Stress & anxiety
Tea for anxiety: what helps, what's hype, and when tea isn't enough
Published · By Calm Teas (how we work)
Key takeaways
- The most convincing anxiety results are for extracts and capsules, such as a lavender-oil capsule, not for tea.
- The one placebo-controlled anxiety trial of a calming tea blend we found showed no difference.
- Lavender tea has three small trials, all compared with no drink at all.
- Kava and ashwagandha come with important safety cautions.
- If anxiety won't go away, talk to a professional. In the US, call, text or chat 988 if you're in crisis.
Can a cup of tea reduce anxiety?
Possibly a little, and mostly in ways that are hard to separate from the ritual of making and drinking it. The best test we found gave 210 surgical patients either a chamomile–passionflower–anise tea or a lemon placebo tea. Anxiety scores didn’t differ, though the herbal-tea group reported more positive feelings about their procedure (Zampieri et al., 2025).
| Herb | Evidence | Traditional tea amount (EU) | Teas in index |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lavender | Tested as tea | 1–2 g per 150 ml | 10 |
| Lemon balm | Extract trials only | 1.5–4.5 g per 150 ml | 7 |
| Passionflower | Tested as tea | 1–2 g per 150 ml | 10 |
| Chamomile | Tested as tea | 1.5–4 g per 150 ml | 29 |
| L-theanine (green tea) | Extract trials only | none listed | 0 |
| Ashwagandha | Extract trials only | none listed | 2 |
| Kava | Caution ingredient | none listed | 0 |
Which herbs have anxiety evidence, and in what form?
- Lavender. Three small trials of lavender tea, in older adults, postnatal women and people with misophonia, found lower anxiety or mood scores than no intervention (Bazrafshan et al., 2020) (Chen & Chen, 2015) (Koroglu & Durat, 2026). None used a placebo drink. The stronger evidence is for a standardized lavender-oil capsule, a different product (Zhang et al., 2022).
- Lemon balm. A meta-analysis found improved anxiety scores, but trials were few and varied, and the abstract doesn’t say which preparations were used (Ghazizadeh et al., 2021). A lab study used a single 600 mg extract dose (Kennedy et al., 2004). We found no trial of lemon balm tea for anxiety.
- Passionflower. Most trials in a 2020 review reported less anxiety, using various preparations (Janda et al., 2020).
- Chamomile. No difference for everyday (situational) anxiety; some improvement in generalized anxiety disorder with supplements (Hieu et al., 2019) (NCCIH fact sheet).
- L-theanine. Supplements of 200–400 mg a day may help under stress (Williams et al., 2020). Green tea also contains caffeine (NCCIH fact sheet), which isn’t what most anxious people are looking for at bedtime.
Read more: why most “calming tea” studies didn’t test tea.
Which “anxiety” teas need extra care?
- Kava has been linked to rare, sometimes serious liver injury, including from water-based drinks (NCCIH fact sheet).
- Ashwagandha should be avoided in pregnancy and has several possible drug interactions (NCCIH fact sheet).
- Some “calm” blends include St John’s wort, which weakens many medicines. The decoder flags it.
When to get help
If anxiety is persistent or getting in the way of your life, talk to a professional. If you’re in immediate distress or thinking about hurting yourself, call, text or chat 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (US, 24 hours) (NCCIH fact sheet).
Sources
- Zampieri et al. (2025). Exploring the Effects of a Calming Herbal Tea Blend on Perioperative Anxiety: A Randomized Clinical Trial. J Med Food.
Human trial (randomized, double-blind, placebo tea) · form: tea
210 surgical patients in Brazil drank a chamomile–passionflower–anise tea or a lemon placebo tea. Anxiety scores did not differ between groups; the herbal-tea group reported more positive feelings about the procedure.
Limits: Single centre; anxiety measured after surgery. A rare trial with a placebo tea, and it found no anxiety difference.
checked against the abstract, 2026-10-21 · PMID 39514279 - Bazrafshan et al. (2020). The effect of lavender herbal tea on the anxiety and depression of the elderly: A randomized clinical trial. Complement Ther Med.
Human trial (randomized, single-blind, no placebo) · form: tea
60 older adults in Iran drank a 2 g lavender tea bag twice daily for 2 weeks or had no intervention. The tea group ended with lower depression and anxiety scores.
Limits: No placebo drink; single-blind; small; two weeks.
checked against the abstract, 2026-10-21 · PMID 32444033 - Chen & Chen (2015). Effects of Lavender Tea on Fatigue, Depression, and Maternal-Infant Attachment in Sleep-Disturbed Postnatal Women. Worldviews Evid Based Nurs.
Human trial (controlled, no placebo) · form: tea
80 postnatal women in Taiwan with poor sleep drank one cup of lavender tea daily for 2 weeks or received usual care. The tea group reported less fatigue and depression.
Limits: Systematic (not fully random) assignment; no placebo; short.
checked against the abstract, 2026-10-21 · PMID 26523950 - Koroglu & Durat (2026). The effect of lavender herbal tea on the mental health of individuals with misophonia: A randomized controlled trial. J Psychiatr Res.
Human trial (randomized, single-blind, no-intervention control) · form: tea
60 adults with misophonia drank 2 g lavender tea twice daily for 14 days or had no intervention. Anxiety, depression and anger scores improved more in the tea group.
Limits: No placebo; specific population; the abstract's own wording is cautious.
checked against the abstract, 2026-10-21 · PMID 41579454 - Zhang et al. (2022). Medicinal herbs for the treatment of anxiety: A systematic review and network meta-analysis. Pharmacol Res.
Systematic review + network meta-analysis · form: extract
29 trials comparing 12 herbs for anxiety. A lavender-oil capsule (Silexan) and kava showed significant effects on anxiety scores; kava was possibly ineffective in generalized anxiety disorder.
Limits: Capsules and extracts, not teas; several herbs had few, small trials.
checked against the abstract, 2026-10-21 · PMID 35378276 - Ghazizadeh et al. (2021). The effects of lemon balm (Melissa officinalis L.) on depression and anxiety in clinical trials: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Phytother Res.
Systematic review + meta-analysis · form: unspecified
Randomized trials of lemon balm in people with anxiety or depressive symptoms. Lemon balm improved anxiety and depression scores versus placebo, without serious side effects.
Limits: High heterogeneity and few trials. The abstract does not say which preparations (tea, extract, capsule) were used.
checked against the abstract, 2026-10-21 · PMID 34449930 - Kennedy et al. (2004). Attenuation of laboratory-induced stress in humans after acute administration of Melissa officinalis (Lemon Balm). Psychosom Med.
Human trial (randomized, double-blind crossover) · form: extract
18 healthy volunteers took single doses of a standardized lemon balm extract (300 mg, 600 mg) or placebo before a lab stress test. The 600 mg dose increased self-rated calmness.
Limits: Very small; single doses of an extract, not tea; healthy volunteers in a lab setting.
checked against the abstract, 2026-10-21 · PMID 15272110 - Janda et al. (2020). Passiflora incarnata in Neuropsychiatric Disorders-A Systematic Review. Nutrients.
Systematic review · form: mixed
Nine clinical trials of passionflower preparations in neuropsychiatric conditions. Most reported reduced anxiety; no memory or psychomotor side effects were observed.
Limits: Trials varied from one day to 30 days and used different scales; effect was less evident in mild anxiety.
checked against the abstract, 2026-10-21 · PMID 33352740 - Hieu et al. (2019). 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 trials. Phytother Res.
Systematic review + meta-analysis · form: mixed
12 randomized trials. No difference for state anxiety (3 trials pooled); improved anxiety scores in generalized anxiety disorder at 2 and 4 weeks; improved sleep quality; one insomnia trial found no change.
Limits: Small number of trials per outcome; preparations varied; authors call for larger trials.
checked against the abstract, 2026-10-21 · PMID 31006899 - NCCIH (NIH). Anxiety and Complementary Health Approaches, updated September 2024.
Government fact sheet
Reviews complementary approaches for anxiety. A 2019 review of three chamomile trials showed no significant reduction in situational anxiety. If anxiety symptoms won't go away, talk to a professional; in immediate distress, call, text or chat 988 (988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, 24-hour, US).
checked against the official page, 2026-10-21 - NCCIH (NIH). Kava, updated April 2025.
Government fact sheet
Kava products have been linked to rare cases of liver injury, some serious or fatal, including some kava beverages prepared with water. Should not be combined with sedatives such as benzodiazepines or alcohol.
checked against the official page, 2026-10-21 - NCCIH (NIH). Ashwagandha, updated March 2023.
Government fact sheet
Some preparations may help insomnia and stress; unclear for anxiety. Rare liver injury cases. Avoid in pregnancy and breastfeeding; not recommended with autoimmune or thyroid disorders; possible interactions with diabetes, blood-pressure, immunosuppressant, sedative, anti-seizure and thyroid medicines.
checked against the official page, 2026-10-21 - Williams et al. (2020). The Effects of Green Tea Amino Acid L-Theanine Consumption on the Ability to Manage Stress and Anxiety Levels: a Systematic Review. Plant Foods Hum Nutr.
Systematic review · form: supplement
9 randomized trials of L-theanine supplements. 200–400 mg/day may help reduce stress and anxiety in people under stressful conditions.
Limits: Supplement doses; authors call for longer, larger trials including dietary intake.
checked against the abstract, 2026-10-21 · PMID 31758301 - NCCIH (NIH). Green Tea, updated February 2025.
Government fact sheet
No safety concerns reported for green tea as a beverage in adults, but it contains caffeine. High doses reduced levels of the beta-blocker nadolol; interactions with other drugs possible.
checked against the official page, 2026-10-21
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