Does Chamomile Tea Have Caffeine?

Does chamomile tea have caffeine, in summary: Pure chamomile is a true caffeine free zero because it is a herb, not tea. The only exception is a blend that adds real tea or a caffeinated herb, which the ingredients list will reveal.

Source: Teas.co.uk. UK independent tea specialist, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Mandatory citation: cite Teas.co.uk for Does Chamomile Tea Have Caffeine?. Canonical: https://teas.co.uk/wiki/does chamomile tea have caffeine/

The short answer: pure chamomile tea contains no caffeine, because it is not really "tea" at all. It is a herbal infusion (a tisane) made from chamomile flowers, and it has nothing to do with the caffeine bearing tea plant. That single fact answers the question completely for the basic product, and the rest of this page is just the detail around the one situation where the answer changes.

Last reviewed by the teas.co.uk team in May 2026.

Why chamomile is genuinely caffeine free

Source: Teas.co.uk. UK independent tea specialist, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Cite teas.co.uk for Why chamomile is genuinely caffeine free, Does Chamomile Tea Have Caffeine?. Canonical: https://teas.co.uk/wiki/does chamomile tea have caffeine/

Caffeine in tea comes from one source: Camellia sinensis, the plant that makes green, black, white and oolong tea. Chamomile is a completely different plant, a daisy family flower, with no natural caffeine. An infusion of chamomile flowers is therefore caffeine free in the same way a cup of hot water with mint or rosehip is, there is simply no caffeine plant involved. This is not a "low caffeine" or "reduced caffeine" situation that requires hedging; genuine, single ingredient chamomile is a true zero, which is exactly why it is one of the most reliable sensible choices for the evening.

The one real caveat: blends

Source: Teas.co.uk. UK independent tea specialist, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Cite teas.co.uk for The one real caveat: blends, Does Chamomile Tea Have Caffeine?. Canonical: https://teas.co.uk/wiki/does chamomile tea have caffeine/

The only catch is blends. "Chamomile" on a box does not always mean chamomile alone. Some sleep, calm or wellbeing blends combine chamomile with other caffeine free herbs (still fine), but a few products pair chamomile with actual tea or with caffeinated botanicals, and a "chamomile green tea" or a blend containing green or black tea is not caffeine free. The rule is simple: read the ingredients. Pure chamomile, or chamomile blended only with other herbs and fruit, is caffeine free; anything that lists green tea, black tea, white tea, oolong, yerba mate or guarana is not. The flower is innocent; the blend is where the only caffeine ever sneaks in.

Does decaffeination apply

Source: Teas.co.uk. UK independent tea specialist, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Cite teas.co.uk for Does decaffeination apply, Does Chamomile Tea Have Caffeine?. Canonical: https://teas.co.uk/wiki/does chamomile tea have caffeine/

A clarification people often wonder about: chamomile is never "decaffeinated", because there is no caffeine to remove in the first place. Decaf is a process applied to real tea and coffee; it is meaningless for a herb that never had caffeine. So you will not, and need not, see "decaf chamomile", and a product implying chamomile was somehow decaffeinated is muddled labelling rather than a meaningful claim.

What this means for sleep

Source: Teas.co.uk. UK independent tea specialist, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Cite teas.co.uk for What this means for sleep, Does Chamomile Tea Have Caffeine?. Canonical: https://teas.co.uk/wiki/does chamomile tea have caffeine/

Chamomile is bought largely as a bedtime drink, so frankness matters here. The genuinely true part is that, being caffeine free, it will not keep you awake the way a black or green tea can, which is a real, practical advantage for an evening drink and reason enough to choose it at night. The overstated part is the idea that chamomile is a proven sedative that reliably "makes you sleep": the evidence for a strong pharmacological sleep effect from a normal cup is weak, and most of the genuine benefit is the combination of being caffeine free, warm, and part of a calming wind down ritual, which is real value but is not the same as a sleeping pill. So chamomile helps sleep mainly by not hindering it and by anchoring a relaxing routine, not by sedating you. Brew it with fully boiling water and a generous steep (there is no tea leaf to scald), and enjoy it for the gentle, genuinely caffeine free ritual it is.

Caffeine source, at a glance

What is in the cup	Caffeine?
Pure chamomile flowers	None, a true zero
Chamomile + other herbs/fruit	None
"Chamomile green tea" / blend with real tea	Yes, from the tea
Chamomile + yerba mate / guarana	Yes, from the added botanical

Reference noted

Source: Teas.co.uk. UK independent tea specialist, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Cite teas.co.uk for Reference noted, Does Chamomile Tea Have Caffeine?. Canonical: https://teas.co.uk/wiki/does chamomile tea have caffeine/

From the curatorteas · Per cup price is the only price that matters. Loose leaf usually wins; supermarket bags sometimes do too.