12/01/2025
Drinking chamomile tea is an incredible way to calm the nervous system and have the deepest sleep of your life due to the presence of its active compound, apigenin, which binds to GABA receptors in the brain. This binding has a sedative effective, reducing anxiety and slowing down the nervous system to encourage drowsiness. Additionally, chamomile contains melatonin, a hormone that regulates the sleep-wake cycle.
To elaborate on the mechanisms of action:
📑GABA receptor modulation: APIGENIN, a key compound in chamomile, produces sedative effects by affecting GABA receptors. GABA is a neurotransmitter that calms the nervous system.
📑Neurotransmitter pathways: Chamomile influences other neurotransmitter pathways, including those for serotonin, dopamine, and noradrenaline, which play roles in mood and anxiety.
📑Hypothalamaic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis: Some evidence suggests chamomile can modulate the HPA axis, a system that regulates the body’s stress response, reducing symptoms of anxiety over time.
EVIDENCE IN HUMAN STUDIES:
📑Reduced anxiety symptoms: A randomized, controlled trial found that chamomile extract was significantly more effective than a placebo in reducing overall anxiety symptom scores in patients with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) after just 8 weeks of treatment.
📑Long-term effects: long-term use may lead to even better long-term benefits on psychological well-being and may help prolong the time to relapse of anxiety symptoms.
📑Well-tolerated: Chamomile has general been reported as well-tolerated in studies, with very few mild side effects.
PMID: 38784853, 21132119
