Women have been using red raspberry leaf tea for centuries to strengthen the uterus during pregnancy and to treat various health ailments.
I personally drank it before, during, and after my pregnancies, and I enjoyed the many benefits that come with drinking it regularly.
What is Red Raspberry Leaf Tea?
Red raspberry leaf tea comes from the leaves of the red raspberry plant. For centuries, it has been used as an herbal tea to support uterine health, particularly during a woman’s fertile years.
While it’s usually known for its fertility related benefits, it can also be used to improve your health ion general.
Non-pregnancy related benefits
Red raspberry leaves are a great source of nutrients and antioxidants. Rich in vitamins and minerals, they can provide vitamin C, several B vitamins, iron, phosphorus, zinc, potassium, and magnesium.
Red raspberry leaves are also rich in flavonoids, which can act as antioxidants in your body and help protect your cells from damage.
It can also be used to lower blood pressure, lower high blood sugar, treat sore throats, canker sores, acne, colds, fevers, diarrhea, vomiting, and other flu symptoms.
Reproductive benefits of red raspberry leaf
Your uterus needs lots of vitamins and minerals to function properly. Not only do red raspberry leaves contain many of the vitamins needed for reproduction, but it can also help strengthen your uterus and pelvic muscles.
Red raspberry leaf contains vitamins C, E, A, several B vitamins, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, iron, chromium, manganese, and potassium. When used in tea form, these vitamins and minerals are easily absorbed straight into your body. Drinking red, raspberry leaf tea is an excellent way to supplement a balanced diet and can help to improve your immune system.
It had also been known to ease morning sickness, balance your hormones, increase fertility in both men and women, improve your overall reproductive health, ease menstrual discomfort, and may help prevent miscarriages by strengthening and toning the uterine wall.
Benefits of Red Raspberry Leaf in Birth and Postpartum
Some studies have shown that drinking red raspberry leaf tea during your pregnancy can help make labor faster and postpartum easier. Some studies have even shown that it can help reduce complications and interventions during birth.
A few other benefits are:
- It can help balance postpartum hormones
- It can help improve the strength of the amniotic sac
- It helps strengthen the uterus which may be especially beneficial to women who want to attempt a vbac
- It can shorten labor
- May help with early milk supply
- May help strengthen ineffective contractions
When to Start Drinking It
There is no all inclusive answer to this question. Everyone’s body is different and everyone’s body will respond differently to different things. It’s completely safe for some women to begin drinking red raspberry leaf tea as early as they want, while other women should wait until their third trimester.
Red raspberry leaf tea is a natural uterine tonic, therefore it can sometimes stimulate the pelvic floor muscles. This can increase uterine contractions and possibly stimulate early labor. There are no studies to corroborate this, but because of this, it is usually recommended to wait until the end of the second trimester.
My personal recommendation is to listen to your body and watch how it responds. Always talk to your medical provider before starting red raspberry leaf tea and ask how early they would recommend that you start it.
How Much Do I Drink?
It is usually safe to start with one cup of red raspberry leaf tea per day starting at the end of your second trimester. After a few weeks you can slowly increase to 2 cups per day, and then 3 cups per day around your due date.
Be sure to watch out for any uterine cramping and cut back if you are experiencing cramping before your due date. Wait for a few weeks and then try it again.
If you’ve been diagnosed with an irritable uterus, I recommend waiting until 37 weeks to begin drinking red raspberry leaf tea.
Which Tea is Most Effective?
I personally love loose leaf tea. I can see what’s in it, and I know that it is just pure red raspberry leaves. However, some women prefer not to mess with loose leaves, it can be easier to simply buy premade tea bags.
Try to avoid raspberry flavored herbal teas, naturally or artificially flavored teas, and teas with added ingredients.
Red raspberry leaf tea that includes elderberries, apples, rose hips, hibiscus, and raspberry flavor may or may not contain real raspberry leaves. Therefore, drinking it won’t have the desired effect on your uterine muscles.
Feel free to add honey, coconut milk, Stevia, lemon juice, orange juice, or ice to keep things fun! It can get boring drinking the same tea several times a day for months in a row.
However you decide to drink your tea, I hope it works great for you!
Let me know how you like your tea in the comments below!
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