The Sunlight Experiment

Compound Monograph

Apigenin

Apigenin — a flavone found in chamomile, damiana, passionflower and related plants, best characterised for its anxiolytic (anti-anxiety) activity through modulation of the GABA receptor.

Work in progress

Classification

Apigenin is a flavone (flavonoid), part of the phenolics class. Antioxidant compounds built around one or more phenol rings — the flavonoids, tannins, phenolic acids, coumarins, and pigments behind much of a plant's protective chemistry.

Phenolics Flavonoids

Where Does It Come From? (23)

Apigenin is a naturally occurring flavone (flavonoid), found in German Chamomile, Damiana, Feverfew and 20 other sources. It is well tolerated orally (low toxicity).

CeleryChamomileChamomile tea Chickweed Stellaria media Chinese Skullcap Scutellaria baicalensis Chrysanthemum Chrysanthemum morifolium Clavo Huasca Tynanthus panurensis Cornflower Centaurea cyanus Dagga Leonotis nepetifolia Damiana Turnera diffusa Dandelion Taraxacum officinale Feverfew Tanacetum parthenium German Chamomile Matricaria chamomilla Gotu Kola Centella asiatica Guamura Cecropia mexicana Holy Basil Ocimum tenuiflorum Hyssop Hyssopus officinalis Parsley Passionflower Passiflora incarnata Rosemary Rosmarinus officinalis Stevia Stevia rebaudiana Thyme Thymus vulgaris Yarrow Achillea millefolium

Research & Evidence

Apigenin is a flavone that occurs throughout the flavonoid fraction of many of the herbs in this database, and unlike most of the dietary flavonoids it has a reasonably well-characterised, compound-specific action: it is one of the constituents most often credited with the calming, anti-anxiety effect of the herbs that contain it.

  • Anxiolytic activity — apigenin, found in German chamomile (and other plants of the Asteraceae family), has been found to possess anxiolytic actions in laboratory studies, where it has been behaviourally characterised alongside the related flavonoid chrysin 1Reference 1Zanoli et al. · 2000Behavioral characterisation of the flavonoids apigenin and chrysin. This effect is described as acting via modulation of the GABA receptor — the same broad mechanism shared by many conventional hypnotics and sedatives 2Reference 2Yurcheshen et al. · 2015Updates on Nutraceutical Sleep Therapeutics and Investigational ResearchView study →.
  • Anxiolytic marker in damiana — researchers in India isolated apigenin from Turnera aphrodisiaca (damiana) as the herb’s known anxiolytic compound, and proposed that this constituent serve as the bioactive marker for ensuring the effectiveness of the botanical 3Reference 3Kumar et al. · 2008Estimation of apigenin, an anxiolytic constituent, in Turnera aphrodisiacaView study →. This reinforces apigenin’s role as a shared calming principle across several traditionally sedative herbs.
  • Flavonoid fraction of other herbs — apigenin is additionally listed among the flavonoids of feverfew, gotu kola, passionflower, Chinese skullcap, stevia, and yarrow, where it forms part of the overall flavonoid/antioxidant profile of the whole-plant extract. In passionflower in particular it sits within the same flavonoid group as chrysin, the constituent that herb’s monograph singles out for anxiolytic effect.

This is a representative summary; the references below are the entries from the source-herb pages that genuinely pertain to apigenin, and this section will grow as more compound-specific research is added.

Monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibition

Beyond its GABAergic anxiolytic action, apigenin is a moderately potent MAO-A-preferring inhibitor: an isolated-compound assay reported an IC50 near 1 µM against MAO-A, with weaker activity on MAO-B 4Reference 4Sloley et al. · 2000Identification of kaempferol as a monoamine oxidase inhibitor and potential neuroprotectant in extracts of Ginkgo biloba leavesView study →. This is a plausible secondary contributor to the mood-related effects of apigenin-rich herbs, though it’s far weaker than the β-carboline inhibitors. See the natural MAO inhibitors guide for the wider comparison.

Toxicity & Safety

Apigenin is a common dietary flavone consumed routinely in foods and beverages such as parsley, celery, and chamomile tea, and it is well tolerated in the amounts supplied by the herbs that contain it. Because its best-characterised activity is sedative/anxiolytic via the GABA system, the practical caution is the obvious one: combining chamomile- or apigenin-rich preparations with other sedatives, sleep medications, or alcohol may have an additive calming effect. The source monographs do not record specific toxicity for apigenin itself. As with any concentrated flavonoid supplement, isolated high-dose use is a separate matter from dietary intake, and anyone who is pregnant, breastfeeding, or taking prescription medication should seek professional guidance before using concentrated extracts.

References

  1. Zanoli, P., Avallone, R., & Baraldi, M. (2000). Behavioral characterisation of the flavonoids apigenin and chrysin. Fitoterapia, 71, supplement 1, S117–S123.
  2. Yurcheshen, M., Seehuus, M., & Pigeon, W. (2015). Updates on Nutraceutical Sleep Therapeutics and Investigational Research. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2015, 1-9. doi:10.1155/2015/105256
  3. Kumar, S., Madaan, R., & Sharma, A. (2008). Estimation of apigenin, an anxiolytic constituent, in Turnera aphrodisiaca. Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 70(6), 847. doi:10.4103/0250-474x.49143
  4. Sloley, B. D., Urichuk, L. J., Morley, P., Durkin, J., Shan, J. J., Pang, P. K. T., & Coutts, R. T. (2000). Identification of kaempferol as a monoamine oxidase inhibitor and potential neuroprotectant in extracts of Ginkgo biloba leaves. Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, 52(4), 451-459. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10813558/