How much caffeine is in Herbal tea (caffeine-free)?

A standard 240 ml (8.1 fl oz) serving of pure herbal tea contains 0 mg of caffeine. This places it entirely outside the caffeine spectrum — unlike true teas made from Camellia sinensis, herbal teas are infusions of herbs, spices, flowers, and other botanicals that naturally lack caffeine. For context, the same volume of drip coffee delivers 96 mg of caffeine, and even the mildest true tea, white tea, provides 16 mg. Herbal tea contributes 0% of the 400 mg daily limit set by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for healthy adults, meaning it imposes no caffeine load on the body whatsoever.

Because it contains no caffeine, a cup of herbal tea produces no stimulant effect. There is no increase in alertness, no elevation of heart rate, and no subsequent crash — the experience is defined entirely by the herbs themselves, which may offer calming, digestive, or other non-caffeine properties. For anyone seeking a warm, flavorful beverage without the pharmacological impact of caffeine, herbal tea is the definitive choice. This page explains what that zero means for your daily routine, how it compares to other teas, and why the number is so reliable.

We maintain an open caffeine dataset that underpins every figure on this site, and we update it when new laboratory analyses or authoritative food composition data become available. The 0 mg value for herbal tea is one of the most stable numbers in that dataset, grounded in the botanical reality that the plants used — chamomile, peppermint, rooibos, hibiscus, and dozens of others — simply do not synthesize caffeine.

How long Herbal tea (caffeine-free) stays in your system

Caffeine follows first-order elimination kinetics with a population-average half-life of 5.7 hours, a figure cited by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in its 2015 safety assessment, meaning the body removes half of the caffeine present in the bloodstream every 5.7 hours. The standard formula is: remaining caffeine = initial dose × 0.5^{(hours elapsed / 5.7)}. For a 240 ml serving of herbal tea, the initial dose is 0 mg. Plugging that into the equation: 0 × 0.5^(3/5.7) = 0 mg at 3 hours; 0 × 0.5^(6/5.7) = 0 mg at 6 hours; 0 × 0.5^(9/5.7) = 0 mg at 9 hours; and 0 × 0.5^(12/5.7) = 0 mg at 12 hours. The arithmetic is trivial but the implication is important: there is no caffeine to decay, so the concentration stays at zero from the moment you finish the cup.

Consider someone who drinks a cup of herbal tea at 15:00. By 18:00, 21:00, and midnight, the caffeine remaining in their system is still 0 mg. This stands in stark contrast to a cup of black tea (47 mg) consumed at the same hour: at 21:00, roughly 23 mg would remain, and at midnight, about 15 mg — enough to delay sleep onset for some individuals, as documented by Drake et al. (2013) in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. With herbal tea, the evening cup imposes no such burden. For a deeper look at how caffeine from other drinks fades over time, try our caffeine half-life calculator.

Because herbal tea contains 0 mg of caffeine, it imposes no constraints on timing relative to sleep or daily intake limits. The FDA’s 400 mg daily guidance for healthy adults is a ceiling for caffeine consumption; a single 240 ml cup of herbal tea uses 0% of that budget. You could, in theory, drink dozens of cups throughout the day and still remain at 0 mg of caffeine — though, of course, other herbal constituents may have their own effects, and excessive fluid intake has its own considerations. For the specific purpose of managing caffeine load, herbal tea is unlimited.

When it comes to sleep, the absence of caffeine means there is no need to observe a “caffeine curfew.” Research by Drake et al. (2013) demonstrated that 400 mg of caffeine consumed six hours before a 23:00 bedtime reduced total sleep time by more than an hour and increased nighttime awakenings. Even a single cup of black tea (47 mg) at 17:00 leaves about 23 mg in the bloodstream at 23:00, which can be enough to affect sleep in sensitive individuals. Herbal tea, at 0 mg, leaves 0 mg at any hour. You can drink a cup of chamomile or peppermint tea at 22:30 and, from a caffeine standpoint, it will not interfere with falling asleep or sleep quality. Our latest cup before bedtime tool illustrates this: for herbal tea, the recommended last-call time is “any time.”

Special populations that need to limit caffeine — pregnant women (for whom the European Food Safety Authority recommends no more than 200 mg per day), adolescents, and individuals with certain medical conditions — can consume herbal tea without adding to their caffeine tally. However, some herbs themselves may not be recommended during pregnancy or for specific health conditions, and the 0 mg caffeine figure does not speak to the safety of the herbal ingredients. Always consult a healthcare provider about herbal products if you have concerns. For a personalized daily caffeine limit based on body weight, a safe daily limit calculator can provide guidance.

Within the tea category, herbal tea occupies the unique position of having 0 mg of caffeine per 240 ml, making it the only completely caffeine-free option among the drinks we track. The next lowest is white tea at 16 mg, followed by green tea at 28 mg, oolong at 37 mg, and black tea at 47 mg. English Breakfast and Earl Grey, both black tea blends, come in at 50 mg and 47 mg respectively. Chai latte, which combines black tea with spices and milk, also delivers 50 mg. Even the lightly processed white tea retains a measurable caffeine dose, while matcha — a powdered green tea — reaches 70 mg per 240 ml when prepared with one teaspoon. Yerba mate, often grouped with teas, is the highest in the set at 85 mg. Herbal tea’s 0 mg is not just the lowest; it is a categorical absence that sets it apart from every true tea.

Compared to coffee, the contrast is even starker. A standard 240 ml drip coffee contains 96 mg of caffeine — a dose that, if consumed six hours before bed, can still disrupt sleep according to research published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. Herbal tea, with its 0 mg, can be consumed at any hour without contributing to that sleep disturbance. Against energy drinks, the gap widens further: a 250 ml can of Red Bull holds 80 mg, and a 473 ml can of Monster Energy packs 160 mg. Herbal tea offers a zero-caffeine alternative that can be served hot or iced, providing a sensory experience similar to tea without the pharmacological effects. For a direct side-by-side comparison of caffeine amounts across multiple beverages, use our drink comparison tool.

It is worth noting that even decaffeinated coffee and tea are not truly zero. The USDA FoodData Central reports that decaf coffee typically contains 2–5 mg per 240 ml, and decaf black tea about 2–5 mg. Herbal tea, by contrast, is naturally free of caffeine, not chemically stripped of it. This makes it the only hot brewed beverage that can be confidently described as containing 0 mg of caffeine, a fact that is especially relevant for individuals who are avoiding caffeine entirely due to medical advice, pregnancy, or personal sensitivity.

What changes the number for Herbal tea (caffeine-free)

The 0 mg figure for herbal tea is remarkably robust because it stems from a simple botanical fact: caffeine is produced by a limited set of plants, and the herbs commonly used for herbal teas are not among them. Camellia sinensis (the tea plant), Coffea species (coffee), Theobroma cacao (cacao), Ilex paraguariensis (yerba mate), and a few others have the metabolic pathway to synthesize caffeine. In contrast, chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla), peppermint (Mentha × piperita), rooibos (Aspalathus linearis), hibiscus (Hibiscus sabdariffa), lemon balm, ginger, and the vast majority of herbal tea ingredients do not. Consequently, a pure herbal tea — one made exclusively from such plants and containing no actual tea leaves — will always test at 0 mg of caffeine per serving.

However, the term “herbal tea” is sometimes applied loosely to products that do contain caffeine. The most notable example is yerba mate, which is an infusion of a holly species and delivers 85 mg of caffeine per 240 ml in our dataset. Some blends labeled “herbal” may include green tea or black tea leaves for flavor, adding anywhere from 16 to 50 mg per cup. Even decaffeinated true teas retain small amounts: decaf black tea typically holds 2–5 mg per 240 ml, according to the Mayo Clinic. Therefore, if you are aiming for strictly zero caffeine, it is essential to check the ingredient list for Camellia sinensis, yerba mate, guayusa, or added caffeine extracts. A product labeled “caffeine-free” is required by the FDA to contain no caffeine, but “herbal” alone does not guarantee that.

Preparation variables that influence caffeine content in true teas — water temperature, steep time, leaf-to-water ratio — have no effect on herbal tea’s caffeine level because there is no caffeine to extract. You can steep a peppermint tea bag for 10 minutes or 2 minutes; the caffeine content remains 0 mg. Similarly, using two tea bags instead of one doubles the concentration of flavor compounds but does not introduce caffeine. The serving size also does not change the per-milliliter caffeine concentration: a 360 ml mug of pure herbal tea still contains 0 mg, and a 480 ml travel mug contains 0 mg. This makes herbal tea one of the few beverages where the caffeine figure is not an estimate but a certainty, as long as the ingredients are caffeine-free.

For a comprehensive list of caffeine-free herbal options and guidance on reading labels, see our Caffeine-Free Herbal Teas guide. If you are comparing to true teas that do contain caffeine, our Tea Caffeine Guide breaks down the levels across black, green, white, oolong, and other varieties.

Where this figure comes from

The 0 mg caffeine value for herbal tea is derived from the botanical definition of herbal tea and corroborated by multiple authoritative sources. The USDA FoodData Central, which provides laboratory-analyzed nutrient profiles for thousands of foods, lists chamomile tea, peppermint tea, and rooibos tea as containing 0 mg of caffeine per 8-oz (237 ml) serving. The FDA defines “caffeine-free” as containing no caffeine, and manufacturers must adhere to this standard when labeling products. Because the plants used in herbal teas do not possess the caffeine synthase enzyme, there is no biological pathway for caffeine production, a fact well-established in plant biochemistry.

Despite this consensus, a reader may encounter conflicting numbers online. Some databases may report trace amounts (e.g., <1 mg) due to analytical detection limits or cross-contamination during processing, but these are not nutritionally meaningful. Others may inadvertently include yerba mate or blended products in the “herbal tea” category. Our dataset explicitly separates pure herbal tea (caffeine-free) from caffeinated infusions like yerba mate and from true teas. We review our figures against the latest USDA releases, peer-reviewed food composition studies, and manufacturer data. If a credible source were to document a previously unknown caffeine-containing herb in common use, we would update this page. The underlying data and revision history are available in our open dataset, so anyone can inspect the evidence behind the number.

Bottom line

A 240 ml (8.1 fl oz) serving of pure herbal tea contains 0 mg of caffeine. That is 0% of the FDA’s 400 mg daily limit for healthy adults, and it is the only tea in our dataset with absolutely no caffeine. Unlike true teas (black, green, white, oolong) and even decaf versions, herbal tea introduces zero caffeine into your system, so it does not affect sleep, does not count toward your daily caffeine budget, and does not produce any stimulant effects. The number is not an estimate — it is a botanical certainty for any infusion made exclusively from caffeine-free herbs.

For those managing a daily caffeine limit, avoiding caffeine during pregnancy, or simply seeking a calming evening ritual, herbal tea stands alone as the zero-caffeine hot beverage. Because there is no caffeine to metabolize, the half-life decay curve is flat at 0 mg at all time points, meaning you can enjoy a cup right before bed without any caffeine-related sleep disruption. For more details on specific varieties, see our Caffeine-Free Herbal Teas guide or explore the full caffeine dataset.