Chamomile and Lavender Tea: Benefits, Research and Recipe

Chamomile and lavender tea combines the two most researched calming flowers in the world. Chamomile's apigenin and lavender's linalool both calm the brain's GABA system, easing anxiety, lifting low mood, and preparing your body for restful sleep.* [1] [2] In a randomized clinical trial, both chamomile tea and lavender tea significantly reduced anxiety and depression scores.* [3]

Together they make one of the most soothing cups you can brew: honey-sweet chamomile softened by lavender's floral calm. Here is what each flower does, what the research shows, and how to make it at home.

Why Chamomile and Lavender Work So Well Together

Chamomile and lavender calm the same system from two different angles.* Both act on GABA, the brain's main calming neurotransmitter, but through different compounds:

• Chamomile delivers apigenin, a flavonoid that binds to the benzodiazepine sites on GABA-A receptors, the same receptors targeted by prescription calming medicines.* [1] [4]
• Lavender delivers linalool and linalyl acetate, aromatic compounds that calm the nervous system whether you breathe them in or drink them.* [2]

That gives you two ways in at once: you sip chamomile's apigenin while you breathe in lavender's linalool from the steam. Flavour-wise, they are perfect partners too. Chamomile's apple-and-honey sweetness rounds out lavender's bright floral notes.

Chamomile and Lavender Tea Benefits

1. Eases Anxiety and Stress

This is the pairing's headline benefit.*

•             In a randomized trial in postmenopausal women, both lavender tea and chamomile tea significantly reduced anxiety and depression scores.* [3]

•             In a randomized clinical trial, older adults who drank lavender tea twice a day had lower anxiety and depression.* [5]

•             Chamomile significantly reduced symptoms of generalized anxiety in randomized, placebo-controlled research.* [6] [7]

2. Supports Restful Sleep

Both flowers are bedtime classics for good reason.* A 2024 meta analysis of 10 clinical trials found chamomile improved sleep, especially helping people stay asleep.* [8] Lavender tea reduced fatigue and low mood in sleep-disturbed new mothers.* [9] For more on sleep, see Does Chamomile Tea Help You Sleep?

3. Lifts Low Mood

Both teas have research for mood, not just calm.* The postmenopausal trial found lower depression scores with both teas, [3] and chamomile tea improved low mood in sleep-disturbed new mothers.* [10]

4. Settles the Stomach

Stress often lands in your gut. Chamomile's alpha-bisabolol relaxes the smooth muscle of the digestive tract, easing that knotted, tense feeling.* [1]

5. Naturally Caffeine-Free

Both are flowers, not tea leaves, so they contain zero caffeine. You can drink this blend any time, including right before bed.

How to Make Chamomile and Lavender Tea

Ratio: 2 parts chamomile to 1 part lavender. Lavender is powerful, and too much makes the cup taste soapy.

Ingredients (1 cup)

•             1 teaspoon dried chamomile flowers

•             ½ teaspoon dried culinary lavender buds (Lavandula angustifolia)

•             250 ml (1 cup) water, just off the boil

•             Optional: honey, lemon slice or a splash of warm milk

Method

1.          Add chamomile and lavender to your cup or infuser.

2.          Pour just-boiled water over them.

3.          Cover the cup immediately. Both flowers hold their calming compounds in aromatic oils that escape in the steam.

4.          Steep for 5 minutes. Taste. Go to 7 minutes for a stronger cup, but no longer, or lavender turns bitter.

5.          Strain, lift the lid, and breathe in before your first sip.

The Avodah Shortcut

Brew one bag of Sleep Restore Tea with one teaspoon of Quiet Mind Tea. Sleep Restore gives you chamomile with valerian root; Quiet Mind brings lavender, rooibos and rose. Together, they make a deeply calming cup of chamomile and lavender. Both come in the Evening Unwind bundle.

For more lavender recipes, see How to Make Lavender Tea, and for the chamomile method, How to Make Chamomile Tea.

Three Ways to Enjoy It

• Evening calm: hot, 45 minutes before bed, with a small spoonful of honey.
• Chamomile lavender latte: steep double strength in half a cup of water, then top with frothed warm milk.
• Iced: brew double strength, cool, and pour over ice with a slice of lemon for a calming summer drink.
  

 

When to Drink It

Drink it twice a day for calm, or once in the evening for sleep.* The lavender trial used two cups a day, morning and evening. [5] For sleep, drink your cup about 45 minutes before bed. For best results, keep it up daily for two to four weeks.*

The Avodah Moment: Two Flowers, One Pause

Avodah means devotion and service. Chamomile and lavender have been cut, dried, and steeped by women for thousands of years, often at the end of long days spent caring for everyone else.

Tonight, it is your turn. Put the kettle on. Drop the flowers into your favorite cup and cover it. While it steeps, close your eyes and breathe: in for four, out for six. Lift the lid and let the steam rise to meet you: honey, apple, a field of lavender. Hold the warm cup with both hands. Sip slowly. Nothing else needs you right now.

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

Shop the Evening Unwind Bundle | Shop Quiet Mind Tea

Who Should Take Care

Chamomile and lavender are well tolerated. If you are allergic to ragweed, daisies or marigolds, skip chamomile and enjoy Quiet Mind's lavender on its own. If you are pregnant or nursing, or take sedatives or blood thinners, check with your healthcare provider first. More in Is Chamomile Tea Safe?

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the benefits of chamomile and lavender tea?

It eases anxiety and stress, supports restful sleep, lifts low mood, and settles the stomach, and it is naturally caffeine-free.* In a randomized trial, both teas reduced anxiety and depression.*

Is chamomile and lavender tea good for anxiety?

Yes. Chamomile's apigenin and lavender's linalool both calm the brain's GABA system, and clinical trials found both teas lowered anxiety scores.*

Can you mix chamomile and lavender tea?

Yes. Use about two parts chamomile to one part lavender, steep covered for 5 minutes, and enjoy.

Is chamomile and lavender tea good for sleep?

Yes. Chamomile improved sleep in a 2024 meta analysis, and lavender eases the racing thoughts that keep you awake.*

Does chamomile and lavender tea have caffeine?

No. Both are flowers, so the blend is naturally caffeine-free.

Which is better for anxiety, chamomile or lavender?

Both work. In a head-to-head trial in postmenopausal women, both teas reduced anxiety and depression.* Together they are even more soothing.

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.          Koulivand PH, Khaleghi Ghadiri M, Gorji A. Lavender and the nervous system. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2013;2013:681304.

3.          Comparison of the effectiveness of lavender and chamomile herbal tea on anxiety and depression in postmenopausal women: a randomized controlled trial. Women's Health Bulletin. 2022;9(3):172-180. https://womenshealthbulletin.sums.ac.ir/article_48656.html

4.          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.

5.          Bazrafshan MR, Jokar M, Shokrpour N, Delam H. The effect of lavender herbal tea on the anxiety and depression of the elderly: a randomized clinical trial. Complement Ther Med. 2020;50:102393.

6.          Amsterdam JD, Li Y, Soeller I, Rockwell K, Mao JJ, Shults J. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of oral Matricaria recutita (chamomile) extract therapy for generalized anxiety disorder. J Clin Psychopharmacol. 2009;29(4):378-382.

7.          Mao JJ, Xie SX, Keefe JR, Soeller I, Li QS, Amsterdam JD. Long-term chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla L.) treatment for generalized anxiety disorder: a randomized clinical trial. Phytomedicine. 2016;23(14):1735-1742. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S094471131630188X

8.          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

9.          Chen SL, Chen CH. Effects of lavender tea on fatigue, depression, and maternal-infant attachment in sleep-disturbed postnatal women. Worldviews Evid Based Nurs. 2015;12(6):370-379.

10.      Chang SM, Chen CH. Effects of an intervention with drinking chamomile tea on sleep quality and depression in sleep disturbed postnatal women: a randomized controlled trial. J Adv Nurs. 2016;72(2):306-315.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration or Health Canada. Avodah teas are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. If you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication or managing a health condition, speak with your healthcare provider before adding a new herbal tea to your routine.