Is It Safe To Drink Herbal Tea During Pregnancy?
Herbal teas, though popular worldwide for their relaxant, anti-oxidant rich, medicinal and therapeutic properties, may not be as helpful and useful, during pregnancy. As the name suggests, they are made from herbs, roots, berries or dried flowers of certain shrubs or plants other than leaves of the tea bush. Examples of sources of herbal teas include hibiscus, hawthorn, chamomile, ginseng, rosemary, fennel etc. Many are also good sources of essential nutrients like iron, calcium, magnesium which play a vital role in many of the body processes.
They have zero, or negligible caffeine content, as compared to traditional black tea, which does make them an attractive option during pregnancy, since caffeine intake is usually not advised while pregnant, due to its effect on the placenta and the developing fetus. While certain varieties of herbal teas like ginger, peppermint, lemon grass, basil leaves are widely considered safe, consumption of many other sources is still mired in controversy, because of insufficient research and lack of consensus on their toxicity, allergenic effects and general benefits. Moreover different herbs have different effects on different people, which only contributes to the lack of consensus on their usage and dosage. This becomes a concern, especially during pregnancy since the body is already dealing with many hormonal and chemical changes which directly or indirectly affect the developing fetus.
Many herbal concoctions available in the market, especially for use during pregnancy, claim to help reduce pregnancy complications such as pre-eclampsia (sudden onset of hypertension or increased blood pressure during pregnancy), relieving nausea or heartburn, pre-term or prolonged labor, and postpartum hemorrhage, and hence are advised by some medical and non-medical professionals.
Herbal Tea – Safe Options
Some popular and safe options (as mentioned by standard food safety rating authorities) include -
Peppermint leaf – a safe option rich in calcium, potassium and some vitamins, this useful in relieving morning sickness, flatulence, indigestion problems and has muscle relaxant properties
Ginger – another safe option, it has analgesic properties, and also helps relieve nausea and combat flatulence
Red raspberry leaf – a good source of iron, magnesium, calcium and the main ingredient in many of the popular “pregnancy teas” available in the market, it helps promote uterine health and tone, postpartum bleeding, reduce labor pains and help in relieving nausea
Lemon tea – rich in Vitamin C, lemon helps in boosting immunity, ease morning sickness and nausea. However lemon, due to its high acidic content, must not be consumed on an empty stomach.
Other options can be using orange peels, fennel seeds, apples, limes, or cinnamon to boiling water and adding sugar as per taste. It is also better to restrict the sugar added, in case the consumption is more than 2 cups per day, since too much sugar could cause problems like gestational diabetes.
The dosages usually recommended, are directly proportional to the trimester one is in, which means 1 cup per day in the first semester to 3 cups per day in the third semester. Too much of anything is bad, and hence moderation is the key here!
