What Teas are safe/ not safe ?

[klesser]

Hello Everyone !

I am very soon to be preg ( working with a specialist) and I used to have a NASTY coffee habit and I've cut down to one cup which I am quitting NOW. However I need tea now.

What teas are safe during pregnancy ?


Thanks !

Kimberly

[Erin Pavlina]

Drink non-caffeinated herbal teas. Browse your health food store for some good options.

Teecino is a good coffee substitute according to my husband who drinks it.

[klesser]

There are a lot of herbs that MAY not be safe in pregnancy and I am wondering which ones are o.k.

[VOW]

If you are interested in making your own herbal blends, you'll need to do some research.

However, if you are happy with whatever is on the shelf at the supermarket, most herbal teas are safe, such as the Celestial Seasonings brand. To be absolutely certain, read the labels.

For instance, I know you need to avoid anything with black cohosh in it.




~VOW

[sophie]

Well, I do know that ginseng isn't suitable but I can't remember why. I made sure than any herbal tea I drank in pregnancy was in moderation, too much of anythign can have a negative effect. Raspberry leaf is a good one to take, anyway (though IMO it tastes disgusting). I also enjoyed chamomile especially as I had difficulty sleeping.

[sophie]

Ginger and peppermint are also good for morning sickness, plus peppermint is good for heartburn. Lemon Balm (melissa) is soothing and calming. Dill and fennel are good for digestion.
Nettle tea tastes pretty bad but it is very high in iron.

[Jenica]

If you like the taste of black tea but don't want any caffeine, even the minor amount in decaffinated tea, try rooiboos. It's difficult to find in my area at least, and you may have to buy it online, but I love it. It's like tea without the tannins.

[sophie]

Hey Jenica- I love rooibos too! I drank it a lot when I was pregnant and it is a GREAT tea substitute, I even put soymilk in it.

[klesser]

I'm looking for something that is naturally caffiene free or low in caffiene and has NOT gone through a process to be "de-caffinated"

How is roobios ? Where should I look for this tea ?

Thanks all for your help ! I hope I'm preggo soon and I will finally be able to carry the next one to full term.


~Kimberly~

[sophie]

Klesser- Rooibos is naturally caffiene free. It is made from the leaves (and/or twigs?) of the rooibos bush which is native to South Africa. Its English name is "red bush" tea. As far as where you get it, I'm in New Zealand so I'm not much help, but it is available at the supermarkets here, and always imported from South Africa. Good luck with your pregnancy.

[Jenica]

I'm in Washington state, in the US, and although I live pretty close to a veg-friendly city I have trouble finding rooiboos around here. The only brand I've been able to find, in fact, is Alvita, which is owned by Twinlabs. :\

If you don't have a natural foods store or co-op near you, you might try looking for it online, just do a search on rooiboos and see what you can find.

[jessi]

Kimberly,
There's an herb book "wise woman herbal for the childbearing year" by Susan Weed (but it is a bit dated...late 80's) that lists herbs you should avoid in pregnancy. Someone mentioned ginger tea...I would check with your specialist because I have seen conflicting advice on its use during preg.
Personally, I like the coffee substitutes Pero and Cafix....they are grain based if I'm remembering correctly.
Godd luck!

[ArwenA]

Traditional Medicinals (www.TraditionalMedicinals.com) makes a nice Pregnancy Tea which I enjoyed very much with both pregnancies. I gave it to my friend, and it really helped her with her nausea. It has raspberry leaf, strawberry leaf, nettle herb, spearment leaf, fennel seed, rose hip, alfalfa leaf, and lemon verbana leaf, so I assume those are all safe in pregnancy.

I always enjoyed peppermint tea made from organic loose leaf herbs. It's so incredibly delicious that way, and always gave me a good feeling all over. My mother-in-law (from Bolivia) swears by chamomile for pregnancy and breastfeeding. I buy organic dried flowers and boil them, and it's better tasting than the tea bags. I also recall that the raspberry leaf tea was highly recommended throughout the pregnancy, and especially toward the end.

I've tried a couple of those grain-based coffee substitutes (I think it was chickory root), and they were great!

[ArwenA]

Traditional Medicinals (www.TraditionalMedicinals.com) makes a nice Pregnancy Tea which I enjoyed very much with both pregnancies. I gave it to my friend, and it really helped her with her nausea. It has raspberry leaf, strawberry leaf, nettle herb, spearment, fennel seed, rose hip, alfalfa leaf, and lemon verbana leaf, so I assume those are all safe in pregnancy.

I always enjoyed peppermint tea made from organic loose leaf herbs. It's so incredibly delicious that way, and always gave me a good feeling all over. My mother-in-law (from Bolivia) swears by chamomile for pregnancy and breastfeeding. I buy organic dried flowers and boil them, and it's better tasting than the tea bags. I also recall that the raspberry leaf tea was highly recommended throughout the pregnancy, and especially toward the end.

I've tried a couple of those grain-based coffee substitutes (I think it was chickory root), and they were great!

[ArwenA]

Sorry about the double post! It's late and I've been up mopping up after our washing machine exploded.

I did want to add that raspberry leaf is not the best tasting tea in the world. It's better with sweetener and a touch of soy milk (what isn't?). I bought a bunch of loose leaf raspberry tea with my last pregnancy with the best of intentions, and the bulk of it is still on my shelf.

Good luck with the caffeine habit, klesser. You can do it!