Chamomile Tea While Breastfeeding: Safety, Milk Supply & What We Know

Herbal chamomile tea and chamomile flowers | Valentyn Volkov

Chamomile tea is naturally caffeine-free, gentle-tasting, and commonly associated with relaxation, which can make it appealing during the exhausting weeks and months of breastfeeding. But being a familiar herbal tea does not automatically mean every question about chamomile during lactation has been answered.

The available evidence is reassuring in some respects but limited in others. Chamomile has a long history of food and tea use, and ordinary amounts used in tea are generally considered well tolerated by most adults. At the same time, researchers have very little direct information measuring chamomile compounds in human milk or studying effects in breastfed infants.

There is also no good clinical evidence that drinking chamomile tea increases breast milk production, despite occasional claims that it acts as a natural galactagogue.

For someone who enjoys an occasional cup of ordinary chamomile tea while breastfeeding, the key is understanding what we actually know, what remains uncertain, and how a normal cup of tea differs from concentrated extracts, supplements, essential oils, and medicinal quantities.

This article is for general information rather than individualized medical advice. If you have a premature or medically fragile infant, take medications, have significant allergies, or plan to use chamomile regularly in concentrated amounts, discuss it with your healthcare professional or your baby’s clinician.

🌼 Can You Drink Chamomile Tea While Breastfeeding?

For most healthy breastfeeding adults, an ordinary cup of chamomile tea is generally considered a relatively low-exposure use of the herb.

The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health notes that chamomile is likely safe when consumed in amounts commonly found in foods and teas. However, NCCIH also emphasizes that little is known specifically about chamomile safety during breastfeeding.

LactMed, the U.S. National Library of Medicine database devoted to medications and other substances during lactation, reaches a similarly cautious conclusion. It reports that direct safety data in breastfeeding mothers and infants are lacking, although the relatively small quantities expected to reach breast milk with usual maternal use are considered unlikely to cause harm.

That is quite different from saying chamomile has been definitively proven safe in every breastfeeding situation.

The evidence simply isn’t strong enough for that.

A reasonable way to think about it is that ordinary chamomile tea and concentrated medicinal chamomile are not equivalent exposures.

🌿 What Is Chamomile?

Chamomile is the common name used for several related flowering plants traditionally prepared as herbal infusions.

Two of the best-known types are:

German chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla, also called Matricaria recutita)
Roman chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile)

German chamomile is particularly common in commercial herbal tea.

The dried flowers contain a variety of naturally occurring compounds, including flavonoids such as apigenin and aromatic components that contribute to chamomile’s recognizable scent and flavor.

Chamomile tea is made by steeping the flowers in hot water and removing them before drinking.

That is very different from swallowing a concentrated extract or using chamomile essential oil.

☕ Chamomile Tea Is Naturally Caffeine-Free

Pure chamomile does not come from the tea plant Camellia sinensis, so it is naturally caffeine-free.

That can be useful during breastfeeding because caffeine from coffee, black tea, green tea, matcha, energy drinks, chocolate, and other foods and beverages can enter breast milk.

Chamomile itself does not add to your caffeine intake.

However, always check the ingredient list.

A blend labeled something like “Chamomile Evening Tea” might contain several herbs, while a chamomile-and-green-tea blend would contain caffeine because of the green tea.

For a genuinely caffeine-free drink, choose a product made from pure chamomile or other caffeine-free herbs.

Our Chamomile Tea: Benefits, Caffeine, How to Make It & Safety takes a broader look at chamomile itself.

🫖 Tea Is Different From a Chamomile Supplement

This distinction is particularly important during breastfeeding.

A cup of chamomile tea might contain a modest quantity of dried flowers infused into water.

A capsule, tincture, liquid extract, or standardized supplement may deliver a much more concentrated quantity of particular compounds.

Clinical research involving a chamomile extract therefore cannot automatically tell us what happens after drinking one ordinary cup of chamomile tea.

Likewise, safety information about normal food or tea use should not automatically be applied to high-dose supplements.

When you’re breastfeeding, it is worth checking exactly which kind of product you are considering.

🚫 Chamomile Essential Oil Is Not Chamomile Tea

Chamomile essential oil should not be treated as a stronger version of chamomile tea.

Essential oils are highly concentrated products with a very different composition and dose.

Do not add chamomile essential oil to a cup of tea as a substitute for dried flowers or tea bags.

The fact that a plant is traditionally brewed as tea does not mean its concentrated essential oil is appropriate to ingest.

For a simple chamomile drink, use a commercial food-grade chamomile tea or dried flowers intended for brewing.

🍼 Does Chamomile Pass Into Breast Milk?

This is one of the questions for which there simply is not much direct evidence.

LactMed reports that relevant published information measuring chamomile components in maternal milk or infant blood was not available in its review.

That means we do not have useful numbers showing exactly how much apigenin or other chamomile compounds enter milk after someone drinks a cup of tea.

It is reasonable to expect maternal exposure from a normal tea infusion to be substantially different from concentrated supplementation, but researchers have not produced the kind of pharmacokinetic data available for many medications.

That uncertainty is why responsible guidance should avoid claiming either “none reaches breast milk” or “chamomile passes into milk and sedates your baby.”

Neither statement is well established.

👶 Does Chamomile Make a Breastfed Baby Sleepy?

There is not good evidence showing that drinking ordinary chamomile tea causes a breastfed infant to become sleepy.

This claim appears frequently online because chamomile is traditionally associated with relaxation and bedtime.

But several assumptions are being combined:

Chamomile may have relaxing effects in the adult.
Relevant compounds must enter breast milk in significant amounts.
Those compounds must then reach the infant at an active dose.
That dose must cause noticeable sedation.

We do not have strong clinical evidence establishing that chain of events after normal maternal tea consumption.

If you notice unusual sleepiness, poor feeding, weakness, difficulty waking, or another concerning change in a young infant, contact the baby’s healthcare professional rather than assuming chamomile is responsible.

😴 Does Chamomile Help a Breastfeeding Parent Sleep?

Chamomile is one of the world’s most familiar bedtime teas, but its reputation is stronger than the clinical evidence.

NCCIH notes that there is very little reliable information showing chamomile is effective for insomnia. Research has explored chamomile for sleep and relaxation, but it has not established ordinary chamomile tea as a treatment for insomnia.

That does not mean the ritual is useless.

A caffeine-free warm drink, dim lights, and a few quiet minutes can be a pleasant evening routine when the opportunity arises.

But chamomile should not be presented as something that reliably fixes postpartum sleep problems—particularly when much of the sleep disruption comes from the practical reality of caring for an infant.

🧠 What About Chamomile for Postpartum Anxiety?

Chamomile supplements have been studied in preliminary research involving generalized anxiety disorder, but those studies do not establish chamomile tea as a treatment for postpartum anxiety.

The postpartum period can involve ordinary worry and adjustment, but anxiety can also become persistent, intense, or disruptive.

If anxiety is affecting sleep even when your baby is sleeping, causing intrusive worries, making it difficult to function, or becoming overwhelming, talk with a healthcare professional.

A cup of tea can be comforting.

It should not carry the responsibility of treating a significant mental-health condition.

🥛 Does Chamomile Increase Breast Milk Supply?

There is no good clinical evidence showing that chamomile reliably increases breast milk production.

Chamomile has been mentioned traditionally as a galactagogue—a substance believed to promote lactation—but LactMed states that scientifically valid clinical trials do not support this use.

There is one published case report involving a breastfeeding woman who consumed a very large quantity of chamomile infusion and noticed increased breast fullness and greater pumped milk volume.

That is interesting as an observation.

It is not enough to establish that chamomile works.

A case report describes what happened to one person. It cannot determine whether chamomile caused the change, whether other factors contributed, or whether other breastfeeding parents would experience the same effect.

📈 What Did the Chamomile Milk-Supply Case Report Find?

The frequently cited report involved a mother breastfeeding a 3-month-old infant.

She drank approximately 1.5 to 2 liters of chamomile infusion daily, a much larger amount than an ordinary cup of tea.

She reported breast fullness several hours after drinking the infusion and greater expressed milk volume.

However, the report involved only one person, and she also had mild hypothyroidism.

There was no randomized comparison group, no blinding, and no clinical trial capable of demonstrating cause and effect.

The researchers themselves called for additional research.

This should therefore be treated as a hypothesis-generating observation, not proof that chamomile is a milk-production remedy.

🍼 What Actually Matters When Milk Supply Is Low?

Perceived low milk supply is common, but the reason is not always inadequate milk production.

Infant feeding patterns, growth, milk transfer, pumping technique, breast anatomy, medications, hormonal issues, feeding frequency, latch, and many other factors can matter.

For that reason, LactMed emphasizes that herbal galactagogues should not replace evaluation of factors that can actually be modified.

If you are worried about milk supply, useful help may come from:

Your baby’s pediatric clinician
Your obstetric or primary-care clinician
An International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC)
Another qualified breastfeeding professional

A tea marketed as a “milk booster” cannot identify why milk production or transfer is low.

🫖 Is There a Recommended Number of Cups Per Day?

There is no well-established evidence-based rule stating that every breastfeeding person should limit chamomile to exactly one cup per day.

That kind of precise limit sounds scientific but is not supported by good clinical data.

At the other extreme, the absence of a formal limit should not be interpreted as evidence that drinking a liter or two every day is equally well studied.

The most defensible approach is to distinguish occasional ordinary tea use from heavy or medicinal use.

An occasional normally prepared cup represents much less exposure than repeatedly drinking highly concentrated chamomile throughout the day.

If you want to consume chamomile frequently or in unusually large quantities while breastfeeding, discuss it with a healthcare professional familiar with lactation.

⏰ Should You Drink Chamomile Immediately After Breastfeeding?

There is no established evidence-based recommendation requiring chamomile tea to be timed immediately after nursing or pumping.

Advice to drink it right after a feed assumes we know enough about:

Absorption
Peak maternal blood levels
Transfer into milk
Infant exposure

to meaningfully manipulate the dose through feeding schedules.

For chamomile, those data are not available.

You therefore do not need to organize an ordinary cup of chamomile tea around the exact minute your baby feeds based on current evidence.

If a clinician gives you individualized instructions because of your health, your baby’s health, or a particular product, follow that guidance instead.

🌼 How to Make a Simple Cup of Chamomile Tea

For one ordinary cup, use:

1 chamomile tea bag or about 1–2 teaspoons dried food-grade chamomile
8 ounces hot water

Pour hot water over the chamomile.

Cover and steep for approximately 5 minutes, or follow the package directions.

Remove the tea bag or strain the flowers.

Drink it plain or add a small amount of honey if desired.

For a refreshing cold version, see our Iced Chamomile Tea with Honey: Easy Caffeine-Free Recipe.

🍯 Can You Put Honey in Chamomile Tea While Breastfeeding?

Yes. A breastfeeding mother can eat honey.

This is sometimes confusing because honey should not be fed directly to an infant younger than 12 months due to the risk of infant botulism.

The California Department of Public Health’s Infant Botulism Treatment and Prevention Program specifically notes that it is okay for a breastfeeding mother to eat honey and that the spores responsible for infant botulism do not pass into breast milk.

The important distinction is between the parent consuming honey and giving honey directly to the baby.

Do not put honey on an infant’s pacifier or add it to infant food, formula, water, or tea.

Wash your hands if honey gets on them before touching objects that will go into a young baby’s mouth.

👶 Should You Give Chamomile Tea Directly to a Baby?

This article is about a breastfeeding parent drinking chamomile—not about feeding herbal tea directly to an infant.

Those are different exposures and should not be treated as interchangeable.

Young infants generally obtain their nutrition and hydration from breast milk and/or infant formula unless a healthcare professional has advised otherwise.

Do not assume that because you can drink a particular herbal tea while breastfeeding, it is therefore appropriate to put that tea in your baby’s bottle.

Questions about giving chamomile, gripe-water products, herbal preparations, or any other nonstandard beverage directly to an infant are best discussed with the baby’s clinician.

🍯 Never Give Honey Directly to an Infant Under 12 Months

This bears repeating because honey and chamomile are such a common pairing.

The CDC recommends not feeding honey to children younger than 12 months because honey can contain Clostridium botulinum spores that can cause infant botulism.

That includes honey added to:

Water
Herbal tea
Formula
Food
Pacifiers

A breastfeeding parent eating honey is different.

The infant should simply not consume the honey directly.

🌸 Chamomile Allergy Risk

Chamomile can cause allergic reactions.

People with allergies to related members of the Asteraceae family may be more likely to react, including those sensitive to plants such as:

Ragweed
Chrysanthemums
Marigolds
Daisies

Possible allergic reactions can range from mild skin or mouth symptoms to rare severe reactions.

If you already know that you have significant ragweed or related plant allergies and have never used chamomile before, extra caution is sensible.

Stop using it and seek appropriate care if you develop signs of a serious allergic reaction.

💊 Chamomile and Medications

Being herbal does not mean being interaction-free.

NCCIH reports interactions between chamomile and warfarin, as well as possible interactions with medicines processed by certain liver enzymes. There are also theoretical concerns about interactions with sedating medicines.

If you take prescription medications, particularly blood thinners or sedating drugs, ask your healthcare professional or pharmacist about chamomile rather than assuming a tea cannot interact with medication.

This becomes increasingly important as the dose and frequency of herbal use increase.

🩸 Chamomile and Warfarin

Warfarin deserves particular attention because an interaction has been reported.

Someone taking an anticoagulant should not begin using medicinal or concentrated chamomile simply because it is marketed as a natural product.

If you take warfarin or another medication that affects blood clotting, talk with your clinician or pharmacist before regularly consuming chamomile products.

The recommendation can depend on your medication, dose, health history, and how much chamomile you intend to use.

💊 What About Sedating Medications?

Chamomile is traditionally regarded as a calming herb, and NCCIH notes a theoretical possibility of interactions with sedatives.

That does not mean a normal cup of tea inevitably creates a dangerous interaction.

It does mean that someone taking sleep medicines, anti-anxiety medications, strong antihistamines, opioid pain medicines, or other drugs with sedating effects should not automatically assume that concentrated herbal preparations are irrelevant.

Ask a pharmacist or prescribing clinician if you are unsure.

🌿 Herbal Tea Blends Require More Attention

A package labeled “Nursing Tea,” “Mother’s Tea,” “Sleep Tea,” or “Calming Tea” may contain much more than chamomile.

Possible ingredients include:

Fennel
Fenugreek
Anise
Lemon balm
Peppermint
Valerian
Lavender
Licorice root
Blessed thistle
Other herbs

The safety of chamomile alone cannot establish the safety of every ingredient in a blend.

Always read the complete ingredient list.

This is especially important during breastfeeding, when products are sometimes marketed specifically around milk supply even when evidence for those claims is weak.

🌱 Herbal Doesn’t Automatically Mean Gentle

Plant products contain biologically active compounds.

That is why people use them.

It is also why it makes little sense to say that an herbal product is powerful enough to change sleep, anxiety, digestion, hormones, or milk production while simultaneously claiming it could never cause side effects or interactions.

The dose matters.

The preparation matters.

The person’s health matters.

An occasional cup of culinary herbal tea occupies a very different place on that spectrum from a concentrated tincture or supplement.

🧴 What About Chamomile on Sore Nipples?

Chamomile has also been used topically, including in studies of products for nipple soreness.

That does not mean homemade chamomile preparations should automatically be applied to cracked nipples.

Chamomile itself can trigger contact allergy in susceptible people, and anything applied to the nipple may come into direct contact with the baby’s mouth.

If you have cracked, bleeding, persistently painful, or damaged nipples, getting help with the underlying cause is more important than simply applying an herb.

Pain can result from latch difficulties, pump trauma, infection, dermatitis, vasospasm, or other problems that require different approaches.

🫧 What About Chamomile Baths or Skin Products?

Topical exposure is different from drinking tea.

Chamomile appears in lotions, soaps, creams, bath products, and other cosmetics, but topical use can cause allergic contact reactions in susceptible individuals.

Check ingredients carefully, particularly if either parent or baby has eczema, highly sensitive skin, or known botanical allergies.

Do not assume a product is suitable for a newborn simply because its packaging uses words such as “natural,” “gentle,” or “calming.”

🦠 Does Loose Chamomile Tea Have Special Safety Concerns?

LactMed notes that Clostridium botulinum spores have been identified in some samples of loose-leaf chamomile tea.

That is particularly relevant to advice about giving chamomile preparations directly to infants, which this article does not recommend without pediatric guidance.

For the breastfeeding parent, choose tea from a reputable food producer and prepare it according to package directions.

Keep dried herbs dry, sealed, and protected from contamination.

Do not use tea that smells moldy, has become damp, or shows signs of spoilage.

🫙 Store Chamomile Properly

Dried chamomile should be stored in a cool, dry place away from:

Moisture
Heat
Direct sunlight
Strong odors

Keep loose flowers in a tightly closed food-safe container.

Prepared chamomile tea should not sit at room temperature indefinitely.

If you are making Iced Chamomile Tea with Honey, cool it and refrigerate it in a covered container.

🌙 Chamomile Tea Can Still Be a Pleasant Ritual

There is a tendency for discussions of herbal teas during breastfeeding to fall into one of two extremes.

One side treats a herb as a miracle remedy.

The other treats any uncertainty as proof that ordinary food use is inherently dangerous.

Chamomile does not need either story.

For many people, a cup of chamomile is simply:

Warm
Caffeine-free
Floral
Pleasant
Part of an evening routine

Those are perfectly good reasons to drink it.

It does not need to boost milk production, treat anxiety, cure insomnia, or make the baby sleep longer to earn a place in the cupboard.

🚩 When to Ask Your Healthcare Professional

Individualized advice is particularly worthwhile if:

Your baby was born prematurely.
Your baby has a significant medical condition.
You or your baby have severe allergies.
You take warfarin or another anticoagulant.
You take sedating medication.
You take several prescription medications.
You want to use concentrated chamomile extracts or supplements.
You plan to drink unusually large quantities of chamomile every day.
You notice a possible reaction in yourself or your baby.
You are concerned about low milk supply.

For questions about medicines and breastfeeding, LactMed is also a useful evidence-based resource to discuss with your clinician or pharmacist.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

Is chamomile tea safe while breastfeeding?

There is limited direct research in breastfeeding mothers and infants. Ordinary food and tea amounts are generally considered low exposure, and LactMed considers the smaller amounts expected with usual maternal use unlikely to be harmful. However, definitive safety data are lacking.

Is chamomile tea caffeine-free?

Pure chamomile is naturally caffeine-free. Check blends because products containing black, green, white, oolong, or other true tea will contain caffeine.

Does chamomile tea pass into breast milk?

There are not good published data measuring relevant chamomile compounds in human milk after maternal use.

Can chamomile make my breastfed baby sleepy?

There is no good evidence showing that ordinary maternal chamomile-tea consumption sedates a breastfed infant.

Should I drink chamomile immediately after nursing?

There is no established recommendation requiring chamomile to be timed around feeds.

Should I limit myself to one cup per day?

There is no evidence-based universal one-cup limit. Occasional ordinary tea use is different from consuming large or concentrated medicinal amounts regularly.

Does chamomile increase breast milk supply?

There are no scientifically valid clinical trials establishing chamomile as an effective galactagogue.

Didn’t a study show that chamomile increased milk production?

A published case report described one mother who noticed increased milk production while drinking very large quantities of chamomile infusion. One case report cannot prove that chamomile caused the increase.

Can I drink chamomile if my milk supply is low?

You can discuss ordinary chamomile tea with your clinician, but it should not replace assessment of why milk production or milk transfer may be low.

Can I put honey in chamomile tea while breastfeeding?

Yes. A breastfeeding mother can consume honey. Honey should not be given directly to an infant younger than 12 months.

Can I give my baby chamomile tea?

Do not assume a tea that the breastfeeding parent drinks is appropriate to give directly to an infant. Discuss herbal drinks for babies with the baby’s clinician.

Can I give a baby chamomile tea sweetened with honey?

No. The CDC says honey should not be fed to infants under 12 months because of infant botulism risk.

Can I drink chamomile if I have a ragweed allergy?

Chamomile can cross-react in people allergic to related plants such as ragweed, chrysanthemums, marigolds, and daisies. Ask your healthcare professional if you have significant allergies.

Can chamomile interact with medication?

Yes. Interactions with warfarin and some medicines metabolized by the liver have been reported, and interactions with sedatives are theoretically possible.

Is chamomile extract the same as chamomile tea?

No. Extracts and supplements can provide substantially more concentrated exposure than an ordinary tea infusion.

Can I use chamomile essential oil in my tea?

No. Essential oil is a concentrated product and should not be treated as a substitute for food-grade chamomile flowers or tea bags.

🌼 What We Know—and What We Don’t

Chamomile tea while breastfeeding is a good example of why herbal safety rarely fits into a simple yes-or-no headline.

We know that chamomile has a long history of food and tea use. We know pure chamomile is naturally caffeine-free. We know ordinary tea quantities are quite different from concentrated extracts and supplements. And LactMed considers the relatively small exposure expected from usual maternal doses unlikely to harm a breastfed infant.

But there are also important gaps.

We do not have good measurements of chamomile compounds in human milk. We do not have robust studies proving safety across every breastfeeding situation. And we do not have scientifically valid clinical trials showing that chamomile reliably increases milk production.

That means there is little reason to fear an occasional ordinary cup for most people—and equally little reason to turn chamomile into a breastfeeding treatment it has not been proven to be.

If you enjoy it, enjoy it as tea.

And if the goal is to address low milk supply, significant anxiety, persistent insomnia, medication questions, or concerns about your baby, bring in someone who can address the actual problem rather than asking one herb to do too much.