Chamomile tea is very close to neutral, with a pH between 6 and 7. That makes it one of the least acidic teas you can drink. For comparison, pure water sits at a pH of 7, so chamomile falls just barely on the acidic side of the scale, and well above the threshold where acidity starts to matter for your body or your teeth.
How Chamomile Compares to Other Drinks
The pH scale runs from 0 (most acidic) to 14 (most alkaline), with 7 as neutral. Chamomile tea, at pH 6 to 7, is dramatically less acidic than most popular beverages. Coffee typically lands between 4.85 and 5.10. Black tea ranges from about 4.9 to 5.5. Green tea is similar. Orange juice comes in around 3.7, and sodas can dip below 3.
A study published in the Journal of Dentistry measured the pH of several herbal and commercial teas and found that chamomile and traditional black tea were significantly more alkaline than other varieties tested. The pH values across all teas in the study ranged from 3.15 to 7.08, and chamomile sat comfortably at the high end of that range.
Will It Harm Your Teeth?
Tooth enamel begins to erode when it’s exposed to liquids with a pH below about 4.5. Chamomile tea sits well above that line, so it poses essentially no erosion risk on its own. In the same dental study, orange juice (pH 3.7) removed a measurable 3.3 micrometers of enamel, while chamomile showed no comparable effect. If you’re concerned about protecting your enamel but still want a warm drink, chamomile is one of the safest choices available.
Adding lemon juice or honey can change the picture. Lemon drops the pH considerably, potentially bringing the tea into a range that could affect enamel over time. If you drink it plain, though, you have little to worry about.
Chamomile Tea and Acid Reflux
People dealing with heartburn or acid reflux often search for drinks that won’t trigger symptoms. Because chamomile is nearly neutral, it’s unlikely to aggravate reflux the way coffee or citrus drinks can. Harvard Health Publishing notes that chamomile tea may have a soothing effect on the digestive tract, which is why it shows up frequently in lists of reflux-friendly beverages.
Chamomile contains natural compounds, including certain plant-based antioxidants, that have mild anti-inflammatory properties. These may help calm irritation in the esophagus and stomach lining, though the effect is gentle rather than medicinal. It won’t replace treatment for chronic reflux, but as a beverage choice, it’s far less likely to cause problems than acidic alternatives.
What About Bladder Sensitivity?
For people with bladder conditions like interstitial cystitis, acidic drinks are a well-known trigger. Research from the Interstitial Cystitis Association identifies coffee, tea, soda, citrus juices, and alcohol as some of the most problematic beverages. However, the “tea” in those findings typically refers to caffeinated black or green tea. Chamomile is naturally caffeine-free and nearly neutral in pH, which puts it in a different category entirely. Many people with bladder sensitivity tolerate it without issues, though individual reactions vary.
What Affects the Final pH
The pH of your cup depends on a few practical factors. Using more chamomile (a stronger brew) can pull slightly more of the plant’s natural organic acids into the water, nudging the pH a bit lower. Chamomile flowers contain small amounts of chlorogenic acid and caffeic acid as part of their chemical makeup, but these are present in such low concentrations that they don’t push the tea into meaningfully acidic territory.
Your water matters too. Tap water pH varies by region, typically ranging from about 6.5 to 8.5. Starting with harder, more mineral-rich water will produce a slightly more alkaline cup. Steeping for a longer time extracts more compounds overall, but the shift in pH is modest. Whether you steep for three minutes or ten, chamomile stays in the near-neutral zone.
The biggest variable is what you add. A squeeze of lemon can drop the pH by one to two full points. Milk, on the other hand, is slightly alkaline and nudges it back toward neutral. Sugar and honey have minimal effect on pH.