Unbelievable Benefits And Risks Of Chamomile Tea
The benefits of chamomile tea seem to be somewhat unlimited. And if you arent already on board the chamomile train, youre actually a few centuries behindchamomile has been used for its medicinal properties for centuries!
Its a natural home remedy for allergies, inflammation, muscle spasms, insomnia, ulcers, even chickenpox the list goes on.
Despite chamomile being one of the safest herbal teas to drink, there are still some risks to watch out for. Chamomile isnt like other herbal teas, hibiscus and yerba mate for example, which have a lot more potential risks.
Psst! This blog post contains affiliate links in it which sends me a bit of extra money if you use them at no extra cost to you!
Who Should Avoid Chamomile Tea
Although chamomile tea has some wonderful health-promoting properties, it may not be suitable for everyone to drink.
- If you have hay fever or are specifically allergic to ragweed, then this may cause allergy symptoms in some people. Quercetin is helpful in relieving allergies, see my post here.
- If you are pregnant or nursing, you should not drink chamomile tea.
- Chamomile tea is not recommended if you are taking NSAIDs, Aspirin, antiarrhythmic agents or blood pressure medication.
Does Chamomile Tea Have Caffeine
Herbal teas such as, chamomile, ginger and peppermint contain no caffeine at all. They are made instead from dried flowers, leaves, seeds, or roots that are generally caffeine-free.
Its important to note that the safety of drinking chamomile tea has not beet determined for children, pregnant and nursing women and people with kidney and liver disease.
Read Also: Is There Medication For Anxiety
Chamomile Tea For Anxiety
Chamomile tea aids in relaxing you if you are suffering from anxiety, depression and even insomnia.
It would not have effects as strong as that of medical drugs because, lets face it, it is just an herb.
However, it wont have those stronger side effects as well. According to certain pieces of research chamomile tea has been found helpful in significantly reducing symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder .
However, more research is still awaited in this regard. You can still take chamomile tea for anxiety because it is still helpful in calming your nerves and helps you relax at the end of the day.
A person who claims to be anxious most of the time and freaks out easily reported to have his nerves calmed down after taking chamomile tea for anxiety.
Diverse Health Benefits Of Chamomile Tea
Chamomile is popular for its mind enhancing medicinal benefits, although this is well known for its mind enhancing medicinal benefits, it continues to benefit human health further. There are numerous Chamomile tea benefits such as regulates blood sugar levels, reduces menstrual pain, preventing osteoporosis, reducing inflammations, heals skin and hair, boosts immunity, stimulates gastrointestinal activities, treats flu, and cures a fungal and bacterial infection.
Chamomile is an ancient medicinal herb. Its effects are potent and risk-free. The bioactive phytochemical constituents of chamomile cater to medicinal benefits. But, indiscriminate use of chamomile for anxiety could cause certain irritations. There is no fixed recommended dosage for chamomile yet, consumption between 220 mg to 1,600 mg per day is safe. But, in a few unique cases, overuse of chamomile might cause allergic reactions, skin reactions, eye irritations, hypersensitivity, and vomiting.
Also Check: Is There Any Otc Meds For Anxiety
Calming Drinks For Anxiety That Even Help With Anxiety Disorders
- Pin
Anxiety disorders are now the most common mental health problem in the United States. To make matters worse, many sufferers deal with depression at the same time. While there are plenty of therapies and medications out there, sometimes you just need something a little easier and closer to home. Thats where calming drinks for anxiety come in.
The idea is simple. The drinks in this list can all help you to wind down and feel better. Some have been studied for their potential to help with anxiety. In contrast, others are useful because they keep you hydrated and wont ramp your body back up again. Because of this, most of the drinks should help you to sleep as well.
If you want some more ideas, we also have a list of foods for anxiety and one of foods that help with depression. While the foods and drinks featured on these lists wont cure a mental health problem overnight, focusing on foods and drinks like these is powerful in the long-term.
These drinks have other advantages too. Theyre all healthy and natural ways to wind down. This makes them ideal even anxiety isnt a major problem for you.
- Be Careful With Alcohol
Chamomile Tea For Sleep
Did you know that chamomile has a beneficial effect on your sleep? We can thank the apigenin for it.
Apigenin is a chemical ingredient in the chamomile that calms the central nervous system and consequently helps us fall asleep. This flavonoid acts anti-inflammatory and softens the spasms of smooth muscles.
Recommended Reading: What Does An Anxiety Attack Feel Like Physically
Check Out More Of Our Health Benefits Guides
Nicola Shubrook is a nutritional therapist and works with both private clients and the corporate sector. She is an accredited member of the British Association for Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine and the Complementary & Natural Healthcare Council . Find out more at urbanwellness.co.uk.
All health content on bbcgoodfood.com is provided for general information only, and should not be treated as a substitute for the medical advice of your own doctor or any other healthcare professional. If you have any concerns about your general health, you should contact your local healthcare provider. See our terms and conditions for more information.
May Improve Your Quality Of Sleep
Does chamomile tea help with sleep? Chamomile tea contains an antioxidant flavonoid called apigenin. Apigenin is the component in chamomile tea that provides its sedative-like quality. It can help you get to sleep if you suffer from sleep disorders like insomnia.
For the best results, try drinking three or four cups of tea. You should see a difference in the quality of your sleepa deeper and more restful one.
Read Also: How To Help Severe Anxiety
Chamomile: The Most Effective Natural Remedy For Anxiety
Just looking at chamomile is enough to make you feel relaxed! But theres more to this daisy-like plant than just a pleasant appearance. Chamomile has long been believed to have calming effects and theres a significant body of evidence backing this up. In this post we take a look at the scientific research supporting chamomile for anxiety.
Article summary:
- Anxiety disorders are associated with low levels of serotonin and GABA
- At least two randomized trials have found chamomile to reduce anxiety symptoms in comparison to placebo
- The exact mechanism of action is unknown but research suggests chamomile may work by increasing GABA
- Side effects are rare but chamomile should not be taken by pregnant women
Spectacular Benefits Of Chamomile Tea
Bolsters Immunity
Thanks to the potent anti-microbial and germ-killing properties, chamomile tea is extremely beneficial for combatting various types of infections. Not only does this incredible tea helps in fighting bacteria and germs but also actively prevents recurring fever, and underlying symptoms like weakness, general debility, body pain etc.
Remedies Respiratory Issues
Blessed with powerful anti-inflammatory, anti-biotic, and anti-asthmatic properties, the tea prepared using chamomile flowers is considered to be a one-stop traditional remedy for all sorts of respiratory troubles. It plays a quintessential role in treating the common cold, sore throat, cough and flu symptoms. Drinking this tea or simply inhaling it helps in thinning and loosening catarrh particles within the chest and nasal cavities and hence eases breathing and helps the body to get rid of mucus.
Recommended Reading: Can I Join The Military With Anxiety
Is It Safe To Drink Chamomile Tea Every Day
Unlike many other vitamins and supplements, there is no suggested dose of chamomile. Thats because the body doesnt need a certain amount of chamomile to function. Contrast chamomile to vitamin B12: the body needs B12 to create red blood cells, and we cant produce our own. The body has no comparative necessary use for chamomile.
That being said, most studies involving chamomile use between 400mg and 1.6g. Thats a typical amount that you can find in a chamomile supplement. Its also a typical amount of chamomile flower used to brew a cup of chamomile tea.
As for taking chamomile tea every day, the same logic applies. There is no recommended dose, nor is there a limit over which chamomile tea becomes toxic, like with certain vitamins. Its typically safe to drink chamomile tea every day .
Does Drinking Tea Relieve Stress And Anxiety
Anxiety is an emotion depicted by feelings of tension, worried thoughts, and physical changes like increased heart rate, tightness in the chest, increases in the stress hormone cortisol, and increased blood pressure.
Stress is the feeling of being overwhelmed or unable to cope with mental or emotional pressure. Many different situations or life events can cause stress. It is often triggered when we experience something new, unexpected, or that threatens our self-awareness, or when we feel we have a lack of control over a situation.
Stress and anxiety are common experiences for most of us. Many people feel stressed and/or anxious at some points throughout the day or week when theyre trying to meet a deadline, manage their responsibilities, making important decisions, etc., which is completely normal. In fact, approximately 70% of adults in the United States say they feel stress or anxiety daily.
When someone experiences consistent and chronic ongoing stress, it can cause or exacerbate many serious health problems, including depression, anxiety, cardiovascular disease, stroke, and more. For this reason, it is very important to try different approaches to managing chronic stress including talking to your doctor if needed.
One of the most beneficial aspects of being a regular tea drinker may be its ability to help relieve stress and anxiety, which can lead to improvements in many aspects of life.
Also Check: How To Help Calm Anxiety
The Science Behind Chamomile And Anxiety
The effects of chamomile on anxiety relief has been under scientific investigation since the 1980s.More recently human studies have been conducted and there is growing evidence that chamomile is an effective natural treatment for anxiety disorders.
Chamomile and “Mild to Moderate Generalized Anxiety Disorder”
In 2009, one study looked at the use of chamomile extract for mild to moderate Generalized Anxiety Disorder .The researchers worked with 57 patients diagnosed with mild to moderate GAD. 28 of these patients were given chamomile extract over a period of 8 weeks, while 27 patients were given a placebo.After 8 weeks they found a significant reduction in anxiety symptoms and improvements in overall feelings of wellbeing among the chamomile group. Chamomile was well tolerated with more adverse reactions reported by people taking the placebo.
The researchers said,
The demonstration of chamomiles efficacy and tolerability in patients with milder GAD may provide a wider acceptability of anxiolytic treatment in the general medical community. Despite the limitations of this initial study, the present findings suggest that chamomile may possess modest anxiolytic effect in some patients with mild GAD.
Chamomile and “Moderate to Severe General Anxiety Disorder”
Chamomile Used With Other Herbs For Anxiety
Traditional herbalists will typically recommend the use of anti-anxiety herbs such as chamomile, lavender, St. Johns wort and others over a period of three months to a year in order for them to reach their full effectiveness. After that, they are often recommended to be continued at least periodically or as needed.
Several species are often described as Chamomile. The most commonly used is German Chamomile .
The good news about chamomile, as evidenced by this and other studies, is that it has no known adverse side effects and is non-addictive. This is in stark contrast to anti-depressant pharmaceuticals, some of which are known for being significantly addictive in addition to having numerous other adverse effects.
Don’t Miss: What Medicine Is Used To Treat Anxiety
Chamomile Dose For Reducing Anxiety
The two trials above used very different dosages 440mg and 1500mg per day but both appear to be effective.
But supplementation is just one way of consuming chamomile. Its also a popular tea.
And while there are no medical trials that have yet tested the effects of chamomile tea on anxiety, anecdotal reports online suggest it too has the similar calming effect as the supplement.
On the Reddit anxiety sub, for example, many users report reduced positive experiences of chamomile tea1,2,3.
Recently decided to replace a cup of coffee with chamomile tea, and so far, its been helping greatly in dealing with morning anxiety.
Chamomile tea works good for me. It is considered to be a sedative so it helps calm down your nervous system. Its also really well researched since people from all cultures have been using it for so long, so that is definitely a plus.
Without clinical trials, though, its impossible to say for sure whether chamomile tea really does reduce anxiety.
But, given the studies discussed earlier, it seems highly plausible that chamomile tea is also effective for reducing anxiety.
Health Benefits Of Chamomile:
Provides Relief From Digestive Troubles
Chamomile is highly valued for handling various digestive problems. This wonder herb is trusted to promote digestion, appetite and clear out toxins from the system. It stimulates the secretion of digestive juices thereby increasing the absorption of essential nutrients and enhancing digestion. In addition, the carminative properties are extremely effective in preventing fluid retention and treating conditions like flatulence, abdominal distension, bloating, abdominal pain, ulcerative colitis, and irritable bowel syndrome.Also Read: Sip On These Aromatic Herbal Teas For Digestive Health
Treats Anxiety
The active component apigenin in chamomile acts as a natural tranquilizer. The sedative nature of the plant calms nerves and reduces anxiety. Inhaling chamomile vapours from using the chamomile oil or drinking chamomile tea, helps the herb to bind with the benzodiazepine receptors in the brain, acting as a mild sedative and hypnotic agent. It also increases the secretion of serotonin and melatonin hormones in the body that alleviates symptoms of chronic anxiety and stress and treats disorders like hysteria, nightmares, and insomnia. Studies show that people drinking chamomile tea on a regular basis helps the mind to get rid of distraught thoughts, reduces mental fatigue and improves sleeping patterns. Also Read:Enjoy the soothing benefits of Herbal Tea
Prevents Stomach Cramps
Manages Blood Sugar Levels
Recommended Reading: How To Sleep Better With Anxiety
May Be Beneficial For Those With Diabetes
Chamomile may help improve blood sugar regulation in those with diabetes by supressing blood sugar levels and helping to improve liver glycogen storage.
One study of 64 adults with type 2 diabetes, who drank three cups of chamomile tea a day immediately after meals for eight weeks, showed a significant decrease in their HbA1C markers , as well as improved glycaemic control and blood lipid profile.