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I Heard That Green Tea Is Not Safe To Drink During Pregnancy

2 posts on this thread and the last post was on January 5th, 2007 8:58 AM
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rama - July 17th, 2006 8:31 PM
[Original Post]

Is that True? is Green Tea not good during pregnancy?


urbandorothy - January 3rd, 2007 6:24 PM

Many pregnant women carefully avoid caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, and unnecessary medications but think nothing of drinking cup after cup of herbal tea. If this sounds like you, take heed: Herbal teas can be harmful, especially if you drink too much of them. Most of the ingredients in herbal teas are safe, but many are not. Herbs are drugs and thus can be as potent as some medications. What's more, only a few of the herbs used for teas have been studied in pregnant women.
Many of the herbs used for teas, when taken in large or medicinal amounts, can potentially stimulate the uterus and induce miscarriage. These include anise, catnip, chamomile, comfrey, ephedra (called ma huang in traditional Chinese medicine), European mistletoe, hibiscus, horehound, Labrador, lemongrass, licorice root, mugwort, pennyroyal, raspberry leaf, rosemary, sage, sassafras, stinging nettle leaf, vetiver, and yarrow.
Pregnant women would be wise to limit the amount of green tea they drink during pregnancy, and should be careful about taking any green tea supplements. Green tea is rich in antioxidants, and has a host of health benefits relating to dental health, blood sugar levels, cholesterol, and weight loss. But researchers have found, whilst examining the active constituent of green tea, the epigallocatechins, or EGCG for short, that it may affect the way the body uses folate. Folate is important for pregnant women as it prevents neural tube birth defects in babies.


momma3tobe - January 5th, 2007 8:58 AM

I have heard that it is safe in moderation and then I have heard never to drink it, I guess it's like alot of other things when it comes to pregnancy... be as informed as you can and then decide. I drink Green Tea (very moderatley)... but I also take extra folic Acid.