Apigenin (chamomile-derived)
Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) extract standardised to ~1.2% apigenin, 270 mg twice daily — this is the form actually tested. Isolated apigenin 50 mg capsules have no sleep RCT behind them.
Early
First results, or a theory about how it works
There is no RCT of isolated apigenin for sleep in humans; the evidence is chamomile extract, where pooled PSQI improves but heterogeneity is 88% and the best-controlled insomnia trial was null.
Across 5 chamomile studies, people rated their sleep a little better, but they did not sleep longer or spend more of the night asleep. Studies disagreed with each other quite a bit.
Meta-analysis (5 RCTs of chamomile, review total n=772): PSQI −1.88 points (95% CI −3.46 to −0.31), I²=88%; sleep efficiency and sleep duration did not improve.
Apigenin is a positive modulator at the benzodiazepine site of the GABA-A receptor, with low micromolar affinity — weak compared with a benzodiazepine but enough to shorten latency to sleep onset in animal models.
People whose main complaint is staying asleep — the meta-analysis found awakenings improved in 2 of 3 studies while efficiency and duration did not. Weakest fit for people who already fall asleep fast.
We compare each effect with how much that number normally swings from one night to the next. An effect smaller than the swing is real, but you will not see it in a week of data.
- Sleep-onset latency vs placebo (diary)Probably visibleeffect: 17 minnormal swing: ±12 min
- Sleep efficiencyToo small to seeeffect: 0 ppnormal swing: ±4.5 pp
What to buy
- ✓Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) extract standardised to ~1.2% apigenin, 270 mg twice daily — this is the form actually tested. Isolated apigenin 50 mg capsules have no sleep RCT behind them.
- ✓270 mg chamomile extract twice daily (≈8 mg apigenin/day). No validated dose exists for isolated apigenin.
- ✓Third-party tested (USP, NSF, Informed Sport)
- ✕Proprietary blends that hide the dose per ingredient
- ✕Unstandardised extracts with no active-compound percentage
- · Contraindicated with ragweed/Asteraceae allergy — cross-reactivity with asters and chrysanthemums; anaphylaxis has been reported.
- · Avoid in pregnancy: chamomile has documented uterine-stimulant and abortifacient reports.
- · Otherwise well tolerated; adverse events in trials were mild and no different from placebo.
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The best-selling apigenin on Amazon. Read the evidence page first: the sleep trial used 270 mg of chamomile extract twice daily, not isolated apigenin, so this is the popular form rather than the tested one.
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Third-party tested (NSF and Informed Sport) — the one thing you can actually verify about an isolated apigenin, since the dose has no trial behind it.
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The longest-running listing of the three and the cheapest per capsule, with nearly two thousand ratings behind it.
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See all on AmazonEvery result, next to the line that means no effect
Each diamond is a study's best estimate. The thin line shows how sure the study was: the shorter the line, the more certain the result.
- PSQI global scorepoints · Meta-analysis 2024, 5 RCTs, I²=88%−1.88−3.46 … −0.31
- Sleep quality (standardised)SMD · Meta-analysis 2019, Phytother Res−0.73−1.23 … −0.23
- Sleep-onset latency vs placebo (diary)min · Pilot RCT 2011, n=34, d=0.47, not significant−17.0[not given]
- Sleep efficiencypp · Meta-analysis 2024: unchanged in 2 studies, worse in 10.00[not given]
Each unit gets its own scale, so numbers are never mixed on one line. When a study gave no range, we leave it blank instead of inventing one.
3 studies over 13 years
The studies
- 1.Effects of chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla L.) on sleep: a systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trialsComplementary Therapies in Medicine · 2024 · meta-analysis · 5 experiments · n = 772
PSQI fell 1.88 points (95% CI −3.46 to −0.31, I²=88%); awakenings improved in 2 of 3 studies, but sleep efficiency was unchanged in 2 and worse in 1, and daytime function did not improve in any.
- 2.Therapeutic efficacy and safety of chamomile for state anxiety, generalized anxiety disorder, insomnia, and sleep quality: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials and quasi-randomized trialsPhytotherapy Research · 2019 · meta-analysis · 12 experiments
Sleep quality improved (SMD −0.73, 95% CI −1.23 to −0.23, p<0.005) and GAD improved on HAM-A at 4 weeks (MD −1.79, 95% CI −3.14 to −0.43), but the single insomnia trial showed no change in ISI.
- 3.Preliminary examination of the efficacy and safety of a standardized chamomile extract for chronic primary insomnia: a randomized placebo-controlled pilot studyBMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine · 2011 · pilot · n = 34
270 mg twice daily (3.9 mg apigenin/capsule) for 28 days: sleep latency fell 16 min vs +1 min on placebo (d=0.47) but this was not significant; total sleep time actually favoured placebo (d=0.59).
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