile is brewed from the dried flower heads of a daisy-family plant, not from tea leaves².

The exception is a blend that also contains black, green or white tea. The ingredient list settles it³. The rest of this guide covers decaf, sleep, and the people who should be careful with chamomile.

Yes, plain chamomile tea is caffeine-free as far as the published measurements go. In a 2008 analysis of 20 commercial teas, caffeine was not detected in the herbal tea varieties¹. Chamomile belongs to the Asteraceae (daisy) family and is one of the most popular single-ingredient herbal teas².

That analysis tested 20 products and reports herbal teas as a group without naming chamomile, so it describes the category rather than every bag on the shelf¹.

Is "decaffeinated" the same as caffeine-free?

No. Decaffeinated teas held under 12 mg of caffeine per serving in the same analysis¹. The FDA likewise says decaffeinated coffees and teas have less caffeine than regular ones but still contain some³. If you avoid caffeine completely, a naturally caffeine-free tea such as chamomile is the safer pick than a decaf one.

Yes, when the blend includes an ingredient that naturally contains caffeine. Pure white, green and black teas carried 14 to 61 mg per serving, and steep time changed the amount¹. No chamomile blend was measured, so a blend with some tea leaf could hold less. Read the ingredient list, not the front of the box.

What the label tells you³:

• Added caffeine: packaged foods must list caffeine in the ingredients when it is added as a stand-alone ingredient.
• Caffeine inside another ingredient: caffeine is not named, but the ingredient that carries it is listed.
• Caffeine amount: many packaged beverages state it voluntarily, while cafes and restaurants are not required to tell you, so ask.

Sleep-aid herbal mixtures can carry traces of caffeine from other plants. In 11 linden-based samples, caffeine in the herb reached 110 mg per kg, and the prepared beverages held between traces and 226 µg per cup⁴. The source there was linden, not chamomile, and the amount is under a quarter of a milligram.

It may help a little, but the evidence is thin and mixed. A 2019 meta-analysis of 12 randomized trials found better sleep quality after chamomile (standardized mean difference -0.73), yet only one trial measured insomnia and it found no significant change⁵. A 2024 meta-analysis of 10 studies in 772 people found a lower Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index score (-1.88 points) with wide variation between studies (I² 88.4%), and no gain in sleep duration or sleep efficiency⁶.

Two of the trials behind those numbers:

• Postnatal women, 2 weeks of chamomile tea (80 women): sleep inefficiency tied to physical symptoms and depression scores were lower than in the comparison group, which received usual care rather than a placebo. Scores were similar again at the 4-week follow-up⁷.
• Chronic insomnia, 270 mg of extract twice daily for 28 days (34 adults): no significant difference from placebo in any sleep diary measure⁸.

The NIH's National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health reports very little information on chamomile for insomnia⁹. A 2006 review found that clinical trials of chamomile tea's sedative properties were absent². Our chamomile page holds the full evidence verdict, and the chamomile for anxiety page covers the anxiety trials.

Because caffeine measurably shortens sleep, and sleep is the reason most people drink chamomile in the evening. A meta-analysis of 24 studies found that caffeine cut total sleep time by 45 minutes and sleep efficiency by 7%, and added 9 minutes to the time taken to fall asleep¹⁰. The same analysis advised that coffee (107 mg per 250 mL) be finished at least 8.8 hours before bed to avoid losing sleep time¹⁰.

Dose and timing trials give the practical limits:

• 400 mg: taken at bedtime, 3 hours before or 6 hours before, each timing disturbed sleep significantly compared with placebo¹¹.
• 100 mg: no significant effect on objective or subjective sleep, even 4 hours before bed, in 23 men; 400 mg did affect sleep within 12 hours of bedtime¹².

Pure white, green or black tea (14 to 61 mg per serving) is below the 100 mg dose^{1, 12}, and a blend with only some tea leaf has not been measured. That trial was small and male only, and the FDA notes wide differences in how sensitive people are to caffeine and how fast they clear it³. Our pages on insomnia and improved sleep quality cover other options.

Most people can. Chamomile is likely safe in the amounts found in tea, and side effects are uncommon⁹. A 2025 systematic review of 72 trials and 11 case reports (2,896 people given chamomile) found 65 adverse events across 10 trials, mostly stomach upset and drowsiness that resolved on their own¹³. Another 28 trials reported no adverse-event data at all, so the true rate is uncertain¹³.

Allergy to ragweed, daisies and marigolds

This is the main risk. People allergic to related plants such as ragweed, chrysanthemums, marigolds or daisies are more likely to react to chamomile, sometimes severely⁹. Six of the 11 case reports in the 2025 review described allergic reactions, three of them anaphylaxis¹³. Among 20 patients with contact allergy to sesquiterpene lactones, 18 had positive patch tests to daisy-family herbal teas, mainly German chamomile, dandelion and wormwood¹⁴.

Drinking it is a narrower question. In a double-blind provocation study, capsules of freeze-dried German chamomile tea did not trigger a systemic eczema flare beyond placebo, though that study tested eczema flares, not immediate allergic reactions¹⁵.

Pregnancy, breastfeeding and children

There is insufficient safety data on chamomile in pregnancy and lactation¹³, so ask your clinician before drinking it regularly. The FDA gives the same advice for caffeine if you are pregnant, trying to conceive or breastfeeding³. If your blend contains tea leaves, its caffeine counts: ACOG states that moderate intake under 200 mg a day does not appear to be a major contributor to miscarriage or preterm birth¹⁶. The FDA also notes the Dietary Guidelines advise avoiding caffeinated drinks for children younger than 2³. For infants, chamomile alone has not been shown to help colic⁹, so ask a pediatrician before giving a baby any herbal tea.

The NIH lists reported interactions with warfarin and with some drugs the liver processes, and theoretical ones with sedatives⁹. The warfarin report is a single case: a 70-year-old woman on warfarin was admitted with multiple internal hemorrhages after using chamomile tea and body lotion¹⁷. In a 2023 crossover trial of 12 healthy volunteers, none on warfarin, 9 tea bags a day for 7 days did not change prothrombin time (-0.2 ± 0.4 s against 0.1 ± 0.5 s on placebo)¹⁸.

The NIH also notes chamomile might have estrogen-like effects. Preliminary studies suggest it could weaken birth control pills, and it might worsen estrogen-sensitive conditions such as breast or uterine cancer⁹. Ask a clinician first if either applies to you.

On warfarin, the evidence is one case report plus a null trial in people not taking anticoagulants. If you take warfarin, tell your prescriber how much chamomile you drink. In laboratory tests, chamomile oil and some of its constituents inhibited liver enzymes including CYP1A2, a test-tube finding that does not prove an effect in people¹⁹.

Choose by what is in the bag:

• Single-ingredient chamomile: caffeine-free in the herbal teas analyzed¹. A reasonable evening drink if you have no daisy-family allergy.
• Chamomile with black, green or white tea: contains caffeine. Pure tea of those kinds is 14 to 61 mg per serving¹, so a blend is likely lower, but count it toward your daily total. The FDA cites 400 mg a day as an amount not generally associated with negative effects in most adults³.
• Decaffeinated tea: not caffeine-free; expect up to 12 mg per serving¹.
• Allergic to ragweed or daisies: skip it or ask an allergist first⁹.
• On warfarin, birth control pills or other regular medicines: ask your pharmacist or prescriber before making chamomile a daily habit⁹.

For other herbal options see chamomile and lavender tea, lavender and sleep optimization.

We searched journal literature for caffeine content of teas, chamomile and sleep, chamomile safety and caffeine and sleep, read the abstracts of 17 journal records, cited all 17, and read the NIH and FDA consumer pages directly. We favored systematic reviews, randomized trials and laboratory analyses in adults.

What the evidence cannot tell us: the caffeine measurement comes from one analysis of 20 products that reports herbal teas as a group, and we found no chamomile-only assay. We did not find trials that timed a single cup of chamomile tea. Searched on 2 November 2026.

1. Chin JM, et al. Caffeine content of brewed teas. J Anal Toxicol. 2008;32(8):702-4. doi:10.1093/jat/32.8.702
2. McKay DL, et al. A review of the bioactivity and potential health benefits of chamomile tea (Matricaria recutita L.). Phytother Res. 2006;20(7):519-30. doi:10.1002/ptr.1900
3. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Spilling the Beans: How Much Caffeine is Too Much? Consumer Update, 2024. https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/spilling-beans-how-much-caffeine-too-much
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9. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH). Chamomile: Usefulness and Safety. Last updated November 2024. https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/chamomile
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19. Ganzera M, et al. Inhibitory effects of the essential oil of chamomile (Matricaria recutita L.) and its major constituents on human cytochrome P450 enzymes. Life Sci. 2006;78(8):856-61. doi:10.1016/j.lfs.2005.05.095