NutriDex

The Supplement Research Compendium
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Apigenin

Chamomile's calming flavonoid, popular for sleep and anti-aging.

Preliminary evidence 🌙Sleep & Mood⏳Longevity

✚ Updated · How we grade evidence

Evidence tier
Preliminary
Research weight
Citations
7 verified / 7
Classification
Sleep & Mood
❝
What the evidence says. Graded preliminary: nearly all anticancer, senolytic and brain effects come from cell and animal work. The few human trials test chamomile extract (which contains apigenin) for anxiety, not purified apigenin, and even those show modest, inconsistent benefits — direct trials of isolated apigenin for sleep or aging are essentially absent. (Preliminary evidence: Early or small human trials; promising but not yet conclusive.)

What is Apigenin?

Apigenin is a sleep and mood supplement used for mild calming / anxiety relief. NutriDex grades the human evidence as Preliminary. Apigenin is a plant flavonoid concentrated in chamomile, parsley, celery and artichoke. In the lab it suppresses inflammatory signaling (NF-kB, p38-MAPK) and dampens the secretions of aging 'senescent' cells, which drives its popularity as a sleep and longevity supplement; it also shows GABA-receptor activity in rodents. Human evidence is thin and indirect. Trials use chamomile extract rather than pure apigenin: an 8-week RCT in generalized anxiety disorder found a modestly greater drop in anxiety scores than placebo (n=57, p=0.047), and a meta-analysis of 12 trials (965 people) saw benefit for anxiety and sleep quality but little effect on insomnia. A chamomile insomnia pilot found no improvement in objective sleep. No controlled trial has tested isolated apigenin for sleep or aging endpoints, and oral bioavailability is poor.

Purported Benefits

✓Mild calming / anxiety relief
✓Support for sleep quality
✓Theorized anti-aging (senomorphic)
✓Antioxidant & anti-inflammatory

Evidence by outcome

The same supplement can be well-proven for one use and unproven for another — here is the human evidence graded outcome by outcome.

OutcomeEvidenceEffectStudies
Reduces generalized anxietyChamomile-extract (not pure apigenin) RCT and meta-analysis show modest anxiety benefit; borderline significance. Preliminary ↑ benefit · small 2
Improves sleep qualityMeta-analysis suggests subjective sleep-quality gain but an insomnia pilot found no objective sleep change; chamomile not isolated apigenin. Mixed ↔ mixed · small 2
Anti-aging / senomorphic effectGABAergic/senomorphic activity shown only in animals; no human trials of isolated apigenin for aging endpoints. No Evidence — no effect
Anti-inflammatory / antioxidant / anticancerAnticancer and anti-inflammatory effects demonstrated only in vitro/animal models; no human data. No Evidence — no effect

Dosing & Compounds

Typical Dose
No established dose; supplements provide 50 mg once daily, often at night. Most human data come from chamomile extract standardized to ~1.2% apigenin (1100-1500 mg/day).
Active Compounds
Apigenin (4',5,7-trihydroxyflavone)Apigenin-7-glucoside

Safety & Cautions

Apigenin is generally well tolerated at typical supplement doses and is consumed in foods, but long-term safety of concentrated supplements is untested. It inhibits CYP enzymes and may raise levels of drugs metabolised by them; theoretically it can add to the effects of sedatives, anticoagulants/antiplatelets and antidiabetic drugs. Chamomile sources can trigger allergy in people sensitive to ragweed, daisies or marigolds, and high doses are best avoided in pregnancy and before surgery. Educational only — always check with your doctor or pharmacist before combining Apigenin with any medicine.

Key Studies

Systematic review Imran 2024 ✓ PubMed
Systematic review/meta-analysis of apigenin for colorectal adenocarcinoma: anticancer effects shown only in vitro and in animal models, no human data.
Meta-analysis Hieu 2019 ✓ PubMed
Meta-analysis of 12 RCTs (965 patients): chamomile improved generalized anxiety and sleep quality, but minimal effect on state anxiety and insomnia.
RCT Mao 2016 ✓ PubMed
Long-term chamomile RCT: responders kept lower GAD symptoms than placebo (p=0.0032), but relapse hazard was not significantly reduced (HR 0.52, p=0.16).
RCT Zick 2011 ✓ PubMed
Pilot RCT of chamomile for chronic insomnia (n=34): no significant change in total sleep time, efficiency, latency or awakenings vs placebo.
RCT Amsterdam 2009 ✓ PubMed
8-week RCT of chamomile extract (1.2% apigenin) in GAD: significantly greater HAM-A reduction vs placebo (n=57, p=0.047), modest effect.
Review Kramer 2024 ✓ PubMed
Review: apigenin shows GABAergic and senomorphic activity in animals; human sleep data are correlational and aging effects untested in people.
Review Salehi 2019 ✓ PubMed
Review notes abundant in-vitro data but 'extremely small' number of human trials, with high inter-individual variability limiting conclusions.
7 sources cited · 7 verified Search all studies on PubMed ↗

Common questions about Apigenin

What is Apigenin used for?

Apigenin is most often taken for Mild calming / anxiety relief, Support for sleep quality, Theorized anti-aging (senomorphic), Antioxidant & anti-inflammatory. Chamomile's calming flavonoid, popular for sleep and anti-aging.

Does Apigenin work — what does the evidence say?

Preliminary evidence. Early or small human trials; promising but not yet conclusive. Apigenin is a plant flavonoid concentrated in chamomile, parsley, celery and artichoke. In the lab it suppresses inflammatory signaling (NF-kB, p38-MAPK) and dampens the secretions of aging 'senescent' cells, which drives its popularity as a sleep and longevity supplement; it also shows GABA-receptor activity in rodents. Human evidence is thin and indirect. Trials use chamomile extract rather than pure apigenin: an 8-week RCT in generalized anxiety disorder found a modestly greater drop in anxiety scores than placebo (n=57, p=0.047), and a meta-analysis of 12 trials (965 people) saw benefit for anxiety and sleep quality but little effect on insomnia. A chamomile insomnia pilot found no improvement in objective sleep. No controlled trial has tested isolated apigenin for sleep or aging endpoints, and oral bioavailability is poor.

What is the typical dose of Apigenin?

No established dose; supplements provide 50 mg once daily, often at night. Most human data come from chamomile extract standardized to ~1.2% apigenin (1100-1500 mg/day).

Is Apigenin safe? Any cautions or side effects?

Apigenin is generally well tolerated at typical supplement doses and is consumed in foods, but long-term safety of concentrated supplements is untested. It inhibits CYP enzymes and may raise levels of drugs metabolised by them; theoretically it can add to the effects of sedatives, anticoagulants/antiplatelets and antidiabetic drugs. Chamomile sources can trigger allergy in people sensitive to ragweed, daisies or marigolds, and high doses are best avoided in pregnancy and before surgery.

How many studies support Apigenin?

NutriDex cites 7 sources for Apigenin, graded "Preliminary".

Cite this page
APA

Peh, D. (2026). Apigenin: Benefits, Dosage, Side Effects & Evidence. NutriDex — The Supplement Research Compendium. Retrieved 26 Jun 2026, from https://nutridex.info/s/apigenin

BibTeX
@misc{nutridex_apigenin,
  author       = {Peh, Daryl},
  title        = {Apigenin: Benefits, Dosage, Side Effects \& Evidence},
  year         = {2026},
  howpublished = {NutriDex --- The Supplement Research Compendium},
  url          = {https://nutridex.info/s/apigenin},
  note         = {Reviewed by Dr Daryl Peh, MBBS Singapore, MMed FM. Accessed 2026-06-26}
}

For medical claims, citing the underlying primary studies linked above is preferred. NutriDex is an educational reference, not medical advice.

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