Chamomile eases worry a little, and its skin and colic claims rest on less

Key takeaways

• In an NIH-funded trial, anxiety came back in 15% of people kept on chamomile extract and 26% of those switched to placebo, a gap that could be chance².
• Europe’s medicines agency accepts chamomile flower for mouth sores, minor skin irritation and cold symptoms based on long use, not on proof from clinical trials⁶.
• A cancer-care expert panel could not recommend for or against chamomile for mouth sores from cancer treatment, because the trials disagree⁷.
• Colic drops that blend chamomile with fennel and lemon balm cut crying in a small trial, but a Cochrane review concluded herbal remedies can’t be recommended for colicky babies¹⁰¹¹.
• A ragweed or daisy allergy raises the risk of reacting to any form of chamomile, and people on warfarin, cyclosporine or birth control pills should ask a pharmacist first¹⁵⁶⁹.

In March 2010, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania began handing out chamomile capsules to people whose worry wouldn’t quit. Over five years, 179 adults with moderate to severe generalized anxiety disorder took 1,500 milligrams of German chamomile extract a day²³.

Everyone knew what they were taking at first. After 12 weeks, 93 people had improved enough to count as responders and agreed to keep going².

Then came the real test. Half of the improvers kept taking chamomile. The other half were switched to look-alike placebo capsules, and neither they nor the study staff knew who got which².

Over the next 26 weeks, anxiety came back in 7 of 46 people on chamomile (15%) and 12 of 47 on placebo (26%)². That sounds like a win. But the study was small, and the gap could have been chance. Its main result was not statistically significant².

The chamomile group did keep lower anxiety scores, and when relapse came, it came later². The National Institutes of Health paid for the study. The Swedish company that makes the extract supplied it².

That trial sums up chamomile beyond bedtime: a gentle plant, a real signal and less certainty than its fame suggests. Our earlier article covered chamomile for sleep. This one covers the rest, from anxiety and skin to colicky babies. It also covers the allergy and drug cautions that apply to every form.

Two plants share the name, and the research is mostly on one

“Chamomile” usually means German chamomile, Matricaria chamomilla, also sold as Matricaria recutita. Roman chamomile is a different plant, Chamaemelum nobile, sometimes labeled Anthemis nobilis¹⁹. Both belong to the daisy family.

The part used is the flower head⁶. You’ll find it as loose tea and tea bags, capsules and liquid extracts, mouthwashes, creams, bath products and essential oils¹⁶⁹.

Healers in ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome and China all prized chamomile, says the NIH’s National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)¹. Today it appears in the official drug books, or pharmacopoeias, of 26 countries, the Penn team noted².

Scientists credit a few compounds for its effects. They include bisabolol and the plant pigments apigenin and luteolin⁵. Trials often use extracts set to a fixed amount of apigenin compounds, so each batch delivers a similar dose²⁵.

Nearly all the trials and official monographs in this article cover German chamomile¹²⁶. If a label just says “chamomile,” you don’t know which plant you’re buying.

For anxiety, a modest signal from a small set of trials

The same Penn group ran a placebo-controlled trial in 2009. People with mild to moderate anxiety took capsules set to 1.2% apigenin⁵. After eight weeks, their anxiety scores had dropped more than on placebo². The Merck Manual calls the effect possible and modest⁵.

A 2019 review in the journal Phytotherapy Research gathered 12 randomized trials of chamomile⁴. In generalized anxiety, scores on a standard rating scale fell about 1.4 points more than in control groups at two weeks. At four weeks, the gap was 1.8 points⁴. For short bursts of nervousness, called state anxiety, three pooled trials showed no clear difference⁴.

The long Penn trial adds a few more details. People who stayed on chamomile lost a little weight and had slightly lower blood pressure². The authors said those findings need confirming.

Side effects were about as common as on placebo, 17% versus 19%, and nobody quit because of them. Nausea and dry mouth were among the complaints on chamomile².

The same team later looked at people who had both anxiety and depression. During the open phase, their core depression scores fell more than in people with anxiety alone³. With no placebo group, that’s a hint, not proof, and the authors called for proper trials³.

What dose did these trials use? The Penn extract was made at a 4-to-1 ratio of dried flower to finished extract². By our math, 1,500 milligrams a day equals roughly 6 grams of dried flowers. It came in standardized capsules, not a mug.

Our rating: Promising but early. That matches our herbal tea and anxiety guides. NCCIH calls the anxiety studies preliminary¹. Chamomile is not a substitute for proven anxiety care, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, which our anxiety guide covers.

On skin and in the mouth, tradition runs ahead of the trials

The European Medicines Agency (EMA), which regulates medicines in the European Union, lists chamomile flower as a traditional herbal medicine for five uses⁶:

• minor stomach complaints such as bloating;
• symptoms of the common cold, as a steam inhalation;
• minor sores and inflammation of the mouth and throat, as a rinse or gargle;
• skin irritation in the anal and genital area, but only after a doctor has ruled out serious causes;
• minor sunburn, small surface wounds and small boils.

“Traditional” here means the agency accepted long use as the basis, not trial proof⁶. It also says to see a doctor if symptoms last more than a week⁶.

Eczema. A study published in 2000 tested a brand-name chamomile cream, Kamillosan, in people with moderate eczema⁸. Each person used it on one side of the body for two weeks. The other side got either a weak 0.5% hydrocortisone cream or a plain cream with no active ingredient⁸.

The chamomile cream did slightly better than the hydrocortisone, but it barely beat the plain cream⁸. The paper lists the drug company ASTA Medica in Frankfurt as the authors’ address⁸. So a plain cream nearly matched the herbal one. That’s worth knowing before you pay extra.

Mouth sores from cancer treatment. Chemotherapy and radiation can cause painful mouth sores, called oral mucositis. NCCIH says small studies suggest chamomile mouthwashes might help prevent or treat them¹.

In 2020, an expert panel from the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer reviewed four chamomile studies⁷. A 1996 study of a chamomile mouthwash in people getting the chemotherapy drug 5-fluorouracil found no benefit. A 2016 randomized trial found that ice chips made from chamomile tea eased sores and pain better than plain ice chips⁷.

With results pointing both ways, the panel said it could not issue a guideline⁷. Ask your cancer care team before adding any rinse.

Eyes. Rinsing sore eyes with chamomile tea is an old home remedy. NCCIH warns that chamomile used near the eyes can irritate them¹. DermNet, a New Zealand dermatology reference, cites a report of seven people with hay fever whose eyes became badly inflamed after a chamomile tea rinse⁹. Two also had swollen eyelids. Oddly, all seven could drink the tea with no reaction⁹.

Colic drops cut crying in small trials, but experts still won’t endorse them

Colic, long bouts of crying in a healthy baby, wears families out. Herbal drops are a common folk answer.

In a 2005 Italian trial, 93 breastfed babies with colic got either a placebo or ColiMil, a product made from chamomile, fennel and lemon balm¹⁰. They took it twice a day for a week. Daily crying in the herbal group fell from about 201 minutes to 77. In the placebo group, it fell from about 199 minutes to 170¹⁰.

The researchers reported no side effects. The abstract doesn’t say who paid for the trial¹⁰.

A 2016 Cochrane review, the kind that pools all the good trials on a question, found four studies of herbal remedies for colic¹¹. The herbs seemed to shorten crying¹¹. But every study was small and open to bias, and results swung widely from one to the next¹¹. The reviewers’ verdict: herbal remedies are not ready to recommend for colicky babies¹¹.

Two details matter here. One of the review’s five authors also led the 2005 ColiMil trial¹⁰¹¹. And in some of the review’s trials that reported no funding, private companies supplied the products¹¹.

Volume is a quieter problem. In an older trial of a five-herb tea that included chamomile, babies drank about 32 milliliters per kilogram of body weight each day¹². Reviewers in the Journal of Family Practice called that a nutritional concern¹². By our math, that’s roughly 4 ounces a day for a 9-pound baby, filling space meant for milk.

The EMA says chamomile tea’s safety hasn’t been established for babies under 6 months⁶. NCCIH says chamomile by itself hasn’t been shown to help colic¹. Talk with your pediatrician before giving a baby any herbal product⁶.

What the evidence shows, use by use

Use	Form and dose studied	Evidence level
Generalized anxiety	Standardized extract capsules, 1,500 mg a day in the largest trial2	Promising but early124
Preventing anxiety relapse	Same extract for 26 more weeks2	Not enough evidence: one trial; main result not significant2
Depression alongside anxiety	Same extract, open-label3	Not enough evidence: no placebo group3
Mouth sores from cancer treatment	Mouthwash, chamomile-tea ice chips, liquid extract7	Promising but early: trials disagree17
Eczema	Chamomile cream for 2 weeks, company-affiliated study8	Not enough evidence8
Minor skin irritation, mouth sores, cold symptoms	Rinses, compresses, steam6	Not enough evidence: traditional use only6
Infant colic, in herb blends	Chamomile-fennel-lemon balm drops; herbal teas1012	Promising but early; Cochrane says not recommended11
Infant colic, chamomile alone	None that showed benefit1	Not enough evidence1
Chamomile tea as an eyewash	Folk practice; case reports9	Evidence says no, or unsafe19

Allergy is the main risk, and it doesn’t stop at the teacup

For most adults, a cup of chamomile tea is low-risk. NCCIH rates it likely safe in food amounts¹. Side effects are uncommon. They include nausea, dizziness and allergic reactions, even anaphylaxis, a severe whole-body reaction¹.

People allergic to ragweed, chrysanthemums, marigolds or daisies are more likely to react¹. The Merck Manual adds sunflower and pollen allergies⁵.

Rinses and drops count, too. The EMA notes severe reactions after liquid chamomile touched mucous membranes, the moist linings of places such as the mouth⁶. These included trouble breathing, rapid swelling and collapse⁶.

Creams and essential oils. A chamomile cream sold for diaper rash and sore nipples has caused allergic skin rashes, DermNet reports⁹. Its reference list includes a case of nipple rash from a Roman chamomile ointment⁹. In a study of aromatherapy massage for children with eczema, some children got worse because they were allergic to the oils⁹. The EMA tells nursing mothers to wipe chamomile skin products off the nipple before feeding, so the baby doesn’t become sensitized⁶.

Medicines. Interactions have been reported with warfarin, a blood thinner, and with some drugs the liver processes¹. Chamomile may strengthen sedatives, including alcohol⁵. The EMA notes interactions in kidney transplant patients who took high doses for about two months⁶. Merck warns it may raise levels of cyclosporine, an anti-rejection drug⁵. And chamomile may act a little like estrogen, so it might weaken birth control pills¹.

Pregnancy and breastfeeding. Expert bodies disagree, as our herbal tea guide explains. One detail adds to that debate. The EMA’s comfort with pregnancy covers the plain dried flower only, and it advises against its other chamomile preparations⁶.

Surgery. Tell your surgeon about any supplement you take¹³.

Your chamomile profile card

Plant	German chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla or recutita), used in most research; Roman chamomile is Chamaemelum nobile169
Part used	Flower heads6
Key compounds	Bisabolol, apigenin, luteolin5
Best-supported use	Generalized anxiety, as a standardized extract (promising but early)24
Traditional uses	Mouth and throat rinses, compresses for minor skin irritation, steam for colds, stomach upset6
Skip or ask first	Daisy-family or pollen allergy; warfarin, cyclosporine, sedatives, birth control pills; pregnancy; babies156
Avoid	Eyewashes, given reports of serious eye allergy19

Buying checklist

• Look for the Latin name. “Chamomile” alone could be either plant.
• Check the plant part: it should say flower or flower heads.
• For anxiety, choose a capsule that states its extract ratio and its standardization, such as a percentage of apigenin compounds, so you can compare it with the trials².
• Note the milligrams per capsule and the grams per tea bag.
• For creams, read the full ingredient list, and ask a dermatologist first if you have eczema or allergies⁹.
• Avoid chamomile essential oil on anyone with eczema, especially children, given the allergy reports⁹.
• Look for a lot number and an expiration date, and a company you can contact.

Respecting a remedy means using it with care

Chamomile has served families since ancient times, and a modern trial found a measurable effect on anxiety¹². That’s a tradition worth taking seriously.

Taking it seriously also means matching the form to the job. A cup of tea is a fine ritual. Studied doses came in standardized capsules². And the plant’s gentle reputation doesn’t protect someone with a ragweed allergy.

The values many natural-health readers hold, such as knowing what’s in your products and choosing the least invasive option that works, point the same way. Read the Latin name, start with the gentlest form and watch how your body responds.

When to get help

• Call 911 for trouble breathing, swelling of the face or throat, or fainting after any chamomile product¹⁶.
• See a clinician if a skin, mouth or stomach complaint lasts more than a week, the EMA’s limit for self-care⁶.
• Get care for anxiety that disrupts your days. If you have thoughts of suicide or self-harm, call or text 988, the free, confidential Suicide & Crisis Lifeline¹⁴.
• Call your pediatrician before giving any herbal product to a baby; Europe hasn’t established chamomile tea’s safety under 6 months⁶.
• Report a bad reaction to the FDA at 800-FDA-1088 or through its online form¹³.

Questions readers ask

The bottom line

Chamomile is more than a bedtime tea. As a standardized extract, it has a modest, promising record for generalized anxiety, though a careful long-term trial couldn’t prove it prevents relapse. Its uses for skin, mouth sores and colic rest mostly on tradition and small, mixed studies.

Use it with the same care you’d give any active plant. Check the Latin name, choose the form that matches the evidence, keep it away from your eyes and ask before giving it to a baby. If ragweed bothers you or you take warfarin, cyclosporine or birth control pills, talk with your pharmacist first.

Related reading

• Chamomile nudged sleep quality in small trials without fixing insomnia
• How to judge a cup of herbal tea, which is gentle but not automatically harmless
• Anxiety responds to therapy, medicine and exercise, and some calming herbs carry real risks
• Lavender can mean several plants, and beyond anxiety capsules the evidence is thin
• Who paid for the study matters, even when the science is real

Sources

1. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. “Chamomile.” NIH, last updated November 2024. nccih.nih.gov
2. Mao JJ, Xie SX, Keefe JR, Soeller I, Li QS, Amsterdam JD. “Long-term Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla L.) Treatment for Generalized Anxiety Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial.” Phytomedicine, 2016;23(14):1735-1742. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
3. Amsterdam JD, Li QS, Xie SX, Mao JJ. “Putative Antidepressant Effect of Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla L.) Oral Extract in Subjects with Comorbid Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Depression.” Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 2020;26(9):815-821 (Memorial Sloan Kettering record). pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
4. Hieu TH, Dibas M, Surya Dila KA, et al. “Therapeutic Efficacy and Safety of Chamomile for State Anxiety, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Insomnia, and Sleep Quality: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” Phytotherapy Research, 2019;33(6):1604-1615. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
5. Shane-McWhorter L. “Chamomile.” Merck Manual Professional Version, reviewed July 2025. merckmanuals.com
6. European Medicines Agency, Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products. “European Union Herbal Monograph on Matricaria recutita L., flos” (EMA/HMPC/55843/2011), adopted July 7, 2015; product page ema.europa.eu (monograph text read via e-lactancia.org)
7. Yarom N, Hovan A, Bossi P, et al., MASCC/ISOO Mucositis Study Group. “Systematic Review of Natural and Miscellaneous Agents, for the Management of Oral Mucositis in Cancer Patients and Clinical Practice Guidelines, Part 2.” Supportive Care in Cancer, 2020;28(5):2457-2472. arts.units.it
8. Patzelt-Wenczler R, Ponce-Pöschl E. “Proof of Efficacy of Kamillosan(R) Cream in Atopic Eczema.” European Journal of Medical Research, 2000;5(4):171-175 (abstract, PMID 10799352). nutrition-evidence.com
9. Rademaker M. “Chamomile” (contact allergy). DermNet, last modified July 21, 2024; professional reference version. dermnetnz.org and pro.dermnetnz.org
10. Savino F, Cresi F, Castagno E, Silvestro L, Oggero R. “A Randomized Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Trial of a Standardized Extract of Matricariae recutita, Foeniculum vulgare and Melissa officinalis (ColiMil) in the Treatment of Breastfed Colicky Infants.” Phytotherapy Research, 2005;19:335-340 (University of Turin record). iris.unito.it
11. Biagioli E, Tarasco V, Lingua C, Moja L, Savino F. “Pain-Relieving Agents for Infantile Colic.” Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2016, Issue 9, CD009999. cochrane.org
12. Crotteau CA, Wright ST. “What Is the Best Treatment for Infants with Colic?” Journal of Family Practice, 2006;55(7):634-635 (Clinical Inquiries). blogs.the-hospitalist.org
13. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. “Dietary Supplements: What You Need to Know.” NIH, updated January 4, 2023. ods.od.nih.gov
14. 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. “988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.” Accessed October 2026. 988lifeline.org