Red raspberry leaf tea
is an amazing health tonic that everyone should be drinking! It’s often heard of as being something you should drink during pregnancy, but it’s actually not just for pregnancy. Red raspberry leaf tea is great to drink throughout your whole lifetime, and can even be for the whole family, as it’s an awesome antioxidant as well. A common tale about red raspberry leaf tea is that you can’t drink it pregnancy, but this is a myth! You can drink it during pregnancy, you just need to start out slow. I recommend drinking 1 cup per day in your first trimester, 2 cups per day in your second trimester, and 3 cups per day in your third trimester.
Why You Should Be Drinking It
There are tons of benefits of red raspberry leaf tea. It’s great for regulating periods, heavy periods, painful periods and irregular periods. As a uterine tonic it’s good to drink before you get pregnant, especially if you’re trying to conceive, as it’s full of yummy vitamins and has really awesome benefits for your overall female health, which puts you in a good place for conception. Even if you don’t want to conceive, the benefits from this uterine tonic are still good for you. Once you get pregnant, keep drinking it!
It helps the immune system, improves circulation, eases morning sickness, tones the uterus in preparation for childbirth and recovery and supports the production of breastmilk. Studies has found less interventions during birth with women who have consumed red raspberry leaf tea during pregnancy and a shorten second stage with women who consume it regularly towards the end of their pregnancies.
The myth about red raspberry leaf tea stems from people starting to drink it multiple times a day during their third trimester, without easing into it. You need to start slow with only one cup a day, so that you can monitor your body’s reaction to it.
Side effects of red raspberry leaf tea can possibly include nausea, loose stools, and Braxton Hicks contractions. Simply watch your body and see how you personally are affected by it before attempting to drink multiple cups per day.
It’s great to drink after birth, because it tones up your uterus and decreases your chance of bleeding and continues to support breastmilk production.
Where Do You Get It?
I pick (and then dry! – very important!) my leaves from the bushes in my garden. In a former city life I bought organic red raspberry loose tea from a local health food store and you can find them online too. If you are in the US, I’ve heard that you can get it at Target, and I’ve also heard that Holland & Barrett in the UK has great red raspberry leaf loose tea bags.
How Do You Brew It?
I take a big jar, about a gallon, and put in a cup of the red raspberry leaves. I then fill it with boiled water (cooled just slightly to preserve all the goodness in the leaves) and let it sit and steep overnight. You can drink it cold, room temperature, or hot! You can also add ingredients to your tea, like honey, lemon, alfalfa nettles (has Vitamin C and Iron), peppermint (only during early pregnancy, as it can decrease milk supply if used in your third trimester), or spearmint. 
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In the comments:
What’s your favorite way to drink red raspberry leaf tea?
Thanks so much for this! I was just thinking about starting Red Raspberry Leaf tea the other day. For some reason I thought you were only supposed to take it in your third trimester–oops! So I guess I’ll get started but thanks for the advice to go slow! I have a red raspberry plant in my back yard and I have a BUNCH of spearmint. Is spearmint safe for during pregnancy? I’ve never made my own tea before–what’s your favorite drying method?
Hi Amber! You are very welcome. I lay the leaves in one layer on a picnic table under window screens. It’s important to let leaves totally dry before storing them. Yes, spearmint is safe during pregnancy. Making your own tea is easy yet feels SO luxurious and nourishing. Harvest red raspberry leaves in Spring before the plant blooms for the most nutrient packed leaves. Have fun and enjoy!