How to Make Chamomile Tea

To make chamomile tea, steep one teaspoon of dried chamomile flowers, or one tea bag, in a cup of just-boiled water for 5 to 7 minutes, with the cup covered. Strain and enjoy. Those two details, covering the cup and giving it the full steep, are what turn a pale, weak cup into a fragrant, properly calming one, because they keep chamomile's relaxing compounds in your tea instead of in the steam.* [1]

What You Need

• 1 teaspoon of dried chamomile flowers, or 1 chamomile tea bag, per cup
•  250 ml (1 cup) of fresh water, just off the boil (around 93°C / 200°F)
• A cup, plus a lid or small saucer to cover it
• A strainer, if you are using loose flowers

Step by Step

1. Boil fresh water and let it settle for a few seconds off the boil. Chamomile is a hardy flower, so there is no need to cool the water the way you would for green tea.
2. Add your chamomile to the cup: one teaspoon of loose flowers or one bag.
3. Pour the water over and immediately cover the cup with a lid or saucer.
4. Steep for 5 minutes, or up to 7 for a stronger, more calming cup.
5. Strain the flowers, or lift out the bag, and sip slowly.

The Two Steps Most People Miss

1. Cover the Cup

Chamomile's calming power lives partly in its aromatic oils, including alpha-bisabolol and chamazulene, the part you can smell.* [1] Leave the cup open and those volatile oils drift away in the steam. A saucer on top traps them and sends them back into your tea. When you lift it, breathe in: that fragrance is part of the benefit.

2. Give It the Full Steep

Flowers release their compounds more slowly than a black tea bag. Apigenin, chamomile's key calming flavonoid, needs time in hot water to extract. [1] [2] A two-minute dunk leaves most of it behind. Five to seven minutes is the sweet spot.

How to Make Chamomile Tea From Fresh Flowers

Use about two teaspoons of fresh chamomile flowers per cup, roughly double the dried amount, because fresh flowers hold more water. Rinse them gently, then steep covered for 5 minutes exactly as above. Fresh chamomile tastes lighter and grassier; dried tastes sweeter and more honey-like.

How to Make It Taste Better

• Honey: a small spoonful brings out chamomile's natural honey notes.
• Lemon: a thin slice adds brightness.
• Warm milk: turns it into a creamy, comforting bedtime drink.
• Mint: a few peppermint leaves add a cool lift and settle the stomach.*
• Iced: brew it double strength, cool it, and pour over ice for a summer version.

How to Make It Work Even Better for Sleep

Pair chamomile with valerian root, the other most studied sleep herb.* Chamomile's apigenin calms a busy mind; valerian's valerenic acid amplifies GABA, the brain's main calming signal.* [2] [3] Together they help you fall asleep faster and stay asleep. A 2024 meta analysis of chamomile trials found it especially improved staying asleep.* [4]

Our caffeine-free Sleep Restore Tea does the blending for you: chamomile and valerian root with peppermint, spearmint, lemongrass, hibiscus, rosehip and blue cornflower in whole-leaf pyramid bags. Same method: just-boiled water, covered, 5 to 7 minutes.

Best timing: brew it about 45 minutes before bed as part of your wind-down. More in our complete guide to tea for sleep.

The Avodah Moment: Brewing Is the Ritual

Avodah means devotion and service. Most of your day is spent doing things for others, quickly. Making chamomile tea is one of the few tasks that asks you to slow down.

Listen to the kettle. Watch the flowers unfold and the water turn gold. Set the saucer on top and give it the full five minutes, without checking your phone, without starting something else. Lift the lid and breathe in. Those few minutes of waiting are not wasted time. They are the point.

You cannot pour from an empty cup. This is where you fill yours.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How long should I steep chamomile tea?

5 minutes for a standard cup, up to 7 for a stronger, more calming one. Keep it covered while it steeps.

Can I make chamomile tea from fresh flowers?

Yes. Use about two teaspoons of fresh flowers per cup, double the dried amount, and steep the same way.

What water temperature is best for chamomile tea?

Just off the boil, around 93°C or 200°F. Chamomile is hardy, so you do not need to cool the water.

Should I cover chamomile tea while it steeps?

Yes. Covering the cup keeps chamomile's calming aromatic oils in your tea instead of escaping in the steam.

Can I drink chamomile tea before bed?

Yes. It is naturally caffeine-free and helps you relax. Brew it about 45 minutes before bed for the best results.*

Can you reuse a chamomile tea bag?

Yes. A whole-leaf pyramid bag gives a second, lighter cup. Steep the second cup a little longer.

References

1.          Srivastava JK, Shankar E, Gupta S. Chamomile: a herbal medicine of the past with bright future. Mol Med Rep. 2010;3(6):895-901. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2995283/

2.          Viola H, Wasowski C, Levi de Stein M, et al. Apigenin, a component of Matricaria recutita flowers, is a central benzodiazepine receptors-ligand with anxiolytic effects. Planta Med. 1995;61(3):213-216.

3.          Benke D, Barberis A, Kopp S, et al. GABA A receptors as in vivo substrate for the anxiolytic action of valerenic acid, a major constituent of valerian root extracts. Neuropharmacology. 2009;56(1):174-181. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18602406/

4.          Kazemi A, Shojaei-Zarghani S, Eskandarzadeh P, Hashempur MH. Effects of chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla L.) on sleep: a systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials. Complement Ther Med. 2024;84:103071. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0965229924000591