Teas for Sleep: Lemon Balm, Lavender, Hops or Hemp Tea?
Teas for sleep: what EMA says about lemon balm, lavender, and hops, how much CBD is in hemp tea, and what THC limit will apply to hemp leaves from 2027.
Which tea for sleep has evidence? Lemon balm, lavender, and hops have EU monographs, but only for traditional use. Hemp tea has no monograph. In a cup of infusion from the flowers of two CBD-dominant strains, Czech researchers measured 449 and 893 µg of CBD, which is less than 1 mg (Maly et al., 2024). European guidelines from 2023 do not recommend herbal preparations for treating insomnia (Riemann et al., 2023). From this text, you will learn how much herb for tea is recommended by the European Medicines Agency and what was actually measured in studies. You will also check the status of hemp leaf tea and who should avoid these infusions.
KEY INFORMATION
• A cup of infusion from CBD-dominant hemp flowers contained less than 1 mg of CBD (Maly et al., 2024).
• Lemon balm, lavender, and hops have EMA monographs only for traditional use.
• We did not find studies on hemp tea for sleep.
• From 2027, hemp leaves for infusion may contain a maximum of 40 mg/kg of total delta-9-THC and THCA.
Which tea for sleep has the best evidence?
None of the teas described here have documented effectiveness. Lemon balm, hops, and lavender have monographs from the HMPC committee of the European Medicines Agency only for traditional use. This mode is based on at least 30 years of safe use, including 15 in the EU (EMA, summary for lemon balm). The column for documented use is empty in all four monographs, including both for lavender.
European insomnia treatment guidelines from 2023 recommend cognitive-behavioral therapy as the first-line treatment for chronic insomnia in adults. They do not recommend herbal preparations, and both recommendations have an A grade (Riemann et al., 2023).
Meta-analyses of herbs do not improve this picture. In 14 studies involving 1602 people with insomnia, none of the four herbal preparations, including valerian and chamomile, differed from placebo (Leach and Page, 2015). In a meta-analysis of 16 studies on valerian alone, most had serious flaws, and the pooled relative risk of sleep improvement, 1.8, showed signs of publication bias (Bent et al., 2006). We describe chamomile in the entry chamomile for sleep and generalized anxiety.
For hemp, there is not even a monograph. In a draft position from July 9, 2025, HMPC concluded that a EU monograph for hemp flowers cannot currently be established. There are also no approved single-ingredient hemp medicines on the EU market, and the project does not cover medicines with purified cannabinoids (EMA/HMPC/69833/2025). Leaf teas are also not covered.
How much herb should be used for tea from lemon balm, lavender, or hops?
As much as the EMA monographs recommend for infusion. For lemon balm leaves, it is 1.5-4.5 g in 150 ml of boiling water, 1-3 times a day (EMA/HMPC/196745/2012). For lavender flowers, 1-2 g in 150 ml, 3 times a day (EMA/HMPC/734125/2010). For hops cones for sleep, 0.5-1 g in 150-200 ml, 30-60 minutes before sleep (EMA/HMPC/682384/2013).
| Raw Material | Indication in Monograph | Tea According to Monograph | When to See a Doctor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lemon Balm Leaf | Mild symptoms of psychological stress, help with falling asleep; separately mild gastrointestinal discomfort | 1.5-4.5 g in 150 ml of boiling water, 1-3 times a day | When symptoms last longer than 2 weeks |
| Lavender Flower | Mild symptoms of psychological stress and exhaustion, help with falling asleep | 1-2 g in 150 ml of boiling water, 3 times a day | When symptoms persist, without a number of weeks |
| Hops Cone | Mild symptoms of psychological stress, help with falling asleep | For stress 0.5 g in 150-200 ml up to 4 times a day; for sleep 0.5-1 g 30-60 minutes before sleep | When symptoms last longer than 2 weeks |
Lavender oil is another form, taken orally in a dose of 20-80 mg per day (EMA/HMPC/143181/2010), so its doses are not transferred to the infusion from the flowers.
Does lemon balm really help with sleep?
The EMA assessment report does not describe a study on lemon balm tea that measured sleep. In a crossover trial with placebo, 20 healthy young individuals received single doses of 600 to 1600 mg of dried lemon balm leaf in capsules. Researchers measured mood and mental performance up to 6 hours after administration, not sleep (Kennedy et al., 2003).
The highest dose, 1600 mg, resulted in improved memory and increased feelings of calm. In a second trial, 18 healthy participants after 600 mg of extract were rated as calmer but less alert in laboratory stress (Kennedy et al., 2004). According to EMA, this was a methanol extract, which is not covered by its monograph.
The European Pharmacopoeia requires at least 1% rosmarinic acid in dried leaves, and reviews report up to 6%. How much of this passes into the infusion is not provided by the assessment report (EMA, assessment report for lemon balm).
Sleep was measured in an open study of 20 individuals with mild or moderate anxiety and sleep disorders. After 15 days of taking 600 mg of Cyracos extract per day, the insomnia index dropped by 42% (Cases et al., 2011). The study had no control group, and the authors report affiliation with Naturex, the producer of the extract. EMA considered the trial too small to base documented use on.
A meta-analysis of randomized studies published up to 2020 showed that lemon balm reduced anxiety scores compared to placebo (standardized mean difference -0.98). However, the authors caution about the small number of studies and high heterogeneity (Ghazizadeh et al., 2021). This result is for anxiety and depression, not for sleep.
Does lavender tea work like capsules with oil?
This is unknown, as studies mainly concern capsules. A capsule of the Silexan preparation contains 80 mg of lavender oil. In a 6-week trial involving 77 adults with generalized anxiety disorder, the Hamilton anxiety scale score dropped by 45% with Silexan and by 46% with 0.5 mg of lorazepam (Woelk and Schläfke, 2010).
The sleep diary showed similarly beneficial results in both groups, but the trial had no placebo group. EMA assessors also noted the small number of patients and lack of statistical power calculation, so they did not recognize documented use for lavender (EMA, assessment report for lavender). The name Silexan does not appear in the monographs, although 80 mg is also the upper limit of the daily dose of oil.
Both monographs, for oil and for flowers, have the same indication: mild symptoms of psychological stress and exhaustion, as well as help with falling asleep. Anxiety disorders are not mentioned in them. On the EMA website, the effect of oil on anxiety, stress, and insomnia is described as possible, but studies included too few patients to establish it (EMA, summary for lavender oil).
The only study of lavender tea we found involved 80 postpartum women with poor sleep. Half drank a cup daily for 2 weeks, while the other half received usual care. Those drinking tea reported less fatigue and fewer depressive symptoms, but after 4 weeks, the results of the groups were similar. Sleep quality was measured, but the abstract does not provide a significant difference for it (Chen and Chen, 2015). We write more in the entry about lavender for sleep and stress.
Has hops been studied for sleep in humans?
According to EMA, not for insomnia. The EMA assessment report from 2014 states that no clinical studies have been conducted on hops alone for anxiety or insomnia. The only trial with non-alcoholic beer involving 17 nurses was considered anecdotal, as the hop content in the beer was not demonstrated (EMA, assessment report for hops).
According to EMA, there is one newer study on stress. An EMA addendum from March 19, 2025, describes a double-blind trial by Kyrou et al. from 2017, with randomization in a crossover design with placebo. It involved 42 young individuals with at least mild symptoms on the DASS-21 scale, which measures anxiety, depression, and stress. For 4 weeks, they took 2 capsules daily containing 0.2 g of dry hop extract. Results on all three subscales dropped more than on placebo (EMA/HMPC/8694/2025).
The assessor noted that the potency of the preparation was not provided, and DASS-21 is a screening tool. The group was considered small, but the result was consistent with the traditional use of hops. More trials concern hops with valerian: the 2014 report lists at least 7 controlled studies establishing combinations of both extracts, but whether hops works independently in them has not been determined.
In rats, hop extract prolonged sleep after pentobarbital, without anxiolytic effects (Zanoli et al., 2005). According to EMA, the role of 2-methyl-3-buten-2-ol as a sedative has not been confirmed. This compound increases in hops during storage, to about 0.15% of dry weight after 2 years, and its formation in the body has not been demonstrated. We write more broadly about this in the entry about hops cones for sleep.
Does hemp tea help with sleep?
We did not find such studies. A query in PubMed about hemp or CBD in tea, infusion, or decoction and sleep yielded 6 results on September 16, 2026, none of which concerned hemp tea and sleep. A paper from a psychiatric clinic assessing sleep after CBD concerned capsules (Shannon et al., 2019).
This was a retrospective review of records of 72 adults. Almost all received 25 mg of CBD daily in capsules, alongside usual treatment. After a month, sleep improved in 48 individuals, or 66.7%, but the authors state that sleep outcomes did not improve permanently over 3 months. There was no comparison group, and CBD products were supplied by CV Sciences.
How much CBD ends up in a cup? Czech researchers boiled 1 g of crushed flowers in 250 ml of water for 10 minutes. The infusion from the “CBD Therapy” strain contained 893 µg of CBD, and from the “Tisza” strain 449 µg, which in both cases is less than 1 mg. CBDA was 7366 and 3630 µg, as cannabinoid acids pass into water better (Maly et al., 2024).
Danish researchers checked hemp tea prescribed for medicinal use. The infusion from a product with a declared 8% total CBD and CBDA contained a median of 7.5 µg of CBD per milliliter, and a 0.2 l serving would contain 0.38-2.0 mg of CBD (Sønderskov et al., 2024).
A cup from the Czech analysis had 28-56 times less CBD than the daily dose of 25 mg from Shannon’s work, and the Danish serving had 12.5-66 times less. This is our calculation, not a result from either of these studies. Therefore, the result from capsules does not transfer to tea.
Is hemp tea legal and is it novel food?
It depends on what it is made from. Commission Regulation (EU) 2026/1828 refers to the novel food status catalog, according to which tea made from hemp leaves, without flowering and fruiting tops, is not considered novel food. From January 1, 2027, leaves for infusion may contain a maximum of 40 mg/kg of total delta-9-THC and THCA, calculated as delta-9-THC. The regulation stipulates that member states may have stricter regulations.
From the same date, ready-to-drink teas made from hemp leaves have a limit of 0.02 mg/kg. The label of the leaves must state that they are intended solely for infusion in water and are not for infants or small children. It must also indicate that no fat-containing ingredients, such as cream or milk, are added during infusion.
In a consultation requested from the Chief Sanitary Inspectorate, it was concluded that hemp herb, meaning leaves, stems, and flowers, is novel food as an ingredient in dietary supplements. If it contains flowering or fruiting tops from which resin has not been removed, it is a narcotic under the 1961 UN convention and cannot be food (European Commission, published March 17, 2025). CBD extracts and isolates also have novel food status (list of consultations by the Commission). Therefore, check the composition of products in the tea category on the label.
In Poland, cannabidiol is not listed among narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances (t.j. Dz.U. 2024 poz. 1139 ze zm.). A narcotic is the herb of cannabis other than fiber hemp, meaning any above-ground part of the plant, excluding seeds, with a total delta-9-THC and THCA above 0.3% (art. 4 pkt 37 Act on Counteracting Drug Addiction).
Who should avoid these teas?
Children under 12 years old and women who are pregnant or breastfeeding. The monographs for lemon balm, lavender, and hops do not recommend them for these groups due to lack of established safety. The same note about children is in the monograph for passionflower (EMA, passionflower monograph). Each of them also warns that the preparation may impair the ability to drive.
The lemon balm monograph states “no available data” regarding interactions, while the monographs for lavender and hops state “not reported.” Lack of data is not evidence of lack of interactions. The only contraindication in the hops monograph is hypersensitivity to the active substance. We have compiled a table of plants that should not be combined with each other or with medications which herbs should not be combined.
According to regulation (EU) 2026/1828, hemp leaf tea is not for infants and small children. Regarding CBD, the EFSA panel stated that safety cannot be established for individuals under 25 years old and for those taking medications, as well as during pregnancy and breastfeeding. The temporary safe dose of CBD is 0.0275 mg/kg of body weight per day, about 2 mg for an adult weighing 70 kg (EFSA, 2026).
This dose applies only to CBD supplements with a purity of at least 98%, so it is not a standard for tea. For scale: 25 mg from Shannon’s work exceeds it by more than 12 times. This is our compilation of numbers, not an EFSA assessment.
Can lemon balm or lavender be smoked or vaporized?
There is no data that it is safe. EMA documents describe lemon balm and lavender for drinking, swallowing, or bathing, and none concern smoking. Any burning of the plant produces carbon monoxide: a herbal cigarette made from mugwort produced 12.3 mg per piece, twice as much as a tobacco one with the same declared tar (Bak et al., 2015).
Lavender is one of the main ingredients in herbal cigarettes (Abdel Rahman et al., 2022). If you smoke cannabis, replacing tobacco with lemon balm or lavender removes nicotine from the joint, but not the smoke, and burning cannabis also produces polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (Maly et al., 2024). We describe which herbs go into a joint in the text about what to smoke instead of tobacco in a joint. We also discuss the law: herb with a total delta-9-THC and THCA above 0.3% is a narcotic in Poland.
What changes with vaporization? It does not burn the herb. In a survey of 6,883 people, those who primarily vaporized cannabis had a respiratory symptom odds ratio of 0.40 compared to smokers, although only 152 people vaporized (Earleywine and Barnwell, 2007). In a study of 18 volunteers, carbon monoxide in exhaled air was lower after vaporization than after smoking (Abrams et al., 2007). Both studies concerned cannabis, not herbs.
Our herb vaporization guide provides for lemon balm 140-160 degrees, and for lavender 130-150 degrees. These values are from device instructions, not measurements, and we do not provide a range for hops. You can find devices for herbs with temperature control in the vaporizer category. We have not found measurements of smoke or vapor from lemon balm.
How do these teas compare in one summary?
We did not find a study in which any of these teas significantly improved sleep. Of the eight individual studies on herbs and CBD in humans described above, five report results concerning sleep. The only one with tea does not report a significant difference in sleep quality in the abstract (Chen and Chen, 2015). Three concerned capsules or extracts, and the trial with non-alcoholic beer was considered anecdotal by EMA.
| Raw Material | Status in the EU | Study in Humans | Form | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lemon Balm | HMPC Monograph, traditional use | Kennedy 2003, 20 people; Cases 2011, 20 people | Leaf capsules; extract | Mood and memory; 42% decrease in insomnia index without control group |
| Lavender | Two HMPC monographs, traditional use | Woelk 2010, 77 people; Chen 2015, 80 women | Silexan capsules 80 mg; tea | Anxiety and sleep diary, without placebo; no reported difference in sleep after tea |
| Hops | HMPC Monograph, traditional use | Kyrou 2017, 42 people | Extract capsules | DASS-21 scale, sleep not assessed |
| Valerian with Hops | Compound preparations | At least 7 controlled studies | Combinations of extracts | Hops’ contribution not determined |
| Hemp Tea | Leaves without flowering and fruiting tops are not novel food, THC limit from 2027. Herb with resinous tops cannot be food according to the European Commission | We did not find sleep studies | Infusion; in measurement decoction | Below 1 mg of CBD in a cup of infusion from flowers, not from leaves |
| CBD in Capsules, for Comparison | CBD extracts are novel food without authorization | Shannon 2019, 72 people | Capsules, mainly 25 mg per day | Sleep without lasting improvement |
What does this mean? For chronic insomnia, guidelines prioritize cognitive-behavioral therapy over infusion. If you drink tea from lemon balm, lavender, or hops, stick to the amounts from the monographs, and if sleep problems persist, talk to a doctor. For hemp tea, check the composition, as it determines the status.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does any tea have proven effects on sleep?
None of the teas described here have documented effectiveness. Lemon balm and hops, like lavender, have EMA monographs only for traditional use. European guidelines from 2023 do not recommend herbal preparations for treating insomnia, placing cognitive-behavioral therapy first (Riemann et al., 2023).
Are there studies on hemp tea for sleep?
We did not find such studies. A query in PubMed about hemp tea or CBD and sleep yielded 6 results on September 16, 2026, none of which concerned hemp tea and sleep. In the review of records, almost all received CBD in capsules, 25 mg per day, and sleep outcomes did not improve permanently (Shannon et al., 2019).
How much CBD is in a cup of hemp tea?
Not much. Czech researchers measured in a 250 ml cup of infusion from the flowers of two CBD-dominant strains 449 and 893 µg of CBD, which is less than 1 mg (Maly et al., 2024). In a Danish analysis, a 0.2 l serving of medicinal hemp tea would contain 0.38-2.0 mg of CBD (Sønderskov et al., 2024).
Is hemp tea legal as food?
It depends on the composition. According to the novel food catalog referenced by regulation (EU) 2026/1828, tea made from hemp leaves without flowering and fruiting tops is not considered novel food. From 2027, leaves may contain a maximum of 40 mg/kg of total delta-9-THC and THCA. According to the European Commission, herb with resinous tops cannot be food, and CBD extracts are considered novel food.
Can children drink lemon balm or lavender tea?
EMA monographs do not recommend it for children under 12 years old due to lack of data. The same note applies to the monographs for hops and passionflower. According to regulation (EU) 2026/1828, hemp leaf tea is not for infants and small children. Regarding CBD, the EFSA panel stated that safety cannot be established for individuals under 25 years old.
Can these teas be consumed during pregnancy?
The monographs for lemon balm and hops, as well as lavender, do not recommend them during pregnancy or breastfeeding due to lack of established safety. Regarding CBD, the EFSA panel stated in a position published in 2026 that safety cannot be established for pregnant or breastfeeding women or for individuals under 25 years old.
This article is for informational and educational purposes and does not constitute medical advice. Before starting supplementation, consult a doctor, especially if you are taking medications regularly, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or have chronic illnesses.
Author: Michał Waluk · Published: 2026-08-09 · Updated: 2026-09-17
