Effect of chamomile intake on blood coagulation tests in healthy volunteers: a randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover trial

Abstract Background Chamomile is consumed worldwide for enjoyment and its potentially desirable properties. Widespread patient resource websites, however, discourage preoperative chamomile intake, lest bleeding could worsen. This precaution, though, stems largely from indirect evidence in one case report. To evaluate if chamomile ingestion impacts coagulation assays via coumarin-like substances, we designed a randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover study. Materials and methods Healthy volunteers were randomized to three interventions in a cross-over-design spanning 5 weeks per subject. Interventions included 7-day consumption of chamomile tea (3 tea bags × 3 times daily = 9 tea bags daily), a chamomile extract capsule (3 times daily), or a placebo capsule (3 times daily). A 7-day washout period elapsed between intervention periods. The primary outcome was the change in prothrombin time (PT) before vs. after each intervention. Secondary outcomes included changes in the international normalized ratio (INR), activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), thrombin time (TT), reptilase time (RT), and fibrinogen (FG) surrounding each intervention. Results All 12 enrolled subjects were randomized and completed the study. The primary outcome of PT change (mean ± SD) was similar across interventions (chamomile tea = − 0.2 ± 0.4 s, extract capsule = − 0.2 ± 0.4 s, and placebo capsule = 0.1 ± 0.5 s; p = 0.34). INR change was 0 s (p = 0.07) for each intervention. The aPTT, TT, RT, and FG, did not change significantly across interventions (p = 0.8, p = 0.08, p = 0.8, and p = 0.2 respectively). Conclusions Chamomile intake by tea or capsule does not prolong PT. These findings challenge the notion to avoid perioperative chamomile intake in patients not taking warfarin. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT05006378; Principal Investigator: Jonathon Schwartz, M.D.; Registered August 16, 2021.