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what kind of herbal tea can i drink to induce labor?

At the rate info is changing who knows how valid it is if it came from an issue of Today's Parent Winter '04... on page 22 it says that Health Canada has reported that Chamomile Tea may have harmful effects on the uterus and should not be consumed at any point during a pregnancy...no further explanation is given. The jury is still out on the raspberry leaf tea.... Tea's that made the list of "safe to consume 2-3 cups/ day" were ginger, lemon balm, orange peel, rosehip, citrus peel and linden flower (not recommended for those with heart conditions) After reading some of the postings it's very clear that there's confusion as to what is and is not healthy for a pregnant woman to ingest. I'm an orange pekoe fan and drink 1-2 cups/day...any thoughts?

hi, all. i will jump in here again since reading a few posts since i last was here.
i see some concern about red raspberry leaf tea tht is uninfirmed. the FDA (and any organization that is not designed to be informed about herbal use) is not a good source of information about these issues...they post warnings regarding any substance about which they have not funded a study, which is appropriate. the mechanism of red raspberry leaf is not well understood by whomever posted that it is not OK in pregnancy. it is not a uterine stimulant. it does tone uterine muscle, which improves it's efficiency in labor, but labor must be present for this mechanism to work. red raspberry leaf is not capable of stimulating contraction in any amount. the receptors in the uterus that respond to contractile forces (and to oxytocin, the hormone that enables uterine contratility) are not present yet before term in normal pregnancy. the only amount studied in an organized manner has been 2-3 cups daily, and no evidence is present of any ill effects. i have used it daily since early pregnancy myself. several herbal prenatal vitamin compounds contain it as well. it is appropriate.
as far as the concern over green tea, the evidence is clear that there is a minor interference with folate metabolism when it is consumed in large amounts. this is a new study (11/04), so all the info is not in yet. it would be wise to limit until more is known, but it is clear that occasional tea does not produce this effect. taking an additional 400 mcg of folate will also resolve this problem. remember, folate is crucial for the proper closing and binding of the baby's neural tube, which is complete by 6 weeks gestation. after that, floate provides real but minimal roles in fetal development. red (rooibos) and white teas do contain the wonderful antioxidant benefitss of green tea, without the caffeine and the folate metabolism issue, so drink up! and remember to consult someone knowledgeable in herbal medicine to make such decisions, not necessarily the FDA or this board. searh the writings of susan weed, aviva jill romm, and links through the American College of Nurse Midwives at www.midwife.org.
haqppy tea drinking and healthy pregnancies to all!

I'm not familiar with chai tea, but chamomile and peppermint herbal teas are perfectly sfe for pregnancy.

What about decaf earl grey tea (with bergamot)? Does anyone know if this is safe?

is it safe to drink lipton tea while i'm eight months pregnant?

MY due Date is 9-12-05 and i want to know what will help me induce labor.Im already 3 days overs due.I want this baby to come out already.

dear donna,
first, please remember that 38-42 weeks is NORMAL term. you are not "overdue" until you are 2 weeks beyond your due date. i wish more practitioners would be honest with women about the 40 week date. the AVERAGE time a first baby is born is about 41 and a half weeks, or 9-10 days after the due date. (and trust me, i understand, as i'm getting close myself...:) so don't buy into any induction talk unless there is another good reason. there are risks to that--incresing fetal distress, post partum hemorrhage, increased # of C-sections, and the list goes on. but there are things you CAN do-- drinking 2-3 cups of red raspberry tea a day when the uterus is term and ready has been shown to make labor more efficient, and taking evening primrose oil caplets (1-2 a day) is studied to be safe and effective and ripening the cervix in preparation for labor. always let your provider know if you are going to take any supplement. i recommend it to my patients regularly. try not to get too hung up on the due date, as it will only stress you out. your baby knows best when to come and letting him/her decide will make for the pleasantest, healthiest and safest labor experience. good luck!!

i breastfeed,can i drink honey,lemon,garlic tea for colds? I know that you can't give honey to your baby so I want to check to see if I can drink it for a cold.

moderate amounts of German chamomile is okay in 2nd and 3rd trimester. Roman chamomile can act as a abortificant

red raspberry tea promotes good uterine health in general and is safe through out pregnancy

i hope so because im 7 months and have had a few through this pregancy.i feel great and my doc says that all is well...

What about jasmine tea? Is that safe for consumption during pregnancy?

aimee,
jasmine tea is just a variety of black tea. it does have some caffeine, and is therefore OK in moderation but not too much. i generally counsel my patients to avoid caffeine in the first trimester (the only research that links caffeine with pregnancy problems links it with first trimester miscarriage) and again in the final few weeks, to avoid a cranky baby who is addicted to caffeine. makes quite a difference in personality those early days. in between, a little here and there is really fine.

safe to have chamomile tea for labor

Hi i was wondering if it is safe to drink pepermint tea during pregnancy?