Can Red Rasberrry Leaf Tea. . .

[Marie in Oh]

cause pre-term labor? I have been drinking alot lately, and I've been having some wowzers today. Can you drink too much of a good thing?

[Jean in Newcastle]

I was told not to drink it until I was really ready for baby to come.

[Marie in Oh]

I was told not to drink it until I was really ready for baby to come.

 

I know lots of people here and elsewhere who drink it-- and alot of it-- or they take capsules of it. Anyone else confirm what Jean says?

[Philothea]

I probably would not drink it in large quantities until the end.

 

However, I don't think it causes one to go into labor, it just makes the contractions more productive.

[Marie in Oh]

I probably would not drink it in large quantities until the end.

 

However, I don't think it causes one to go into labor, it just makes the contractions more productive.

 

 

What do you consider "large quantities?"

[Philothea]

More than a cup every day.

 

I am actually taking it in pill form right now, about 400 mg/ capsule. Believe me, it is not sending me into labor!

[Guest 4boys]

It's not supposed to cause anything but I'm not sure that anyone has actually done enough research on it to say for sure. I have heard that drunk (drank?) too early in pregnancy can cause a miscarriage but I have no idea how valid that is. My own experience with it is that during my third pregnancy I began drinking it at 28 weeks and I had pre-term labor at 31 and 33 weeks (related? I have no idea, but baby was fine and I ended up going more than two weeks overdue in the end, go figure). My fourth pregnancy I held off drinking it until 36 weeks just in case and I didn't notice anything even though I drank a pot a day. Maybe everyone just reacts to it differently.

[Medieval Mom]

I asked my doc about this, because I too wanted to drink it during pregnancy. She told me that it tones the uterus-- So...

For 1st trimester, use none at all.

For 2nd trimester, have up to two weak cups (1 tsp. loose leaf tea in 8 oz boiling water, let steep no longer than 5 min.) per day, spaced morning and evening.

For 3rd trimester, no more than 3 cups per day.

 

 

Good luck! :)

[Mommy22alyns]

 

I know lots of people here and elsewhere who drink it-- and alot of it-- or they take capsules of it. Anyone else confirm what Jean says?

 

 

It was one of those things I was told to steer clear of until the end of my pregnancies as well. Just the "better safe than sorry" camp, I suppose. :001_smile:

[Quiver0f10]

I drank tons and tons of the stuff with my 9th and never went into labor at all. I would drink a quart a day. :blink: I have heard you shouldn't touch it in the first trimester than 1-2 cups a day and drink more towards the end. Maybe take a break for it for a day or two and see if things quiet down.

[lighthouseacademy]

There is a TON of misinformation out there about red raspberry leaf. I did my herbalist thesis on this so I have read all the medical studies etc. I LOVE LOVE LOVE raspberry leaf... so, this is my educated opinion.

 

First and foremost, red raspberry leaf is NOT abortificiant and does not cause miscarriage. In fact, many midwives recommend red raspberry leaf tea to prevent miscarriages.

The idea that red raspberry leaf causes miscarriage comes from a study where uterine tissue of an animal (sorry can't remember which one right now) was injected with a constituent of red raspberry leaf in a petri dish. This injected constituent caused the tissue to contract and therefore was deemed possible to cause a miscarriage. In other studies, red raspberry leaf was show to relax contracted uterine muscles and to contract relaxed muscle- therefore, it would stand to reason that it does not cause pre-term labor.

 

Red raspberry leaf has a history of quelling braxton hicks contractions. It is high in calcium and magnesium.

 

Next item- some people experience more braxton-hicks contractions than others. Some doctors would have consider me in preterm labor with all 3 kids for 5-7 months each... that is how I am built. With #1 I did not know about red raspberry leaf. With #2 if I wasn't getting enough red raspberry leaf (up to a quart a day) I had more contractions.

 

I have found that red raspberry should be increased with each trimester, but that 1 cup per day in the first trimester is fine, 2 in the second, and 3 or more in the third with mom paying attention to herself and if she feels like she needs more then more is acceptable. There were some days with both my girls I drank a quart in the first trimester but most of the time I stuck with 1 cup...

 

I know several more midwives I have interviewed who have been in practice for 10-30 years recommend even a quart per day even in the first trimester. Red raspberry leaf is a powerful herb in that it does do much good. However, I have never seen any statistics of toxicity and my gut feeling is that you would not be able to contain enough red raspberry leaf before it became toxic. It is a nourishing herb rather than a stimulating herb.

 

BTW on a side note, I have a friend who is a retired surgeon (she is 33 and retired to have kids). She did a research paper on preterm labor in medical school and discovered that the evidence shows that if you are TRULY in preterm labor than there is nothing you can do to stop labor. However, what is often diagnosed as preterm labor is frequent braxton-hicks and can be stopped. Up in Seattle one of the top perinatologists said the same thing to a client prone to pre-term labor. This woman was my friend's bradley class student.

 

 

 

This is of course my opinion based on my education, research, personal experiences, midwife interviews, etc. I am not a doctor nor do I claim to diagnose or cure or prescribe.