Red Raspberry Leaf Tea: Recipe and Benefits

Red Raspberry Leaf Tea: Recipe and Benefits
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Red Raspberry Leaves

Raspberry (Rubus idaeus)

Red raspberry leaf tea is made from the leaves of the raspberry plant. It has been used for hundreds of years as a folk medicine to treat a number of problems and is a commonly used tonic for pregnant women and women who are wanting to get pregnant.

The leaves contain many vitamins and minerals, including vitamins A, C, and E, B vitamins, iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium, and phosphorus. They also contain tannins, flavonoids, and elagic acid. Leaves that are picked in the springtime, before the plant flowers, have the most antioxidant content.

Health Benefits

Pregnancy

Red raspberry leaf tea is one of the safest herbal remedies for pregnancy. It can help with labor but it does not induce labor like emmenagogue herbs do. It helps strengthen uterine and pelvic muscles and can improve contractions. According to one study performed in 2001 (published in the Journal of Midwifery and Women’s Health), women who had the tea had a shorter labor and a lower need for forceps. Another study (published in the Australian College of Midwives Journal) suggests it may help prevent pre and post term gestation, artificial rupture of membranes, cesarean sections, and vacuum/forcep deliveries.

It is recommended to drink two cups a day before pregnancy, stop drinking during the first trimester, and begin drinking again at 35 weeks of gestation.

Other

When cool, red raspberry tea can be used as a mouthwash or gargle to treat mouth and throat irritations. You can also mix the tea with some slippery elm powder to make a poultice to treat skin infections and minor burns.

Side Effects

There are no reported side effects (internally or externally).

Precautions

Women breastfeeding should avoid drinking.

Diabetics should use with caution when drinking because it may lower blood sugar levels.

Women who have breast, ovarian, or uterine cancer, uterine fibroids, or endometriosis should avoid use because it is believed to have a mild effect similar to estrogen.

Men with prostate cancer should also avoid use.

It is best to drink the tea at least two hours before or two hours after taking medications or supplements (including vitamins) because it could interfere with their absorption.

Recipe

The following is a recipe for red raspberry leaf tea:

Pour 1 cup of boiling water over 1 teaspoon of dried red raspberry leaf, cover, steep for 10 minutes, and strain. You can drink it warm or cold. For pregnancy purposes, it is recommended to drink it warm.

Sources Used

Local Harvest: Red Raspberry Leaf Tea - https://www.localharvest.org/red-raspberry-leaf-tea-C6483

Mountain Rose Herbs: Raspberry Leaf Profile - https://www.mountainroseherbs.com/learn/raspberry_leaf.php

Crazy for tea: Red Raspberry Leaf Tea - https://www.crazyfortea.com/redraspberryleaftea.html

Photo Credit

Image courtesy of https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Raspberries_%28Rubus_Idaeus%29.jpg

Disclaimer

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