Herbal Tea and Pregnancy

Pregnant women and nursing women are often advised against drinking some types of herbal teas, and that is why herbal tea and pregnancy is something that you need to know about in order to avoid complications, in case you are waiting the arrival of a new member of the family. While, generally, many herbal teas are great for your health, this does not mean that they cannot be harmful if taken during pregnancy. Here are some ways to keep away from harmful teas.

The thing about drinking only safe herbal teas is a little complicated as there are no US regulations stating clearly which herbal teas are bad for pregnant women. There is even a more complicated matter involving herbal tea and pregnancy. While some teas, like those made of rose hips, lime, peppermint, or thyme, can be consumed by pregnant women in small quantities, others are not a good idea at all. The main damage that these teas can provoke is related to the fact that they can affect both the baby and the mother.

Another thing that herbal teas consumed during pregnancy can provoke, being quite damaging, is miscarriage. They tend to over-stimulate the uterus movements, and this can lead to you losing your baby. It is better to stay away from herbal teas made from ephedra, rosemary, yarrow, licorice, lemon grass, mistletoe, catnip, comfrey, chamomile and many others that have the bad habit of being able to stimulate your uterus to an unwanted level. Drinking too much tea can lead to many health problems when you are pregnant and this is just one of them.

You may have heard some midwives’ tales that grant raspberry leaf a very important role in helping easy delivery of the child. Medical reports are inconclusive so far, and it is best to avoid drinking herbal tea made of this particular plant, as its results are uncertain, and it may do you more harm than good.

Some tend to overreact to the effects of the herbs used in herbal tea on pregnancy. You should know, however, that it is safe to eat products that contain sage or rosemary, as their effects, when ingested along with food, are not as potent as when making tea from them. Brewing them and making concentrated concoctions will bring forward these effects, and miscarriage may occur as a result of drinking them without knowing the bad that comes with them.

There are certain herbal teas that should never be consumed by pregnant and nursing women. Among them you will find coca leaf tea (as it can contain small quantities of cocaine), valerian (which may act as a sedative that is quite strong), comfrey, or woodruff – which are bad for your liver – , teas that contain nicotine, or caffeine, and both stimulants are forbidden for future moms.

Herbal tea and pregnancy is a very important matter, and you need to know how to ensure the safety of both you and your baby. It is safer not to drink tea at all during pregnancy, in order to avoid serious side effects.

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