Red raspberry leaf tea ( AKA pregnancy tea) and labor

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At 36 weeks pregnant, I started getting into the prep for labor-all the info I needed to know, all the items I needed to have and all the things I needed to start doing- including drinking red raspberry leaf tea. 

Being a pharmacist- of course, I want to know the right dose, how to prepare the drink, when to drink it, how often, and what does it really do?!

If you are pregnant, or into teas in general, you have surely seen the pregnancy tea on the shelves. Why is it called pregnancy tea, what does it do, and when to start drinking it? Those were my questions as well. So here I am at 37 weeks and want to share what I have found out for myself. 

Raspberry leaf tea use has a long history in midwifery. Most companies selling the tea will make claims that it aids and supports a healthy pregnancy, eases menstrual cramps, helps prepare the womb for birth, and tones the uterus. None will, unfortunately, suggest when to start drinking it during pregnancy and exactly what’s the studied or tested dose. 

Mechanism of action:

Red raspberry leaves contain flavonols such as quercetin and kaempferol, catechins, flavan-3-ols, and phenolic acids. These chemicals have the potential to cause vasorelaxation and smooth muscle relaxation.1,2 Unfortunately there are no studies directly testing this on uterine smooth muscles. Another proposed mechanism is that the phenols contained in red raspberry leaves have an antiplatelet effect- showing that in whole blood samples-ADP-adenosine diphosphate decreased platelet activation and aggregations.3

Research

The best study that looked into the effects of red raspberry leaf supplementation was a double-blind randomized controlled trial from 2010- RASPBERRY LEAF IN PREGNANCY: ITS SAFETY AND EFFICACY IN LABOR-that concluded that “raspberry leaf, consumed in tablet form, was found to cause no adverse effects for mother or baby, but contrary to popular belief, did not shorten the first stage of labor. The only clinically significant findings were a shortening of the second stage of labor (mean difference = 9.59 minutes) and a lower rate of forceps deliveries between the treatment group and the control group (19.3% vs. 30.4%). No significant relationship was found between tablet consumption and birth outcomes”. 4

Dosing

Red raspberry leaf tea bags are the most common dosing, but you can also consider taking tablets, doing a loose-leaf tea, or taking a tincture. 

Tablets available online are usually between 300-600mg of raspberry leaf and are taken 1-2 times daily, 1-2 capsules/dose. Tablets are recommended to be taken with food.

For tea- most tea bags are between 600mg-1500mg of raspberry leaf, the recommended steeping time is between 5-15 minutes, and the tea is suggested to be drank 1-3 times daily. Most sources recommend drinking tea in the morning and then rest throughout the day. For loose leaf, the dosing is 1 tablespoon/ 1 cup of water. It is hard to determine what exact dose of the tea leaf you are getting when drinking a tea or tincture. 

In conclusion, from most natural medicine resources, the goal of using red raspberry leaf tea is to “ripen” the uterus. As far as the science behind it, it seems as it can help the smooth muscles of the uterus relax, therefore making the second stage of labor (when the cervix is fully dilated) go by faster and possibly tone the muscle of the uterus aiding natural contractions. Added benefits would be the prevention of hemorrhage.  

For me, a natural, relatively fast, and ideally unmedicated birth is the goal. If raspberry leaf tea can possibly help, and the research and many natural medicine sources support the idea of it being safe in late pregnancy I am doing it. I have also opted for tea, as I enjoy the ritual of making tea, the taste, and it’s a nice way to spice up my mostly water/ non caffeine days. Also taking pills seems to be the smartest way to get to the correct dose, I personally vibe with the tea more.

I started drinking the tea at 36 weeks. I have ordered an organic brand that uses non-plastic bags with a higher dose/ grams per bag (1500mg/bag). I am drinking one cup (one bag) every morning, after steeping the bag for 10 min and one cup later in the day- started this at 37 weeks. I did not start drinking the tea earlier in my pregnancy as I was feeling too vulnerable to have anything possibly have a negative effect on the pregnancy, many resources claimed that relaxing the uterus could cause early miscarriage, and whether that is true or completely false, I was not going to test that on myself. 

My pharmacist's advice to you; please discuss the consumption of red raspberry leaf tea with your OBGYN or midwife first. They know you, your pregnancy history, and your current state the best. If they say you are safe to try this out ( I am pretty sure you will not get any specifics from and MD or DO), starting at 37 weeks, steep 1 teabag with about 10 oz of water every morning for 10 minutes. Repeat in the afternoon or evening, enjoy hot or cold with a dash of honey. Cheers!

1.Mullen W, McGinn J, Lean ME, MacLean MR, Gardner P, Duthie GG, Yokota T, Crozier A. Ellagitannins, flavonoids, and other phenolics in red raspberries and their contribution to antioxidant capacity and vasorelaxation properties. J Agric Food Chem. 2002 Aug 28;50(18):5191-6. doi: 10.1021/jf020140n. PMID: 12188628.

2. Juan Duarte, Francisco Pérez Vizcaíno, Pilar Utrilla, José Jiménez, Juan Tamargo, Antonio Zarzuelo,Vasodilatory effects of flavonoids in rat aortic smooth muscle. Structure-activity relationships,General Pharmacology: The Vascular System,Volume 24, Issue 4,

1993,

3. Dudzinska D, Bednarska K, Boncler M, Luzak B, Watala C. The influence of Rubus idaeus and Rubus caesius leaf extracts on platelet aggregation in whole blood. Cross-talk of platelets and neutrophils. Platelets. 2016 Jul;27(5):433-9. doi: 10.3109/09537104.2015.1131254. Epub 2016 Feb 2. PMID: 26836594.

4. Simpson M, Parsons M, Greenwood J, Wade K. Raspberry leaf in pregnancy: its safety and efficacy in labor. J Midwif Womens Health. 2001;46(2):51–59. doi: 10.1016/S1526-9523(01)00095-2.