How does chamomile tea prevent “damping off”?

Chamomile oil has been found to have properties that could help to ward off unwanted fungi. And another paper found that the plant’s tea is antifungal too.

Per Gardening Know How, those benefits may help to keep damping off at bay.

That’s because, they explain, the drink is high in tannins and compounds like apigenin and chamazulene. 

These contribute to the beverage’s potential fungus-fighting power. And they mimic the same fungicidal process sulphur achieves in plants, but more gently, and in a way that’s delivered straight to the plant’s roots.

Additionally, the tannins could provide a slightly more stressful environment than usual for new spores without affecting your seedling’s growth. 

A word of caution, though. The strongest evidence-based results have come from chamomile oil, and not its weaker, harder-to-titrate tea counterpart.