Celebrating the natural flow of nature blooming in spring, along with the scent of the most beautiful flower that is the mother, below are five tasty and healthy herbal teas to drink during pregnancy that can support you in warming up your heart, your womb, and your home.
For thousands of years, women have used herbs to strengthen their bodies for labour and childbirth. While many herbal teas are off-limits while you are pregnant, others can boost your nutrient intake, thereby helping you to provide nourishment for your baby and yourself and to help your body recover from your pregnancy and delivery.
If you are a real tea lover, white, black, green, and oolong tea are all considered safe to consume during your pregnancy. The main concern with these teas, however, is their level of caffeine. So, if you drink these teas, limit yourself to one cup per day, or opt for one of the following decaffeinated varieties:
Red Raspberry Leaf Tea
Red raspberry leaf contains a high amount of vitamin C, as well as vitamins A, B complex, and E, calcium, and iron. It can relieve nausea and stomach discomfort, tone the uterus, help prepare for labour and reduce pain both during and after birth.
To make the tea, use about 1 teaspoon of crushed, dried raspberry leaves per 230 ml of boiling water. Steep for at least 5 minutes and drink it.
It’s best to avoid this tea or to limit yourself to 1 cup of tea a day during your first trimester. As of your second trimester, you can increase to two or three cups a day.
Ginger Root Tea
Ginger tea has powerful anti-inflammatory properties, aids in digestion and contains a wealth of antioxidants. Widely used across cultures to combat nausea, it also eases indigestion during pregnancy, lowers blood sugar and can help reduce muscle pain.
To prepare a fresh ginger root tea, slice a 1.5 cm piece of ginger root thinly, combine it with one cup of water in a small saucepan, bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat and let the infusion simmer, partially covered, for 10 to 15 minutes.
Alternately, you can add half a teaspoon of dried organic ginger powder to a cup of boiling water and let it steep until it is cool enough to drink.
Peppermint Tea
Peppermint is high in potassium, and a good source of manganese, copper and vitamin C. It is another safe herb for pregnancy.
Drinking peppermint tea while pregnant can have an uplifting effect. It helps ease morning sickness and nausea, relieves with indigestion, heartburn, bloating and headaches, and is a safe, natural way to treat coughs and cold during pregnancy.
It can also be added to the raspberry leaf tea to make it taste yummier.
Add a full teaspoon of dried peppermint leaves, steep in boiled water for three minutes and enjoy.
Dandelion Tea
High in vitamins A, B, C and D, calcium, potassium and iron, and a source of folic acid, dandelion tea is a gentle diuretic that can be used for pregnancy-related water retention and swelling. It cleans the liver, reduces the risk for urinary tract infections, helps to purify the blood, regulates blood sugar, improves blood circulation and helps with constipation.
It is also a great resource for anyone diagnosed with preeclampsia (high blood pressure and protein in the urine, that can occur after week 20 of pregnancy).
The pungent, earthy, slightly bitter taste of dandelion root tea is known as a popular coffee alternative. To brew a nice cup of this tea, use a ready-made tea bag or steep a tablespoon of the dried root in a covered teacup for 10 to 15 minutes.
Lemon Balm Tea
Lemon Balm contains Rosmarinic acid (a chemical compound with antioxidant properties).
This tea has a calming effect. It helps to relieve cold sores, indigestion, heartburn, irritability, insomnia, and anxiety during pregnancy.
Lemon balm tea is a mood booster and can help relieve the baby blues and postpartum depression. It can decrease breast milk supply, so be mindful of this if you are breastfeeding.
To brew this herb, green or dried, add one tablespoon of fresh leaves for each cup of boiling water, let it steep for 10 minutes and enjoy the taste!
Pregnancy brings both joy and physical discomfort. Consuming herbal tea during pregnancy will surely ease both physical discomfort and emotional strain. Moderation is key – research on the use of herbs during pregnancy is still incomplete and sometimes contradictory.
