Chamomile for Blood Sugar Regulation

Research suggests that chamomile may support blood sugar regulation through several complementary mechanisms, with laboratory and animal studies indicating that its key polyphenols — particularly apigenin and related compounds — can inhibit carbohydrate-digesting enzymes, slow intestinal glucose absorption, and improve insulin-related markers in diabetic rat models. Studies indicate that chamomile flower extract, whether combined with exercise or administered alone, appears to reduce blood sugar responses and improve insulin levels in animal models of type 2 diabetes, though a 2018 rat study found that these benefits did not appear to operate through the GPC-4 protein pathway as initially hypothesized. A 2022 review of apigenin research and a 2020 literature review of herbal interventions in PCOS both note chamomile among several herbs showing promise for improving glucose metabolism and insulin resistance, with the PCOS review drawing on nearly three decades of published work across multiple herb studies. The available evidence, however, is largely preclinical — consisting of rat studies, cell models, and narrative reviews rather than human clinical trials — and researchers across these studies consistently emphasize that well-designed human trials are needed before any firm conclusions about chamomile's effectiveness for blood sugar regulation in people can be drawn.