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Apigenin and sleep latency: grade C

Limited evidence. Direction: No effect.

C LimitedSubjective outcome only

Educational guidance, not medical advice

Why this grade

Rubric condition met: Small trials with mixed results; the only double-blind placebo-controlled trial cited (34 adults, clinical) was null on diary sleep latency

The only double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in our sources that measured time to fall asleep, in 34 adults with chronic insomnia, found no significant difference from placebo, although the effect size favored chamomile. A 2024 systematic review reported that sleep onset or ease of getting to sleep improved in 3 of 4 studies but did not pool them. Small, mixed, mostly clinical results give C with direction none.

How we grade evidence

Studies this grade rests on

EffectMixedNo effectSize shows participants (n)2010201520202025Meta-analysisRCTKazemi 2024, 2024: meta-analysis, n = 772, result not recordedZick 2011, 2011: RCT, n = 34, result not recorded
each study this grade rests on, by publication year and design. Solid: effect versus the comparator; half-filled: mixed; hollow: no effect; dashed: result not recorded yet. Larger marks had more participants.
Show the numbers
StudyYearDesignParticipantsResult
Zick 20112011RCT34result not recorded
Kazemi 20242024meta-analysis772result not recorded

Preliminary examination of the efficacy and safety of a standardized chamomile extract for chronic primary insomnia: a randomized placebo-controlled pilot study.

Zick SM, Wright BD, Sen A. Preliminary examination of the efficacy and safety of a standardized chamomile extract for chronic primary insomnia: a randomized placebo-controlled pilot study BMC Complement Altern Med, 2011. PMID 21939549

Result not recorded
Design
Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot trial, 28 days
Sample
n = 34
Population
Adults 18-65 with chronic primary insomnia (clinical population)
Funding
University of Michigan Department of Family Medicine seed grant; Michigan Institute for Clinical and Health Research (NIH UL1RR024986); study product supplied by the manufacturer, MediHerb

Effects of chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla L.) on sleep: A systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials.

Kazemi A, Shojaei-Zarghani S, Eskandarzadeh P. Effects of chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla L.) on sleep: A systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials Complement Ther Med, 2024. PMID 39106912

Result not recorded
Design
Systematic review and meta-analysis of 10 clinical trials
Sample
n = 772
Population
Healthy or diseased adults (mixed populations)
Funding
not stated in the PubMed or Crossref record; authors declare no competing interests

Search and history

Search (): chamomile[ti] AND sleep[tiab] AND randomized controlled trial[pt]

  • Graded C (proposed): Proposed in the monograph draft
  • C to C (approved): Editor sign-off November 13, 2026: grade matches the editor-approved final page