Does Chamomile Tea Have Caffeine? No, With One Exception

Does Chamomile Tea Have Caffeine? No, With One Exception

Plain chamomile tea contains 0 mg of caffeine. USDA FoodData Central lists brewed chamomile at 0.0 mg per 100 g, and both Bigelow and Celestial Seasonings list their chamomile teas at 0 mg on their own pages. The exception: chamomile blended with green or black tea carries caffeine from that tea leaf (Bigelow puts straight green and black teas at 25 to 60 mg per cup).

Caffeine in Chamomile Tea, by Source

Source: USDA FoodData Central (per 100 g, converted at 237 g per 8 fl oz) and brand product pages, checked Oct 31, 2026.

Why Chamomile Has No Caffeine

Caffeine occurs naturally in the leaves of Camellia sinensis (the plant behind green, black, white, and oolong tea), plus coffee beans, cacao, guarana, and yerba mate. Chamomile is none of those. It is German chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla), a flower related to ragweed and daisies, according to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH).

Bigelow puts it plainly on their caffeine guide: herbal teas "contain zero caffeine because they are not made from tea leaves but rather herbs, flowers, and other botanicals." If the ingredient list has no Camellia sinensis, there is no caffeine.

When a Chamomile Tea Does Contain Caffeine

Read the ingredient line, not just the front of the box. Any blend that pairs chamomile with green, black, or white tea carries caffeine from that tea leaf. Bigelow's published ranges: green teas deliver 25 to 50 mg and black teas 30 to 60 mg per 8 oz cup.

Then there is the "decaf" trap. Celestial Seasonings sells Sleepytime Decaf Lemon Jasmine, a decaffeinated green tea blended with the classic Sleepytime herbs. Celestial's product page shows a "Caffeine Meter" of 0 mg. Bigelow, by contrast, states that decaffeinated teas still contain 1 to 8 mg of caffeine per cup, and USDA lists brewed decaf black tea at about 2 mg per 8 fl oz. Both numbers are what each company publishes. The safe takeaway: decaf tea is low-caffeine, not zero-caffeine, while a pure chamomile herbal is genuinely 0 mg.

Is Chamomile Tea Good Before Bed?

Because chamomile contains no caffeine, a cup before bed adds zero stimulant load to your evening. Whether it actively improves sleep is a different question, and the evidence is limited.

NCCIH notes that a 2019 review found one insomnia study using chamomile, and it showed no benefit. A 2019 meta-analysis of 12 RCTs by Hieu et al. (Phytotherapy Research) found improved sleep quality scores (SMD -0.73, 95% CI -1.23 to -0.23), but its single insomnia trial showed no significant change in insomnia severity. The abstract does not separate tea from extract or supplement form. Conclusion: some trial evidence for sleep quality, none for insomnia, and the authors called for larger studies.

Who Should Check Before Drinking Chamomile

NCCIH flags a few groups:

• Ragweed or daisy-family allergies. People allergic to ragweed, chrysanthemums, marigolds, or daisies may react to chamomile.
• Warfarin or liver-metabolized drugs. Interactions between chamomile and warfarin, plus drugs processed by the liver, have been reported.
• Pregnancy and breastfeeding. NCCIH states that little is known about chamomile's safety during pregnancy or while breastfeeding.

If any of those apply, ask a clinician or pharmacist before adding chamomile to your routine.

Related from Roon

• Does Earl Grey Have Caffeine?
• Does Oolong Tea Have Caffeine?
• Energy Tea Without Caffeine
• Apigenin, GABA Receptors, and Chamomile

Frequently Asked Questions

Is chamomile tea caffeine-free?

Yes, when the box contains 100% chamomile (or other herbal ingredients and no tea leaf). Both USDA and major brands like Bigelow and Celestial Seasonings list pure chamomile at 0 mg. Always check the ingredient line: if Camellia sinensis appears, the blend is not caffeine-free.

Does Sleepytime tea have caffeine?

Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime Classic is an herbal blend with 0 mg caffeine per the brand's product page. Their Sleepytime Decaf Lemon Jasmine line, however, uses decaffeinated green tea. Celestial labels it at 0 mg on its caffeine meter, though Bigelow notes decaf teas generally contain 1 to 8 mg per cup.

Can I drink chamomile tea while cutting caffeine?

Absolutely. A cup of pure chamomile adds 0 mg to your daily total. For reference, the FDA cites 400 mg per day as an amount not generally linked to negative effects for most adults, but if you are reducing caffeine intake, chamomile is one herbal option that will not work against you.

Does chamomile tea have caffeine if it contains green tea?

Yes. The caffeine comes from the green tea leaf, not the chamomile. Bigelow lists green teas at 25 to 50 mg per 8 oz cup. If your chamomile blend includes green or black tea in the ingredients, treat it as a caffeinated drink.

Caffeine When You Want It, Chamomile When You Don't

Chamomile covers the evening side of the equation: 0 mg, warm, no stimulant. For the hours when you actually want a caffeine lift, Roon is built around the opposite goal: sustained focus from a single 80 mg caffeine pouch (roughly 1.7 cups of USDA-brewed black tea or 2.8 cups of green tea), paired with 60 mg L-theanine, 25 mg methylliberine (Dynamine), and 5 mg theacrine (TeaCrine).

Methylliberine slows how the body clears caffeine. A randomized, double-blind crossover PK study (n=12) found that 100 mg methylliberine with 150 mg caffeine extended caffeine's half-life from 7.2 to 15 hours, with no increase in peak concentration. Roon's pouch uses 25 mg methylliberine with 80 mg caffeine, about a quarter of the study's methylliberine and half its caffeine, so the direction of the effect applies while the exact numbers do not. That translates to a 6 to 8 hour working window, not a 15-hour buzz. Because that tail runs long, finish your last pouch at least 8 hours before you plan to sleep, right around the time a cup of chamomile starts to make sense.

Tins start from $9.16 each, with 15 pouches per tin and zero nicotine. Caffeine for the first half of the day, chamomile for the second.

Sources

• USDA FoodData Central: Brewed Chamomile Tea (FDC 174156)
• USDA FoodData Central: Brewed Green Tea (FDC 171917)
• USDA FoodData Central: Brewed Black Tea (FDC 173227)
• USDA FoodData Central: Brewed Decaf Black Tea (FDC 174871)
• Bigelow Tea: How Much Caffeine Is in Tea?
• Bigelow Cozy Chamomile Herbal Tea
• Celestial Seasonings: Sleepytime Herbal Tea
• Celestial Seasonings: Sleepytime Decaf Lemon Jasmine Green Tea
• NCCIH: Chamomile
• Hieu et al. (2019), Phytotherapy Research, PMID 31006899
• FDA: Spilling the Beans: How Much Caffeine Is Too Much?
• Mondal et al. (2022), caffeine and methylliberine PK study, Journal of Exercise and Nutrition

Written by Roon Team