Lemon Balm and Chamomile Tea: What to Know

Quick answer

We found no trial in adults that tested lemon balm and chamomile together. On its own, each has early evidence for self-rated sleep, mostly from extracts at about 400 mg a day rather than tea. High single doses of lemon balm lowered alertness, and NCCIH says chamomile might interact with sedatives.^1,2,3,4

Key facts

NCCIH notes that some chamomile studies tested it mixed with other herbs, which makes chamomile's own part hard to judge.⁴
Our Sleep formula has 100 mg each of chamomile and lemon balm extract, a quarter or less of the amounts in the sleep trials of each.^2,5
LiverTox reports no link to raised liver enzymes or liver injury for either herb.^6,7
People allergic to ragweed, chrysanthemums, marigolds or daisies are more likely to react to chamomile.⁴

What is known about the pair

We found no trial in adults that tested lemon balm and chamomile as a pair, only mixtures that added other herbs. That matters, because mixtures are part of why the evidence on chamomile is hard to read.⁴

NCCIH says studies of chamomile for specific health problems have not produced enough reliable evidence to rate how useful it is, partly because some tested it mixed with other herbs.⁴

What the two share is a proposed link to GABA, a calming messenger in the brain. Apigenin from chamomile acted on GABA receptors in laboratory and animal work, and one lemon balm extract slowed the breakdown of GABA. Neither link has been measured in people.^5,8

What each has shown for sleep

Each herb has small sleep trials of its own, graded early. None of those trials included the other herb.

May modestly improve self-rated sleep quality in adults who sleep poorly*^1,5,9,10

Early evidence

A 2024 review of 10 trials with 772 people found that chamomile lowered scores on a standard sleep quality questionnaire by about 1.9 points in pooled data from five trials, but results varied widely between trials. Night waking was better in two of three trials, while sleep length, sleep efficiency and daytime functioning did not change. In a double-blind US pilot trial in 34 adults who had slept poorly for at least six months, 270 mg twice a day for 28 days did not differ significantly from placebo on sleep diaries. Only one trial in the review checked the product it used.

Amount studied: Extract capsules of 400 to 540 mg a day for four weeks; chamomile tea for two weeks in one trial

May improve self-rated sleep quality, in short trials of one extract*^2,8,11

Early evidence

Two randomized trials tested the same phospholipid-bound extract at 400 mg a day. In 100 adults with poor sleep or moderate stress, three weeks lowered scores on a standard sleep quality questionnaire much more than placebo, but the lemon balm group started with worse sleep. In a crossover trial of 30 adults, 400 mg taken 30 minutes before bed for two weeks lowered a sleep difficulty score by 2.9 points more than placebo; its lead author directs the company that sells the product. An earlier 15-day open trial of 600 mg a day of another extract had no placebo group.

Amount studied: 400 mg a day of a phospholipid-bound extract for two to three weeks

Both placebo-controlled sleep trials used one branded extract bound to phospholipids, made for better absorption. Results from it may not apply to other lemon balm products.^2,11

In a cup of tea

The trials that found something mostly used capsules, not tea. The one chamomile sleep trial that used tea gave new mothers two weeks of it, and its difference from usual care was gone four weeks later. We found no placebo-controlled trial of lemon balm tea.^2,10

Two different plants are sold as chamomile: German chamomile (Matricaria recutita) and Roman chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile). They contain similar compounds, and most research, including NIH's fact sheet, is on German chamomile.^4,12

Lemon balm products are made from the leaves. Different preparations of the same plant can act differently: in one study, a dried leaf product had effects that an earlier extract did not.^7,13

None of the trials we read measured how much of either herb's compounds a cup of tea delivers, so a tea cannot be matched to the capsule amounts below.

Amounts in the studies

Chamomile and lemon balm side by side^{4,5,6,7,9,11,13,14}
	Chamomile	Lemon balm
Part used	Flowers, sometimes leaves	Leaves
Amounts in sleep trials	Extract, 400 to 540 mg a day for four weeks	Phospholipid-bound extract, 400 mg a day for two to three weeks
Other amounts studied	Up to 1,500 mg of extract a day for 12 weeks	Single doses of 300 to 1,600 mg in mood studies
Upper limit	None set	None set
Our Sleep formula	100 mg of extract, from the flower	100 mg of extract, from stem, leaves and flower

What's in ours

What’s in ours

Sleep: Chamomile Extract, 100 mg per serving, from the label

What’s in ours

Sleep: Lemon Balm Extract, 100 mg per serving, from the label

Both herbs are in our Sleep formula, with passionflower, valerian, GABA, L-tryptophan and melatonin. Its label gives no extract strength for either herb, and its lemon balm includes stem and flower while the studies used leaf, so we make no claim for either herb in it.⁷

Side effects, medicines and who should ask first

Allergic reactions can occur, including severe reactions (anaphylaxis) in some people. They are more likely in people allergic to ragweed, chrysanthemums, marigolds or daisies.^4,12

In single-dose studies, the highest dose of one extract lowered alertness for several hours, and some doses slowed timed memory tasks.^3,13

Both may add to drowsiness from other sources. NCCIH says there are theoretical reasons chamomile might interact with sedatives, and the highest single dose of one lemon balm extract lowered alertness throughout the 6 hours measured. If you take a sedative or a sleep medicine, ask your doctor before adding either herb.^3,4

Ask your pharmacist or doctor first

Interactions between chamomile and warfarin have been reported. In one published case, a woman taking warfarin was admitted to hospital with internal bleeding after using chamomile tea and lotion. The warfarin label asks for more frequent INR blood tests whenever an herbal product is started or stopped.^4,15,16,17

Reported in studies

Ask your pharmacist or doctor first

Chamomile might have some of the same effects as estrogen. NCCIH says preliminary studies suggest that taking chamomile with birth control pills might make the pills less effective.⁴

Reported in studies

In test tube studies, freeze-dried lemon balm extract blocked thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) from binding to human thyroid cell membranes. We found no study testing whether this happens in people taking a supplement.¹⁸

Do not use chamomile if you have had an allergic reaction to it, and ask first if you are allergic to ragweed or daisies⁴
Ask your doctor first if you take warfarin or another blood thinner, birth control pills or other hormone medicines⁴
Ask first if you have a thyroid condition or take thyroid medicine¹⁸
Ask first if you have a condition sensitive to estrogen, such as breast or uterine cancer⁴
Ask first if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, or before giving either herb to anyone under 18^12,19

Questions people ask

Does lemon balm and chamomile tea help with sleep?

No trial we found tested the two as a tea. Each herb has early evidence for self-rated sleep on its own, mostly from extract capsules of about 400 mg a day, and the one chamomile tea trial saw its difference fade within four weeks of stopping.^1,2,10

Can you drink lemon balm and chamomile tea every day?

Neither herb has an upper limit, NCCIH says chamomile is likely safe in the amounts found in teas, and LiverTox links neither to liver injury. The longest trials used extracts, not tea: 38 weeks in all for chamomile, and 96 weeks for lemon balm.^4,6,7,14,20

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Sources

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

This page is information, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about your own situation.