Apigenine is een flavonoïde die voorkomt in kamille en wordt verkocht als slaap- en kalmerings supplement in capsules van ongeveer 50 mg. De reden waarom mensen verwachten dat het werkt, is reëel: apigenine bindt aan dezelfde receptorplek die valium-achtige geneesmiddelen gebruiken, wat de oorsprong is van zijn kalmerende reputatie. Het menselijke bewijsmateriaal is dun en elke proef testte kamille-extract; voor de geïsoleerde capsule zelf bestaat er geen eigen bewijs. In kleine proeven verbeterde kamille de slaapkwaliteit matig over een paar weken en verlichtte het algemene angstgevoelens over enkele weken.
Het had geen effect op slapeloosheid als aandoening of op acute angst in het moment, en het voordeel bij pasgeboren moeders verdween binnen een maand. De zaak berust dus op het mechanisme en op deze kleine kamilleproeven. Kamillenthee is de gratis versie, en een kopje 's avonds is een aangename, goedkope manier om af te winden.
Findings & Outcomes
What It Is
Apigenin is a flavonoid, a plant pigment, and the compound most often credited for chamomile's calming effect. It occurs in German chamomile flowers, and in smaller amounts in parsley, celery, and a few other plants. It is sold as an isolated capsule of roughly 50 mg, marketed for sleep and relaxation, and it anchors many popular evening supplement stacks.
What It Does
Across human trials the picture is small and mixed, from a solid mechanism to an untested capsule, strongest first:
- Receptor mechanism, the best-established strand. In binding assays apigenin attaches to the benzodiazepine site of the GABA-A receptor at about 4 micromolar.
- Animal anxiety, in mice, apigenin cut anxiety-like behavior at doses comparable to benzodiazepines, without their sedation.
- Chamomile for sleep and mild anxiety, a meta-analysis pooling 12 small trials found chamomile improved self-rated sleep quality by a moderate amount, and two to four weeks of daily use eased generalized anxiety.
- Chamomile for insomnia and acute nerves: both null. In people with diagnosed insomnia, a standardized chamomile extract changed no sleep measure over 28 days. For short-term anxiety, the nerves of a stressful moment, the pooled trials found no effect at all.
Read each finding's direction together with its tier: the mechanism is solid but preclinical, and those 12 small trials show a real but modest chamomile benefit.
The Research & Studies
Everything here is based on the research we have collected and checked, sorted into groups and ordered with the strongest evidence first. Click any claim to open the studies behind it.
Anxiety And Stress
Chamomile extract cut anxiety more than placebo over 8 weeks in mild-to-moderate GAD (HAM-A, p=0.047)
Over 8 weeks, people with mild-to-moderate anxiety who took a standardized chamomile extract had a modestly bigger drop in their anxiety scores than those on a dummy capsule.
In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 57 outpatients with mild-to-moderate generalized anxiety disorder, a standardized chamomile extract (capsules standardized to 1.2% apigenin, escalated up to 1100 mg a day) over 8 weeks produced a significantly greater fall in the Hamilton Anxiety Rating (HAM-A) score than placebo (p=0.047), with tolerability similar to placebo. Measured in: 57 adult outpatients with mild-to-moderate GAD (28 chamomile, 29 placebo). A single small 8-week trial, and it tested whole chamomile extract, not isolated apigenin; the p-value (0.047) sat just under the 0.05 threshold, so the result is modest and awaits replication.
Who this may not transfer to:Mixed-sex outpatient sample with GAD; the finding is reported for adults with generalized anxiety.
The study · 1
Amsterdam et al., A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of oral Matricaria recutita (chamomile) extract therapy for generalized anxiety disorder · J Clin Psychopharmacol 2009
Long-term chamomile did not significantly lower GAD relapse versus placebo over 26 weeks
People whose anxiety had improved on chamomile were kept on it or switched to placebo; slightly fewer relapsed on chamomile, but the difference was small enough that it could have been chance.
After 12 weeks of open-label chamomile at 1500 mg a day, responders with generalized anxiety were randomized to 26 weeks of continued chamomile or placebo. Fewer people relapsed on chamomile than on placebo, but the difference in the primary outcome, time to relapse, did not reach statistical significance. Symptom scores stayed lower on chamomile and side effects were few. Measured in: Responders from a moderate-to-severe GAD cohort, randomized in the continuation phase. The relapse-prevention result was numerically in chamomile's favor but not statistically significant, so it does not establish that continued chamomile prevents relapse; it tested whole extract, not isolated apigenin.
Who this may not transfer to:Mixed-sex adults with moderate-to-severe GAD; the relapse finding is reported for that group.
The study · 1
Mao et al., Long-term chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla L.) treatment for generalized anxiety disorder: a randomized clinical trial · Phytomedicine 2016
Pooled across three trials, chamomile did not reduce short-term state anxiety (SMD -0.15)
When researchers pooled trials measuring in-the-moment anxiety, chamomile was no better than the comparison.
In the same review, a meta-analysis of three randomized trials found no significant effect of chamomile on state anxiety, the transient anxiety of the moment, with a standardized mean difference of -0.15 (95% CI -0.46 to 0.16, p=0.42). Measured in: Three randomized trials pooled for state anxiety. A small pooled set of three trials measuring short-term anxiety; a null here does not rule out the slower effect seen over weeks in generalized anxiety, but it does not support chamomile as an on-the-spot calmative.
Who this may not transfer to:Pooled across mixed-sex trials; the null state-anxiety result is reported for adults broadly.
The study · 1
Systematic review and meta-analysis: therapeutic efficacy and safety of chamomile for state anxiety, generalized anxiety disorder, insomnia, and sleep quality · Phytother Res 2019
Counts once: this finding and 1 other here come from the same source, so they are one body of evidence, not separate confirmations.
In mice, apigenin reduced anxiety-like behavior without sedation or muscle relaxation
Given to mice, apigenin made them behave less anxiously in a standard fear test, without the drowsiness or floppiness that sedative drugs cause.
In the elevated plus-maze, a standard rodent test of anxiety, apigenin reduced anxiety-like behavior in mice at doses comparable to those used for classical benzodiazepines, and did so without the sedation, muscle relaxation, or anticonvulsant effects those drugs produce. A slight sedative effect appeared only at higher doses. An animal behavioral result at injected or high oral doses in mice, which does not translate directly to a human taking a capsule; effective doses in people, if any, are not established.
The study · 1
Viola et al., Apigenin, a component of Matricaria recutita flowers, is a central benzodiazepine receptors-ligand with anxiolytic effects · Planta Med 1995
Counts once: this finding and 1 other here come from the same source, so they are one body of evidence, not separate confirmations.
Sleep
Across trials, chamomile improved sleep quality versus control (SMD -0.73)
Pooling a dozen small trials, people who took chamomile rated their sleep quality moderately better than those who did not.
A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized and quasi-randomized trials pooled the sleep-quality data and found chamomile improved self-rated sleep quality versus control, with a standardized mean difference of -0.73 (95% CI -1.23 to -0.23, p<0.005), a moderate effect. The review also found chamomile improved generalized anxiety over 2 and 4 weeks. Measured in: 12 randomized and quasi-randomized trials pooled across sleep and anxiety outcomes. The pooled trials were small, of varied quality, and tested chamomile preparations (tea, extract), not isolated apigenin; the wide confidence interval and mixed underlying trials keep this at emerging strength.
Who this may not transfer to:Pooled across mixed-sex trials in varied adult populations; the sleep-quality effect is reported for adults broadly.
The study · 1
Systematic review and meta-analysis: therapeutic efficacy and safety of chamomile for state anxiety, generalized anxiety disorder, insomnia, and sleep quality · Phytother Res 2019
Counts once: this finding and 1 other here come from the same source, so they are one body of evidence, not separate confirmations.
Standardized chamomile extract did not improve any sleep measure in chronic insomnia over 28 days
In people with diagnosed insomnia, a standardized chamomile extract twice a day for a month changed none of their sleep measurements compared with a dummy capsule.
In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot trial, 34 adults with chronic primary insomnia took 270 mg of standardized chamomile extract twice a day for 28 days. There were no significant differences from placebo in total sleep time, sleep efficiency, sleep latency, wakefulness after sleep onset, sleep quality, or number of awakenings. A modest, non-significant advantage appeared on daytime functioning. Measured in: 34 adults aged 18 to 65 with chronic primary insomnia. A small pilot trial (34 people) that may have been underpowered for small effects, but it found no signal on any sleep measure and tested extract, not isolated apigenin.
Who this may not transfer to:Mixed-sex adults with chronic primary insomnia; the null result is reported for that group.
The study · 1
Zick et al., Preliminary examination of the efficacy and safety of a standardized chamomile extract for chronic primary insomnia: a randomized placebo-controlled pilot study · BMC Complement Altern Med 2011
Chamomile extract 400 mg a day improved sleep quality in nursing-home elders over 28 days
Older adults in a care home who took chamomile extract for a month rated their sleep as better than those who did not.
In a single-blind randomized trial, 60 nursing-home residents aged 60 or older took 200 mg of chamomile extract twice a day (400 mg daily) or placebo for 28 days. The chamomile group improved their Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index scores significantly more than the control group (p<0.05). Measured in: 60 nursing-home residents aged 60 and older. A small, single-blind trial (60 people) at one care home, which is a weaker design than double-blind, and it tested whole extract, not isolated apigenin.
Who this may not transfer to:Mixed-sex older adults in residential care; the finding is reported for that population and may not extend to younger, healthier sleepers.
The study · 1
Adib-Hajbaghery and Mousavi, The effects of chamomile extract on sleep quality among elderly people: a clinical trial · Complement Ther Med 2017
Chamomile tea for 2 weeks improved sleep and mood in postnatal women, fading by week 4
New mothers who drank chamomile tea for two weeks slept better and felt less low right afterward, but a month later they were no different from the women who did not.
In a randomized controlled trial, 80 Taiwanese postnatal women with poor sleep drank chamomile tea daily for 2 weeks or received usual postpartum care. The chamomile group scored better on sleep quality and on depressive symptoms immediately after the 2 weeks, but at a 4-week follow-up the differences between the groups were no longer significant. Measured in: 80 postnatal women with poor sleep quality. The benefit was short-lived and gone by the 4-week follow-up, the control group got usual care, not a placebo tea (so expectation could contribute), and the drink was chamomile tea, not isolated apigenin.
Who this may not transfer to:Studied only in postnatal women; the finding is specific to that group and does not transfer to men or to the general population.
The study · 1
How it works
Apigenin binds the benzodiazepine site of the GABA-A receptor (Ki about 4 micromolar)
In lab tests apigenin latches onto the same brain receptor site that valium-type drugs use, which is why it is expected to calm, though it grips that site much more weakly than those drugs.
In receptor-binding assays apigenin competitively displaced flunitrazepam from the central benzodiazepine site of the GABA-A receptor, with an inhibition constant (Ki) of about 4 micromolar, and had no effect on muscarinic or alpha-1 adrenergic receptors or on the separate GABA (muscimol) binding site. This is the receptor apigenin's calming reputation is built on, the same site prescription benzodiazepines act at, though apigenin's affinity for it is far weaker. This is a test-tube binding result. A molecule binding a receptor in an assay does not establish that a swallowed dose reaches the brain in people or changes how they sleep or feel; apigenin also has low oral bioavailability, so how much crosses into the brain after a capsule is unclear.
The study · 1
Viola et al., Apigenin, a component of Matricaria recutita flowers, is a central benzodiazepine receptors-ligand with anxiolytic effects · Planta Med 1995
Counts once: this finding and 1 other here come from the same source, so they are one body of evidence, not separate confirmations.
Evidence And Methods
No human trial has tested isolated apigenin at supplement doses for sleep or anxiety
Nobody has run a human trial on the apigenin capsule people actually buy; the human evidence is all about chamomile, which contains apigenin plus a lot of other things.
As of early 2026 there is no published human clinical trial of an isolated apigenin capsule at the doses sold as sleep supplements (commonly 50 mg) for sleep or anxiety outcomes. The entire human record is on chamomile preparations, which deliver apigenin alongside many other compounds, so the popular apigenin-for-sleep claim rests on receptor mechanism and on small chamomile trials, not on studies of the supplement itself. This describes a gap in the literature, not a finding that apigenin fails; the absence of a trial is not evidence of no effect, only that the isolated supplement has not been tested in people.
The study · 1
Kramer and Johnson, Apigenin: a natural molecule at the intersection of sleep and aging · Front Nutr 2024
How It Works
Apigenin's calming claim has a clear mechanism and a clear weak point. The receptor part is solid.
The open question is whether enough of a swallowed dose actually reaches the brain to act on that receptor.
Anatomy of the Practice
1Binds the calming receptor
In binding assays apigenin attaches to the benzodiazepine site of the GABA-A receptor, the same site prescription benzodiazepines act at, with an inhibition constant of about 4 micromolar. GABA-A is the brain's principal inhibitory receptor, so a molecule binding it is expected to reduce neural excitability. Apigenin grips the site far more weakly than a benzodiazepine drug does. This is a test-tube result, and no one has measured it in a living brain.
2Calms mice without sedating them
Given to mice, apigenin reduced anxiety-like behavior in the elevated plus-maze at doses comparable to benzodiazepines, and did it without the sedation or muscle relaxation those drugs cause. A slight sedative effect appeared only at higher doses. These are mice, and whether an oral dose reaches the human brain in useful amounts is unknown.
3The missing step: getting into the brain
Apigenin is poorly absorbed and quickly cleared. Whether a 50 mg capsule pushes enough past the gut and liver into the brain to change sleep is untested in people.
Chamomile Is Not the Same as an Apigenin Capsule
Every human result here comes from chamomile, which carries far more than apigenin. No trial has ever tested the isolated apigenin capsule itself for sleep or anxiety, so the human case for the supplement comes entirely from the plant. Over 8 weeks in mild-to-moderate generalized anxiety, a standardized chamomile extract did a little better than placebo, but the difference was small enough that it could have been chance.
Chamomile's benefit can also fade. A trial in new mothers found better sleep and a lift in low mood for two weeks, then no difference at the 4-week mark.
Getting the Dose Right
The doses actually tested were chamomile extracts standardized to their apigenin content. The elderly-sleep trial used 400 mg a day; the generalized-anxiety trial escalated to about 1100 mg a day of a 1.2% apigenin extract. Chamomile was well tolerated across those trials, with only mild side effects reported.
Ways to Do It
Start with chamomile tea. It carries the human evidence and costs almost nothing.
This is the food-first route and the one most of the human trials used. A bag or a spoon of dried German chamomile flowers steeped for several minutes makes a warm, calming drink for the hour before bed. In the trials, chamomile tea and extract lifted sleep quality over two weeks or so. It is inexpensive, pleasant, and the ritual of a warm drink and winding down is part of the effect.
A chamomile extract standardized for apigenin is the form the sleep and anxiety trials actually used, at the doses covered above. It is the version with human data behind it.
The popular sleep-stack option, usually around 50 mg. Its case is the receptor mechanism plus the chamomile results, so expect a mild calming effect at most.
Supplements are loosely regulated, and what is in the capsule is not always what is on the label. An independent testing mark, such as NSF or Informed Choice, is the simplest way to confirm the capsule holds what it claims and is free of contaminants.
Go Deeper
- Insomnia: where a mild supplement fits in treating insomnia, and where it does not.
- L-theanine: a better-studied option for calm and sleep.
- Magnesium: a mineral with more human sleep trials behind it.
- CBT-I: the behavioral program with the strongest evidence in this library for insomnia treated as a condition.
The Chinese Medicine View
Apigenin is a modern laboratory isolate, and German chamomile is a European herb, absent from the classical Chinese materia medica. The reading below is one interpretation of the plant, not a classical claim.
A mild, cooling flower taken to settle the mind before sleep sits close to what Chinese medicine calls calming the Shen. The Shen is the spirit said to reside in the Heart, unsettled by worry and restless sleep. The tradition has its own herbs for that work, such as suan zao ren, sour jujube seed. A practitioner would reach for those, chosen to the person, before chamomile.
The same tradition warns against treating any calming herb as suitable for everyone. A cool, downward-settling substance fits someone agitated and warm more than someone who runs cold or whose digestion is weak. Restless sleep in this framework covers several distinct patterns, each calling for a different remedy.
Cautions For This Practice
Everything to be aware of is here, in one place. This practice suits most healthy people; a few situations call for real care.
Chamomile caused only mild side effects in trials, similar to placebo
Across the randomized trials in the systematic review, chamomile was well tolerated: only mild adverse events were reported, and in the controlled trials the rate was similar to placebo. Chamomile tea and extract have a long record of ordinary dietary use. Good tolerability in short trials of chamomile does not cover isolated apigenin at higher supplement doses, allergic reactions in sensitized people, or long-term use, none of which the trials were built to detect.Systematic review and meta-analysis: therapeutic efficacy and safety of chamomile for state anxiety, generalized anxiety disorder, insomnia, and sleep quality
Chamomile can trigger allergic reactions, including rare anaphylaxis, in people allergic to ragweed and related plants
Chamomile is in the Asteraceae (daisy) family, and case reports document allergic reactions to it, including rare severe anaphylaxis after chamomile tea. Cross-reactivity has been demonstrated with the pollens of ragweed and mugwort, so people allergic to those plants are the ones most at risk. Severe reactions are rare and documented mainly in case reports, not measured in trials, so the true frequency is unknown; the risk concentrates in people already allergic to ragweed and related plants.Subiza et al., Anaphylactic reaction after the ingestion of chamomile tea: a study of cross-reactivity with other composite pollensKljucevsek et al., Allergic potential of medicinal plants from the Asteraceae family
A case report links chamomile with a dangerous rise in INR and bleeding on warfarin
A published case report describes a 70-year-old woman on stable warfarin who developed multiple internal hemorrhages and a markedly elevated INR (7.9) after using chamomile products, with the interaction attributed to chamomile's coumarin constituents potentiating the anticoagulant. This is a single case report, which cannot prove cause on its own, but chamomile contains coumarins and the mechanism is plausible, so anyone on warfarin or another anticoagulant has reason to be cautious.Segal and Pilote, Warfarin interaction with Matricaria chamomilla
Allergy, especially if you react to ragweed
Chamomile is in the daisy (Asteraceae) family, and people allergic to ragweed, mugwort, or related plants can react to it. Reactions are usually mild, but rare severe anaphylaxis after chamomile tea has been documented. If you are allergic to those pollens or plants, be cautious with chamomile in any form. Stop at any sign of a reaction: hives, swelling, trouble breathing.
If you take warfarin or another blood thinner
Chamomile contains coumarins, and a case report describes a person on stable warfarin who developed serious bleeding and a very high INR after adding chamomile products. One case does not prove the interaction, but the mechanism is plausible. If you take warfarin or another anticoagulant, mention chamomile or apigenin to whoever manages your anticoagulation before adding it.
Pregnancy and breastfeeding are not well studied
There is not enough safety data on concentrated chamomile or apigenin supplements in pregnancy or breastfeeding, and chamomile has a traditional reputation for affecting the uterus. Ordinary chamomile tea is a much smaller amount, but for a concentrated supplement while pregnant or nursing, check with a clinician first.
It is a mild aid, not a treatment for a disorder
The effect measured for chamomile is a mild steadying and a small gain in sleep quality over weeks. Significant or persistent insomnia, anxiety, or low mood is something a clinician can assess and treat, and neither chamomile nor apigenin is a substitute for that care. Use it for what it does, and get the larger problem looked at.
Sedatives and around surgery
Apigenin acts on the same receptor as sedative drugs, so be cautious about combining it with prescription sedatives or alcohol. Tell your care team about any supplement before a planned surgery; it is simple to pause beforehand.
Start slow, be smart, read the research, and consult a professional if you have any concerns. This is here to inform your choice, not make it for you.
Common Questions
Does apigenin actually help you sleep?
For the isolated capsule, no study has measured it directly. Chamomile, the plant it comes from, gave a small lift in sleep quality over a few weeks in small trials. The expectation is mild calm, no more.
How much apigenin should I take, and is it safe?
Isolate capsules are usually about 50 mg, a number set by custom, not by any trial. The chamomile extracts studied ran higher, from 400 to 1100 mg a day. The cautions matter more than the milligram count: allergy, a possible warfarin interaction, and thin data in pregnancy.
Why is apigenin in so many sleep supplements if the evidence is thin?
Because the mechanism is easy to tell and it sells: apigenin binds a well-known calming receptor. The receptor binding and the small chamomile trials make a mild effect plausible, though no trial has put a 50 mg apigenin capsule to the test.
Explore Related
Other pages this one connects to, by the evidence they share, the outcomes they touch, and the ground they cover.
All 14 sources on this page independently checked and cross-referenced.
Thomas Dehli, Founder & Editor, Sacred Lotus
Sacred Lotus has published Chinese medicine reference material since 2001. Integrative pages are held to the same standard as the herb and formula library: cite the source, grade the claim at its real strength, and say where the research has not looked. This page is educational and it is not medical advice. Last reviewed and updated August 15, 2026.
Evidence strength
How confidently the research supports a claim. Strength describes the evidence, not our endorsement.