If you are pregnant then you have probably heard that you should drink raspberry leaf
tea.
But are there really any benefits of raspberry leaf tea and is it safe for pregnant women?
Good question!
So, in this video, we are first going to talk about the supposed benefits of raspberry leaf
tea.
Then we are going to discuss if these benefits really do exist according to scientists and
how safe raspberry leaf tea is for pregnant women.
Yes.
And then at the end of this video, we are also gonna explain under which circumstances
raspberry leaf tea could have a negative effect on your perineal tissue and why you might
be better off not drinking it at all, if you want to protect your perineum. Right.
This is Nathalie, a pregnancy and birth consultant and TCM therapist, and that's Mathias a researcher
and science geek and we help mommies and their babies naturally and science-based!
So, is raspberry leaf tea any good?
So, first of all, what are the supposed benefits of raspberry leaf tea?
Well, to start with, raspberry leaf tea is said to improve blood circulation which, of
course, would great because it would help us to improve the nutrient and oxygen supply
to the baby.
Moreover, raspberry leaf tea is thought to shorten the pushing phase.
And it is also supposed to help induce labor.
And finally, it is thought to prevent perineal tearing and episiotomies.
Right.
Now, surprisingly, when we look at scientific studies, we can see that the largest scientific
review studies basically all come to the same conclusion.
And that conclusion is that despite all of those supposed benefits, the reality is that
at the moment, there is not sufficient scientific evidence to recommend raspberry leaf to pregnant
women.
In fact, the most important studies did not find that raspberry leaf tea has any benefits
for pregnant women compared to those who did not drink it, no matter if we talk about labor
induction, the length of labor, the type of birth etc.
Right.
Now, many women will say, okay fine, but if there is only the slightest chance that this
will help, I am going to drink it anyways, right? Right.
So, the question is, are there any side effects for pregnant women when drinking raspberry
leaf tea?
Well, here is a list of side effects that were reported in scientific studies on humans:
Gastrointestinal issues, such as nausea or constipation, Episodes of low blood sugar
in women suffering from gestational diabetes, Interestingly, one study also found that drinking
raspberry leaf tea is linked to a higher rate of C-sections.
And finally, they also did studies on animals in which they found several additional side
effects.
Yes.
Now it is important to note that the studies which reported those side effects were all
very small and it is almost impossible to draw any conclusions from such small studies, right?
On the other hand, it is also questionable, in how far the results of animal studies really
apply to humans. Right!
And the European Medicines Agency seems to agree here because they come to the conclusion
that raspberry leaf tea IS safe for pregnant women.
But they also say that at this point, it should not be recommended to pregnant women, simply
because there is not sufficient scientific evidence that there are any benefits.
Right.
So, this brings us back to square one, right? Because many women will say, okay, fine.
If the authorities say it’s safe and if there is only the slightest chance that it has
any benefits, then let’s go for it, right?
Well, that’s true.
But we want you to consider the following: as with so many things, it could be
a matter of the amount of tea you drink because interestingly, many side effects were reported
in the animal studies where they often administered high doses of raspberry leaf.
In this regard, the animal studies are very different from studies on humans because obviously,
scientists would never let pregnant women drink large amounts of raspberry leaf tea
only just to find out if there are any side effects, right? Right!
But the problem is that this is not what happens in reality.
In fact, we often observe that women drink 2, 3, sometimes even more cups of raspberry
leaf tea per day at the end of their pregnancy, in the hopes that it will help them induce labor.
Right.
But here is the problem: Some midwives and obstetricians we know, particularly from Germany
and Austria, claim that if you drink too much of it, you risk that your perineal tissue,
which is the area between your vagina and anus, gets too soft, almost like porous.
So, that’s what they have observed in many deliveries.
And it’s also something that I tend to observe at my practice, particularly, when I see women
for postpartum treatments.
Yes.
So, why can this be a problem for a delivery?
Well during the pushing phase, your baby is going to move through your pelvic floor.
Now, your pelvic floor consists of several layers of muscles, so it’s quite thick.
And your baby’s job is to roll out that pelvic floor with baby’s head to a 15cm
long tube.
So, that’s about 6 inches.
And then eventually, your baby starts to stretch your perineum step by step before the head
finally emerges.
Right. Now, that process of rolling out the pelvic floor is normally a slow one, right?
When you push, your baby moves a little bit further down.
Then you stop pushing and your baby moves a tiny little bit backwards.
And that process is supported by an interplay between relaxation and resistance of your
pelvic floor together with your pushing efforts.
Yes.
At the same time, that slow process is also a great protection for your perineum because
it slowly stretches the tissue down there step by step instead of letting your baby’s
head push through it like a race car, right?
Now, the problem is that if the tissue down there is too soft or even porous, then it
cannot really hold up well against the pressure during birth.
But the opposite is not good either, right?
Because, if the tissue is too tight then there is gonna be lots of resistance which makes
it very difficult for your baby to move through your pelvic floor.
But on the other hand, if the tissue is too soft, then we have the opposite problem because
then there is not gonna be enough resistance.
And whenever that’s the case birth injuries are more likely.
Right.
On top of that, it may also be more difficult for the medical team to stitch you up, if
they have to.
Plus, the suture may not stay in place that well if the tissue is porous.
And again, the observation of those obstetricians and midwives and also my own observation is
that the more raspberry leaf tea a woman drinks, the more likely the tissue down there is getting
too soft or even porous.
And that’s particularly the case if your connective tissue tends to be loose anyways.
Yes. Just keep in mind this is an observation, but it is not based on scientific studies because
in scientific studies they do not administer high doses of raspberry leaf to pregnant women?
Now, the question is: if overconsumption is bad, how much raspberry leaf tea is okay?
Well, this is what we tell women at the clinic.
And just that you know: this is based on the recommendations of those obstetricians and
midwives we mentioned earlier.
Because they say, if a woman’s connective tissue tends to be very soft and loose, then
they would clearly stay away from raspberry leaf tea.
So, that’s the case for women who tend to have stretch marks, or cellulite or varicose
veins even before they got pregnant, right?
Right.
But if a woman tends to suffer from these things only during the last weeks of her pregnancy,
then they say it’s okay to drink 2 cups of raspberry leaf tea per week.
And if a woman has super tight connective tissue, like no stretch marks, no cellulite
or anything like that during the last weeks of her pregnancy, then she could even drink
one cup per day – if she wants to.
In any case, they would clearly stay away from drinking 2 or even more cups per day, no matter
what the motives are.
Yes.
That said, please note that this is not a request from us to you to drink a certain
amount of raspberry leaf tea, right?
You should always do what your provider and midwife tell you to do based on your particular
pregnancy case, particularly, if you suffer from diabetes or gestational diabetes.
Right.
A final word on how to prepare raspberry leaf tea should you decide to drink it.
Ideally, you buy loose raspberry leaves.
And then you add between one and two teaspoons of raspberry leaves to a cup.
Add boiled water and then let the tea infuse for about 5 to 8 minutes.
And very important: make sure you drink it as long as it's warm because most herbal
teas only have an effect when consumed hot or warm.
Right.
By the way: in our childbirth course, we also teach you lots of other science-based tips on how
to naturally prepare your body for labor. Right.
We also have a free mini birthing course in which we teach you lots of interesting stuff,
for example, how to breathe during a contraction to increase the oxygen supply to the baby,
how a baby moves through the pelvis during labor and lots of other interesting stuff, right?
So, if you like, watch it right now.
In fact, it should pop up now, but you can also find it in the description below this
video.
Right.
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