Regular tea or even green tea or decaf tea for that matter contains caffeine which is a drug. Pregnant women should limit the usage of caffeine rich beverages such as cola, coffee and tea to avoid any risks during pregnancy. So what could they have instead? The answer is herbal tea that is available in a variety of flavors and forms and one can even consume a homemade herbal tea option.
What is Herbal Tea?
Herbal tea is nothing but a hot beverage replacement for regular tea (which is made of tea leaves). Herbal tea is usually brewed from roots, berries, seeds, flowers and leaves of a wide variety of plants apart from the tea tree and hence herbal tea doesn’t contain any caffeine.
Herbal tea typically has good medicinal values. However, that doesn’t make them all safe to consume during pregnancy. There are a wide variety of herbal tea brands that are branded ‘Pregnancy Teas’ and hence you could look out for that information on the wrapper before you consume any.
The following are some of the herbal tea ingredients that are considered safe during pregnancy.
Herbal Tea Options during Pregnancy
1. Red Raspberry Leaf: This herb is known for its benefits that help tone the uterus and pelvis muscles. It’s rich in iron and helps reducing nausea during pregnancy. In addition, it increases the milk production and reduces labor pains.
This herb is recommended for use after the first trimester.
2. Ginger root and peppermint leaves: Both are helpful in relieving nausea, morning sickness and flatulence. Most herbal teas available in the market will have one of these two ingredients.
3. Lemon balm: Lemon balm calms you down and relieves you of anxiety, insomnia and irritability.
4. Dandelion root and leaves: It helps relieve mild edema and nourish the liver. It is also very rich in Vitamin A, Iron and Calcium that helps in general upkeep of the body.
5. Chamomile: Chamomile is high in Calcium and magnesium content and both are essential minerals for your body during pregnancy to help reduce insomnia and inflammation of joints.
The above mentioned herbs are considered safe for general usage during pregnancy. There are few more other herbs such as Yellow Dock, Rose Hips, Alfalfa, Stinging Nettles etc that are very rich in vitamins but are NOT proven to be safe during pregnancy.
Our recommendation would be to check with your midwife or gynecologist before taking a call on any herbal tea consumption during pregnancy even if it may be branded pregnancy tea by the companies.
You may also make your own herbal tea at home out of citrus fruits such as lemon, lime and orange with good spices such as cinnamon or mint leaves added to your mild decaf tea. That would be the safest bet.
