Valerian vs Chamomile
Which is better for sleep?
Awaiting clinical review. This comparison is built from sourced entries but has not yet been signed off by a pharmacist or clinician.
Short answer
Neither has good evidence for sleep: both are rated Limited, so this is close to a tie decided on the details. Chamomile has the slightly more favourable pooled result (a 2024 meta-analysis found a lower sleep-quality score, though trials disagreed widely and duration did not improve), whereas valerian's best-designed trials and a 2024 umbrella review found no evidence of efficacy for insomnia. Choose chamomile unless you are allergic to ragweed or daisy-family plants or take warfarin.
People report better sleep, but measured sleep onset and the best-designed trials show no effect
Lower sleep-quality scores in a 2024 meta-analysis, but the trials disagreed and duration did not improve
Side by side
| Attribute | Valerian | Chamomile |
|---|---|---|
| Evidence for sleep | Limited (sleep quality and insomnia) | Limited (sleep quality) |
| Best for | Subjective sleep quality | Generalised anxiety symptoms |
| How fast | 2 weeks | 4+ weeks |
| Typical form | Root extract, 300–600 mg at night | Extract 1,500 mg/day (GAD trials) |
| Main caution | Adds to alcohol and sedatives; not for pregnancy | Avoid if allergic to ragweed or daisy-family plants |
| Safe in pregnancy? | Not established; EU regulator advises against | Extracts not established; tea: sources disagree |
| Allergy | Only if allergic to valerian | Ragweed, daisy or marigold allergy: contraindicated |
| Why the evidence is thin | Self-reported gains; measured outcomes flat | Self-reported; no gain in duration or efficiency |
Which should you pick?
Choose Valerian if
- you have a ragweed or daisy-family allergy, or take warfarin (chamomile's main cautions)
- you take no sedatives, do not drink alcohol at bedtime and are not pregnant
Choose Chamomile if
- you want the slightly better pooled result while accepting that it is Limited
- you are not allergic to ragweed, daisies or marigolds and do not take warfarin
- you would rather avoid valerian's advice against combining it with alcohol or sedatives
Questions people ask
Can I take valerian and chamomile together?
No interaction between the two is recorded, and neither entry reviews taking them together. Both are flagged with sedatives (valerian at Caution, chamomile at Monitor), so the effects could add together, and NCCIH advises against valerian with sedatives or alcohol.
Which is better for sleep, valerian or chamomile?
Both are rated Limited. Chamomile's pooled result is a little more favourable (PSQI score lower by 1.88 points, with I2 of 88%), while valerian's measured outcomes were flat and its best-designed trials found no effect. Neither has been shown to lengthen sleep reliably.
Can either help with insomnia rather than general sleep quality?
The evidence is weak for both. The only insomnia-specific randomised trial of chamomile in the 2019 review found no benefit on insomnia severity, and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine advises against valerian for chronic insomnia.
How long should I try one before judging it?
For valerian the EU monograph recommends 2 to 4 weeks, and advises seeing a doctor or pharmacist if sleep has not improved after 2. For chamomile, four weeks is a reasonable point to judge; the sources give no evidence-based time of day for either.
Sources
- Systematic review Taibi DM, Landis CA, Petry H, Vitiello MV. A systematic review of valerian as a sleep aid: safe but not effective. Sleep Med Rev. 2007.
- Umbrella review Valente V, Machado D, Jorge S, Drake CL, Marques DR. Does valerian work for insomnia? An umbrella review of the evidence. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol. 2024.
- Regulator/health agency NCCIH. Valerian: Usefulness and Safety. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (last updated May 2025).
- Systematic review Hieu TH, Dibas M, Surya Dila KA, et al. 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. Phytotherapy Research. 2019.
- Systematic review Kazemi A, Shojaei-Zarghani S, Eskandarzadeh P, et al. Effects of chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla L.) on sleep: A systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials. Complementary Therapies in Medicine. 2024.
- Regulator monograph NCCIH (US National Institutes of Health). Chamomile: Usefulness and Safety.