Are There Any Health Benefits of Chamomile Tea?

Chamomile tea is developed from dried chamomile flowers consumed for hundreds of years as a natural remedy for various health problems. It’s a popular beverage that offers several benefits to our health.

Plenty of people enjoy the tea with an earthy and slightly sweet taste as a caffeine-free alternative to green or black tea. In addition, chamomile tea contains antioxidants that have a role in reducing your risk of numerous diseases, including cancer and heart disease. Also, the herb has properties that can help in digestion and sleep.

The following are the potential health benefits of chamomile tea:

Promotes Proper Digestion

Proper digestion is essential for the improvement of your overall health. Evidence, albeit limited, suggests that chamomile tea may help improve digestion by decreasing certain gastrointestinal condition risks.

Some studies in mice found that chamomile extract may protect against diarrhea due to the herb’s anti-inflammatory properties. Another study found chamomile helpful in preventing stomach ulcers in rats, as it may decrease stomach activity and repress bacterial growth that instigates ulcer development.

Despite the lack of sufficient evidence, there are several claims that drinking chamomile tea soothes the stomach. The tea was traditionally used to treat numerous digestive ailments such as gas and nausea.

Improves Heart Health

Chamomile tea is rich in an antioxidant class called flavones. This antioxidant class has been researched for its potential to decrease cholesterol and blood pressure levels, which are vital markers of your risk of heart disease.

One study involving 64 diabetic patients showed that those who consumed chamomile tea along with their meals had notable improvements in their total levels of triglyceride, cholesterol, and “bad” LDL cholesterol compared to the ones who only consumed water.

Benefits Blood Sugar Control

Aside from the health benefits mentioned above, chamomile tea may also help in lowering blood sugar levels. In addition, the tea contains anti-inflammatory properties that may prevent pancreatic cell damage, which happens when the blood sugar levels are highly elevated.

Your pancreatic health is significant, as it provides insulin— the hormone responsible for extracting sugar from your blood.

One study involving 64 diabetic participants found that the ones who drank chamomile tea every day for eight weeks along with meals had notably lower average blood sugar levels than the ones who only drank water.

Furthermore, numerous animal research suggests that the tea may decrease fasting blood sugar levels substantially. Thus, it may also help prevent spikes in blood sugar levels after eating.

Improves Quality of Sleep

Chamomile has several unique properties that can be beneficial to your sleep quality. It contains the antioxidant apigenin, which binds to specific brain receptors that may reduce insomnia and promote sleepiness.

One study found that postpartum women who ingested chamomile tea for two weeks have a much better sleep quality than a group that didn’t drink the tea. In addition, they had lesser symptoms of depression, which is usually associated with sleeping patterns.

In another study, the people who drank 270 mg of chamomile extract two times a day for 28 days had one-third less awakening at night and dozed off 15 minutes faster than ones who didn’t drink the extract.

Protects Against Certain Types of Cancer

Chamomile tea contains antioxidants that were associated with a lower incidence of particular cancer types. The antioxidant apigenin, in particular, has been studied and was shown to combat cancer cells, especially those of the uterus, breast, prostate, skin, and digestive tract.

Moreover, a study involving 537 people perceived that the people who drank chamomile tea 2–6 times a week have less chance of developing thyroid cancer than those who didn’t.

These are promising findings, but more human research is necessary to conclude chamomile tea’s role in preventing cancer.

Additional Potential Health Benefits of Chamomile Tea

dried chamomile flowers, teapot, strainer

The following benefits are primarily anecdotal and are not backed by scientific research:

  • Relieves anxiety and depression: Some evidence claim that chamomile tea may decrease the gravity of anxiety and depression. Still, it’s primarily based on taking it as a supplement or using it in aromatherapy.
  • Prevents bone loss: There are several claims that chamomile tea may play a part in preventing bone loss that leads to ailments such as osteoporosis. However, there isn’t enough evidence for this.
  • Boosts immune health: Drinking chamomile tea is a strategy often promoted to prevent and treat the common cold, although evidence for this isn’t sufficient. It has also been said to soothe sore throats.
  • Improves skin health: Applying chamomile tea to the skin through cosmetic products such as soaps, lotions, and eye creams, can be moisturizing and effective in reducing the inflammation of the skin.

Although most of these claims of the benefits chamomile tea provide to our health lack substantial evidence, it doesn’t imply they’re fallacious. They just haven’t gone through extensive research yet, but they might be soon.