Can Red Raspberry Leaf Tea Help a Pregnant Woman and her Baby?

Raspberry leaf tea is probably the most controversial of all the herbal teas. The actual effect any herbal tea has on a pregnancy has not yet been researched. So there is no right or wrong answer to the question of whether ANY herbal teas should be drunk during pregnancy. Certainly if you are a regular herbal tea drinker you may want to moderate your intake during pregnancy. Red raspberry leaf tea has a reputation for bringing on labour, which in the latter, very tiresome and frustrating phase of pregnancy is very tempting. If baby has not yet reached her full term then it could be very risky. But until more is known about the true effects of any herbal tea they should all be drunk in moderation during pregnancy and red raspberry leaf tea would be best avoided. Always check with your medical practitioner for a list of those herbal teas they feel are safe for you to drink during pregnancy and while breastfeeding. And always use commercial teas, do not brew up any leaves from the garden unless you are 100% certain they are safe. You can always make your tea a little tastier by adding any of the following; orange, apple, pineapple, lemon, lime, pear, mint leaves, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves or ginger. So what does Red Raspberry Leaf Tea do? Raspberry leaf tea has been around for hundreds of years and in years gone by was used to trigger a miscarriage (before abortion was made legal). It contains an alkaloid 'fragine' which is thought to tone and strengthen the muscles of the uterus. It also contains vitamins A, C, E and B, magnesium, calcium and iron so it is sold at health food shops and online (loose, in bags or as a tincture) as a health drink. If you don’t like the taste you can buy it in capsules. Taken in controlled amounts in later pregnancy, after 34 weeks, it has been credited with helping to shorten the second stages of labour by toning the muscles you need to use to push your baby into the world. The idea, therefore, is not to take it to speed up or bring on your labour, but rather to help your labour progress at a steady pace. But timing is of the essence here so in reality a woman who is hoping to carry her baby to a healthy full term should not start drink raspberry leaf tea at the wrong stage of pregnancy. However it can be drunk after the baby’s birth as it could help a woman’s uterus shrink back to shape and boost her immune system.