Let’s face it, it’s hard to read the herbal tea leaves when there’s no reliable research on herbal tea to read — especially when it comes to what’s safe to sip during pregnancy and what’s not.
Because of that fundamental lack of evidence, the organization we often look to first when it comes to the safe use of food and drugs (the Food and Drug Administration, or FDA) has advised that moms-to-be and breastfeeding moms proceed with caution down the herbal tea aisle — at least until more research is done and more is known about the impact of herbal teas on pregnancy and babies.
Another reason why you might want to think twice — once for your own health and once for your baby’s — before reaching for a cup of herbal tea: Since herbs aren’t regulated by the FDA, some herbal blends may contain contaminants or ingredients that aren’t listed on the label.
Even brews that sound like they’re fruit- or spice-based (say, "zesty ginger" or "cinnamon apple" or "orange spice") may actually be blended with herbs — definitely a case for being a careful label reader.
Does that mean you’ll need to bag herbal tea entirely? That’s a question that has no definitive answer until — you guessed it — there’s some more definitive research done. And that’s not likely to happen anytime soon, since research, particularly research related to pregnancy and lactation, takes time (more than the nine months or so you have ahead of you).
While some herbal teas are probably safe in moderate doses, there’s no scientific consensus on which ones are, which ones aren’t and what “moderate” actually means. What is known is that medicinal herbs, including those that are packaged as teas, can act like medications do in the body (that’s the medicinal talking). But unlike FDA-approved drugs, the risks and benefits, side effects, strength or dosing of herbal remedies or teas aren’t regulated or well-researched.
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The best advice I can give you — really the only advice I can give you for now, and I know it’s not all that helpful — is this: Ask your doctor or midwife for a list of teas you can safely sip and in what amounts, and which ones you should take a pregnant pass on.
Even if overdue desperation has you reaching for the raspberry leaf tea or black or blue cohosh — believed by some to trigger contractions — it’s smart to ask first. Continue checking in for guidance about herbal tea safety when breastfeeding.
You can also use your best label reading skills to weed out teas that contain herbs, sticking with regular (black) tea that’s flavored with fruit or spices, or making your own tea concoctions with slices of fruit, fruit juice, mint, cinnamon, nutmeg and that well-known pregnancy quease-easer: fresh ginger. (And speaking of weeds, don’t brew any tea from a plant growing in your backyard unless you’re absolutely certain what it is and that it’s pregnancy-safe.)
Does green tea get the green light? Since this brew can decrease the absorption of the vital pregnancy vitamin folic acid, you should check in with your practitioner about how green you should go. Matcha, too, should be approached with caution and in moderation, since it may decrease the effectiveness of folic acid even more than plain green tea does. Talk to your doctor about guidelines.
Herbs you don’t have to curb: culinary ones. Not only are they safe to eat, they add nutrients along with all that flavor. Just one case in delicious and nutritious point: basil, which adds vitamin A, vitamin K, lutein and more. So pack in the parsley, sprinkle on the sage and go all rosemary, baby.
Here’s to safe sipping!
Big hugs,
Heidi
Help Me, Heidi! is a weekly advice column in which What to Expect creator Heidi Murkoff answers your most pressing pregnancy and parenting questions. She’s tackling the stuff you are desperate to know right now — so if you have a question, ask Heidi here or on Facebook and she might answer in an upcoming column. (Not sure if Heidi's answered one of your questions? Check out the rest of the columns here.)
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