Caffeine in Herbal tea
Herbal tea holds no caffeine. Chamomile, peppermint, rooibos and fruit infusions are the only genuinely free options on this site.
| Caffeine per serving | 0 mg |
| Serving | 8 oz cup (240 ml) |
| Caffeine per 100 ml | 0 mg |
| Share of the 400 mg daily limit | 0% |
How late can you have it?
At 0 mg this sits below 40 mg, the line Cira uses as low enough to sleep on, so on its own it is unlikely to keep you awake. It still adds to whatever else is already in you.
What to know
Herbal tea is not tea. It is an infusion of other plants, and none of the common ones contain caffeine, so a cup at midnight is a cup of hot water with flavour.
Two exceptions hide in the herbal aisle. Yerba mate and guayusa are sold as herbal but carry real caffeine, and so-called energy blends often add green tea extract.
Rooibos and chamomile are the safe defaults after your cutoff, and the ritual of a hot drink is a large part of what people actually miss in the evening.
Compared with the rest of the tea
| Drink | Serving | Caffeine |
|---|---|---|
| Yerba mate | 8 oz cup (240 ml) | 84 mg |
| Matcha | 8 oz cup (240 ml) | 67 mg |
| Black tea | 8 oz cup (240 ml) | 48 mg |
| Oolong | 8 oz cup (240 ml) | 38 mg |
| White tea | 8 oz cup (240 ml) | 36 mg |
| Chai latte | 10.1 oz cup (300 ml) | 30 mg |
| Green tea | 8 oz cup (240 ml) | 29 mg |
| Herbal tea | 8 oz cup (240 ml) | 0 mg |
Common questions
How much caffeine is in herbal tea?
None. Herbal tea has no caffeine, so it does not count toward the 400 mg daily limit.
Will Herbal tea keep me awake?
No. With no caffeine in it, it is safe at any hour, including right before bed.
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Where these numbers come from
Caffeine content is the typical value for the serving shown, the same figure the Cira app uses. Brands and brew methods vary, so treat it as a good estimate rather than a measurement of your cup. The 5.7 hour half-life is a typical value for healthy adults, the 40 mg sleep line is a working threshold of the model, and the 400 mg daily limit is the figure used by the European Food Safety Authority and the US FDA. How the numbers are worked out.
