Chamomile tea is an herb made from chamomile flowers that provides several health benefits.
The flowers are dried and then mixed with boiling water to make chamomile tea.
Many people enjoy chamomile tea as a caffeine-free alternative and for its somewhat sweet taste.
In addition, chamomile tea is full of antioxidants that can help reduce the risk of multiple conditions, including heart disease and cancer.
Here are seven evidence-based health benefits of chamomile tea.
Table of Contents
1. Protects Against Cancer
The antioxidant apigenin in chamomile tea may reduce the occurrence of many types of cancer.
In test tube study, it has shown that apigenin can fight cancer cells, particularly breast, digestive tract, skin, prostate, and uterus cancers.
A large-scale study of 537 participants found that those who drank chamomile tea 2–6 times a week were much less likely to develop thyroid cancer than those who did not drink chamomile tea.
These results are promising but, to conclude on the role of chamomile tea in cancer prevention, we need a high-quality human study (1, 2, 3, 4).
2. Helps People with diabetes
Chamomile tea can help lower blood sugar levels. The anti-inflammatory properties of chamomile tea can reduce the damage of pancreatic cells when your blood sugar levels are high.
Your pancreatic health is fundamental because it generates insulin, the hormone that removes sugar from your blood.
In a study in people with diabetes, those who consumed chamomile tea daily with meals for eight weeks had reduced blood sugar levels.
In addition, several animal studies show that chamomile tea may decrease fasting blood sugar and may also be useful in preventing blood sugar spikes after eating (5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10).
3. Helps People With Insomnia
Chamomile tea has some unique properties that can improve sleep quality. For example, it contains an antioxidant called apigenin that connects your brain to certain receptors and decreases insomnia.
Postpartum females who consumed chamomile tea for two weeks noticed better sleep quality compared to the control group.
They also had fewer depression symptoms, which are often associated with sleeping disorders.
Another study discovered that people who consumed 270 mg of chamomile extract twice daily for 28 days had fewer nighttime awakenings and fell asleep 15 minutes quicker than those who did not consume the extract (11, 12, 13, 14).
4. Improves Heart Health
Chamomile tea contains a lot of flavone antioxidants. Flavones are flavonoids that can help reduce blood pressure and cholesterol levels, which are significant markers of heart disease.
One study in 64 diabetic patients discovered that those drinking chamomile tea with snacks had significant changes in their complete levels of cholesterol, triglycerides, and LDL (bad) cholesterol compared to those drinking water.
More studies are needed to understand the role of chamomile tea in heart health (15, 16, 17).
5. Can Improve Digestion
Proper digestion is important for your overall health. Evidence shows that chamomile can help with proper digestion and may reduce the danger of certain gastrointestinal conditions.
Studies in mice have found that chamomile extract can protect against diarrhea because of its anti-inflammatory properties. Another research in mice discovered chamomile can prevent stomach ulcers.
This means it may decrease stomach acidity and inhibit the growth of ulcer-developing bacteria.
Despite these findings, we need further human studies to verify the role of chamomile in proper digestion (18, 19, 20).
6. Boosts Immune Health
People usually use chamomile tea as a remedy to prevent and treat the common cold, but there is no concrete evidence to support this.
There are some anecdotal claims that chamomile can relieve sore throats. Many studies have shown that it works as an excellent disease preventive herb.
In addition, it fights harmful bacteria and can boost your immune system (21).
7. Relieves Depression and Anxiety
The world today is busy, which can make us feel even more nervous and stressed. Chamomile tea is a mild relaxant and acts as an efficient natural sedative, decreasing anxiety. There is some proof that chamomile may decrease anxiety and depression severity, but it may be possible to use it as aromatherapy or as a supplement (22, 23, 24, 25).
Other health benefits of chamomile tea
Chamomile tea’s following health advantages are mostly anecdotal and not endorsed by scientific evidence:
May improves skin health. Chamomile application to the skin through cosmetic products such as lotions, creams, and soaps can be useful in decreasing skin swelling (26, 27, 28).
May prevents bone loss. Some people claim that chamomile tea can play a part in preventing bone loss, benefiting people with osteoporosis. However, there is no evidence to support this claim (29).
May reduces period pain in women. Chamomile tea has pain-relieving and antispasmodic qualities, according to WebMD. It relaxes the uterus and reduces prostaglandin output, inflammation, and pain.
Side Effects
Drinking chamomile tea does not cause side effects.
Some reports show chamomile allergic reaction, which is most probable to happen in people allergic to daisy family plants, such as ragweed and chrysanthemums.
In addition, direct contact of cosmetic products containing chamomile may irritate the eyes. This can lead to conjunctivitis and inflammation of the eye.
However, the safety of chamomile in young kids, pregnant or nursing females, or people with liver or kidney disease has not been studied.
Conclusion
Chamomile tea is rich in some strong antioxidants that can have a range of health benefits, including cancer and heart disease reduction.
While some studies are promising, but there have been insufficient studies to conclude on its health effects.
They have conducted many of the studies in animals, and it cannot pass on the results to humans.
Chamomile, however, is safe to drink, and for its delightful flavor and comforting aroma, many people enjoy drinking it.