Red raspberry leaf tea has been used for centuries as a folk medicine to treat canker sores, cold sores, and gingivitis in persons of all ages and anemia, leg cramps, diarrhea, and morning sickness in pregnant women, and as a uterine relaxant. Brewed as a tea it is the best known, most widely used, and safest of all uterine/pregnancy tonics. It tones the muscles of the pelvic region. It also contains vitamins A and B complex and many minerals, including phosphorus and potassium. It can increase fertility, prevent miscarriage and hemorrhage, ease morning sickness, reduce pain during and after birth, and also increase milk supply.
For a delightful and frugal homemade pregnancy tea, try this simple recipe:
Fill a quart size glass jar with boiling water and 1 ounce (which is approx. 2 handfuls) of red raspberry leaf. Cover and allow to steep for 4 hours. Strain the leaves, sweeten as desired, and enjoy! Refrigerate the remaining tea for future use. Recommended dosage is usually 2-3 cups per day.
Another helpful herb that you can add to the above combination or to alternative with would be nettle leaves. It is known to have more chlorophyll than any other herb. The list of vitamins and minerals in this herb includes nearly every one known to be necessary for human health and growth. Nettle is beneficial in aiding the functionality of the kidneys, nourishing mother and fetus, easing leg cramps and other muscles spasms, preventing hemorrhage after birth and reducing hemorrhoids, in addition to increasing the richness and amount of breast milk. According to the Wise Woman Herbal, “some pregnancy women alternate weeks of nettle and raspberry leaf brews; others drink Raspberry until the last month and then switch to Nettles to insure large amounts of vitamin K in the blood for the birth.” Nettle leaves can be brewed in the same manner as raspberry leaf described above or try a combination of 1 handful nettle and 1 handful raspberry leaf.
You can find quality organic red raspberry leaf and nettle leaf in bulk through Mountain Rose Herbs.
It works for me!
Thanks to my friend Mandy, and the excellent resource of Wise Woman Herbal for the Childbearing Year by Susun Weed. This book has some wonderful ideas for all natural brews and remedies for pregnancy issues, before and after, and natural remedies for infant related problems.
Other Homemade Varieties:
I read that American red raspberry leaf is ok, but other types are known to produce miscarriages. How confusing!
From what I’ve gathered from my past two pregnancies, red raspberry leaf can cause miscarriages, but only in women who are sensitive to it (that is, both miscarriages AND red raspberry leaf). You won’t know until you try it (unfortunately). I took red raspberry leaf through both pregnancies–the first was late but healthy and the second one I lost before 7 weeks. So there you have it, absolutely no definitive proof either way! I’d suggest NOT using it during the 1st and 2nd trimesters of 1st pregnancies or if you’ve ever had a miscarriage (that you noticed–most go unnoticed). If you’ve been drinking the tea or taking supplements with red raspberry leaf in it (CAREFUL, lots of ‘whole food’ prenatal and women’s supplements contain it–along with ‘morning sickness magic’!) before you even got pregnant, you’ll probably be ‘used’ to it. It would make sense that suddenly taking it during the 1st trimester might possibly cause a miscarriage (if you’re prone to that sort of thing), but of course the miscarriage you have would have probably have been imminent anyway…. In the end, it’s a personal choice that you have to make.
Also, consider the source of the information you’re getting on red raspberry leaf. If an M.D. says “it causes miscarriages!” but the naturopath says “it NEVER causes miscarriages!” then obviously you’re up against philosophies, not necessarily evidence that either theory is true. Until the medical community knows more about the causes of miscarriage (beyond blighted ovum and such) we just aren’t going to know for sure.
Have you tried making Mother’s Milk Tea to stimulate milk production? I’d like to make my own but can’t find a good recipe.
Thanks
I am in the process of coming up with a good recipe for mother’s milk tea. Check out Kimi’s post here for ideas. I will definitely share my concoction when I have completed it!
I am drinking my RR leaf tea every day and am 36 weeks pregnant. Hoping for a good VBAC!
I am going to go to my food coop in a neaby town and buy some of their bulk red raspberry leaf today or tomorrow. Also, I just ordered your recommended book Wise Woman Herbal for the Childbearing Year from paperbackswap.com Thanks for the tips!
Oh yes, red raspberry leaf and nettles. Sigh. I am nearly six months pregnant (planning for my fourth homebirth), and I MUST start drinking this again. I just really, really don’t like tea. BUT you certainly did inspire me with your list of all the good things it does. Time to get disciplined and do what’s best for the baby!
Hi, Lindsay,
They also suggested the addition of rose hips and lemon balm to the RRL & nettle mixture.
My midwives mentioned to me (while instructing me how to make this same tea!), that after steeping the tea in the quart jar, that it should be used within 2 days. They said that after that time, the herbal potency starts to diminish, losing some of its benefits. (But that shouldn’t be hard to do- it’s delicious!)
Blessings,
Michele
While the use of RRL tea (and other herbs) is very beneficial during pregnancy and birth, please note that nettle is a diuretic. Any diurectic, whether it’s a prescription drug or an herb, can be detrimental to the mother. The pregnant woman’s body is designed to more than double her blood volume before birth and any significant drop in her blood volume can lead to a hormonal chain reaction to reverse the fluid loss, which can cause high BP, pre-eclampsia, toxemia and HELLP syndrome. This is backed up by the extensive research done by Dr. Tom Brewer and is well-documented here (along with an extensive bibliography):
http://home.mindspring.com/~djsnjones/id86.html
Just thought I’d pass this along.
Yes, I drank that when I was expecting. We added peppermint to it also–seemed to give it a better flavor.
I love this stuff. I think it helped me a great deal with my pregnancy with Greta. I put nettles and alfalfa in mine too, and I think the combination helped prevent a lot of common (but unpleasant) pregnancy symptoms. I also had a very fast and smooth natural labor. I was always bad about remembering to make it though, so my mama and man would always ask, “Did you drink your Rubus?”
I drank it the whole pregnancy. I believe we got our herbs from Bulk Herb Store.
I looked through an excerpt from the book you suggested above. It talks about Red Clover for fertility…I then went to the bulk herb website to see if they carried it. They suggest not to drink it while pregnant. Do you know much about that? I wouldn’t mind using it before I’m pregnant….but I also want to be cautious.
I am a big believer in RRL tea. I used it for the last 3 pregnancies and it helps with morning sickness and also blessed me with natural home births. I got mine from Compleat Mother magazine.
I drank this tea from week 32 until I delivered my daughter. I had an amazing labour and delivery! Only 6 1/2 hours between the time by water broke and the time my little baby was born. I believe it was in large part because of this tea
I looked on Amazon about that book you mentioned & it has a little blurb saying the author’s new age spirituality…just wondering if you’ve read it & if you found it to be new agey…I am very careful to what I read. Also, I used raspberry leaf tea to bring on contractions in my last month & it worked…is it really safe to use the entire pregnancy? Won’t it bring on pre-term labor?
I borrowed my copy from a friend and she tore out one page (page 11/12) that seemed to be inappropriate or strange as far as the new agey philosophy, but other than that, I have not noticed anything else strange in the contents. The remaining sections are very useful and well worth the purchase I believe. Everything I have read leads me to believe that in moderation, RRL is perfectly safe during all stages of pregnancy, but I would definitely recommend you discuss it with your doctor/midwife. This book says it helps prevent miscarriage and such. In the early stages of pregnancy, I would be wise and not take more than 1 cup per day or every few days. My midwife doesn’t believe there should be any issues with it.
Its a big no-no here to drink raspberry leaf tea before your third trimester. We get warned by our docs and midwives that it can actually cause miscarriages and that you shouldn’t start drinking it til you’re past 32 weeks. Even New Zealand authored books back it up.
Not sure why theres a such a difference in information but maybe worth checking into if you’re concerned.
It really does depend upon your source of information. I have read both sides of the story. This particular book shared from above shared that it helps prevent miscarriage and the like. I think it is wise to talk with your own doctor/midwife and make the best decision for yourself.
Where would I buy the red raspberry leaf?
Follow the link above to Mountain Rose Herbs. They have the best quality that I am aware of, but if they are out, you can try Bulk Herb Store
I loved my pregnancy tea our midwives supplied us with- the main ingredient was red rasberry leaf but the also put in nettles, alfalfa, citrus peel, and some other goodies I can’t remember. Now that I’m nursing I drink fennel tea…
That’s a good idea. I wish I had thought of getting bulk herbs earlier, but I’ve been drinking the organic pregnancy tea from the grocery store this pregnancy. I also was able to get a huge stash of Mother’s Milk tea and supliments off of Craigslist for $20, so I probably won’t be doing this until next time, but I’ll have to remember this method and source. Thanks.
What a blessing herbal tea is! I have enjoyed red raspberry leaf tea for all three of my pregnancies. God has created all that our bodies need for all seasons of life and it’s exciting to learn more about His amazing handiwork. Thanks for sharing your experience. May the Lord bless your delivery.
What do you use to sweeten your tea? Being from the south, I love iced tea–the sweeter the better–but I’m not sure how to sweeten raspberry leaf tea.
I just sweeten with honey and/or stevia. Easiest to sweeten prior to steeping so the honey dissolves well in the hot water, but I have done it both ways.
I just made myself some yesterday! Thanks for all the information on it, though. I just knew it was good for me but didn’t really know what all the good stuff did:-) I’m due 3/9 and just started taking the Dr. Christopher’s Pre-natals per your suggestion on Monday! I hoping for a much shorter, easier delivery this time around! Thanks for the useful info!