Don’t miss an episode! Researchers tested three commercially available forms of raspberry leaf, tea capsules, and an extract with 35 to 40% ethanol. But pregnant women pee all the time anyway, so…). In rabbits, relaxation of the uterus was not observed. Over the 20 minutes that the extract was in contact with the tissue, contractions became less frequent, but more regular. And now stick with me. Raspberry leaf is sometimes recommended by friends and family during pregnancy to help you strengthen and tone the uterus for labor and to prevent hemorrhage after the birth. They also stated that results from in vivo and in vitro studies are variable and do not offer strong evidence to support the proposed reasons for giving this supplement. So to wrap it all up, there is very little research on human consumption of red raspberry leaf during pregnancy. Our instructors also teach the popular Comfort Measures for Birth Professionals and Labor and Delivery Nurses Workshop. If taking red raspberry leaf during pregnancy is known to be safe or if it has been associated with any bad outcomes in studies; Links and resources: Bamford, D. S., Percival, R. C., & Tothill, A. U. First of all, let’s be clear about what red raspberry tea actually is. (But if you still want to obsess, feel free to check out my post Symptom Spotting: How to Tell a BFP from PMS.) EBB 154 – Birthing at Home during COVID-19 with Grace and Roderick Murphy, EBB 153 – Pros and Cons of the Foley and Dilapan-S® for Cervical Ripening During an Induction, EBB 152 – Shafia Monroe on Traditional Black Midwifery, Spirituality, and Community Advocacy. But these are commonly reported symptoms during pregnancy. I have never used any form We did find one case report that found that raspberry leaf might lower glucose levels leading to lower insulin requirements among people with diabetes. Although, there were more reports of nausea in the placebo group than the red raspberry leaf group. But obviously we can’t know from this study if these events were attributed to the raspberry leaf. 17(3), 147‐151. . in 2013, the European Medicines Agency in 2013 and Holst et al. And to celebrate this book, we thought we’d do something fun. However, always check the ingredients before purchasing as some of the additives may not be safe for pregnancy. If you decide to try red raspberry leaf tea, it shouldn’t be hard to find at your local supermarket or health food store. in 2011. A relaxed rabbit uterus could be stimulated by the raspberry extract, but a toned rabbit uterus could be relaxed with the raspberry extract. If you’re not pregnant, you can start drinking red raspberry tea any ol’ time. It’s often recommended that pregnant women wait until their third trimester to start drinking red raspberry leaf tea, especially if they are planning to drink large quantities of it every day. Supposedly it has all kinds of health benefits for women, including improving fertility and making labor easier. We have an amazing group of EBB instructors from around the world who can provide you with live, interactive, continuing education workshops that are fully online. Today’s podcast episode was brought to you by the online workshops for birth professionals taught by Evidence Based Birth® instructors. Subscribe to our awesome newsletter and you'll receive, https://www.facebook.com/EvidenceBasedBirth/, https://plus.google.com/106146540771436369846?hl=en, https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-dekker-8b3b3b22/. Click here. Herb remedies during pregnancy: a systematic review of controlled clinical trials. So what does it taste like? 128(6), 1421‐1424. On today’s episode, we’re going to go over four review articles, one randomized control trial, two observational studies, a case report, two in vivo animal studies in six in vitro or Petri dish studies. Hi, everyone on today’s podcast, we’re going to talk about red raspberry leaf for natural labor induction. They also found a relaxant effect on the smooth muscle. J Pharm Pharmacol 1995;47:1129. Muñoz Balbontín, Y., Stewart, D., Shetty, A., et al. Pregnancy is an exciting journey; prepare your body for the big day! Pregnancy teas usually include ingredients such as alfalfa, fennel seed, lemongrass leaf, lemon verbena, nettle leaf, red raspberry leaf, rose hips, and strawberry leaf. I hadn’t heard of red raspberry leaf tea until I was pregnant, so I can’t say if it did anything for me in terms of fertility. Also, having a nice cup of tea during the two-week wait may help your mind off symptom-spotting in the two-week wait. Click here. Reprod Sci, 17(5), 494-501. The raspberry leaf tablets or the placebo tablets. This finding was unique because no prior research has found an increased risk of cesarean with the use of raspberry leaf during pregnancy. Now the doses used in this study are much higher than what would be used for normal human consumption. 1. I started this site to support other women navigating the complex and often discouraging world of infertility. The control ethanol extract had no effect on the tissue. However, keep in mind that this one study was based on only 34 people who reported using raspberry leaves during pregnancy, which was only 6% of the overall sample. Begin with one cup a day, gradually increasing to three cups. (1941). Red raspberry leaf tea doesn’t taste like raspberries. Click here. Evidence Based Birth® is an online childbirth resource that informs, empowers and inspires expecting parents and birth-care practitioners globally, to understand the latest, proven, evidence based care practices. The traditional medicinal use has been to treat problems related to menstruation, childbirth and the gastrointestinal tract. To increase the concentration of these nutrients, you can use red raspberry leaf to make an herbal infusion rather than just a tea. So they found no differences between raspberry leaf and placebo in any of those outcomes. No significant effect was seen with the uterine tissue from the non-pregnant rats or the non-pregnant humans. Assessment Report on Rubus idaeus L., Folium. It’s often recommended that pregnant women wait until their third trimester to start drinking red raspberry leaf tea, especially if they are planning to drink large quantities of it every day. In another in vitro study by Patel et al. Don't miss an episode! Some studies also suggest that consumption of this tea would decrease the chance of requiring a C section for delivery or also decrease the chance of artificial rupture of the membranes. Here at EBB, we get tons of questions about whether or not red raspberry leaf can shorten the length of pregnancy and help you avoid a medical labor induction. For obvious ethical reasons, experimenting on pregnant women can get dicey. Drinking tea is pretty harmless, though — even if it doesn’t do much, it’s unlikely to hurt you. They also tested whether exposure to red raspberry leaf could affect the ability of oxytocin to induce contractions. There were no identified adverse effects in any outcome measured. Click here. Subscribe to our podcast: In this latest episode in our series on natural labor induction, I cover the evidence on consuming red raspberry leaf tea during pregnancy. My boys both born without any drugs, first boy at 4&1/2 hrs, & second boy at 90minutes entire labour. Some people have reported side effects with the use of raspberry leaf, such as diarrhea, constipation, nausea, but these are commonly reported during pregnancy. It’s actually known as “the women’s herb.” The tea is believed to: How can red raspberry leaf tea do all this? Have there been any randomized trials on the use of red raspberry leaf for pregnancy or labor induction? So in the most in vitro study was carried out by Jing Zheng et al. In fact, reports of side effects were pretty much evenly split between the placebo group and the red raspberry leaf group. If you really hate the taste of the tea, you can try taking red raspberry leaf capsules instead. Finally, one of the earliest studies on this topic was an in vitro study by Burn and Withell in 1941. Basically, there are simply not enough good, quality, human-based studies to back up the claims that red raspberry leaf tea is a pregnancy super juice. looked at an aqueous or water dissolved extract of raspberry leaf and tested it on isolated guinea pig uterine tissue. Red raspberry leaf tea is most often recommended during pregnancy, and statistically up to 63% of midwives recommend red raspberry leaf to their clients. For you, I guess full term is 40 weeks - I think you may just have to be patient. In this case report, researchers described how a 38 year old pregnant woman with gestational diabetes developed hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, at 32 weeks of pregnancy after drinking raspberry leaf tea over the prior three days. However, that doesn’t mean we won’t have future research on this topic in the future that could shed more light on the issue. So let’s talk all about the research evidence on the subject. Relaxant activity of raspberry (Rubus idaeus) leaf extract in guinea-pig ileum in vitro. Although red raspberry leaf … The people assigned to the raspberry leaf tablets took two tablets, 1.2 grams each, per day. Raspberries and raspberry leaves are native to Europe, North America and temperate Asia. Results: 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. Join me each week as we work together to get evidence based information into the hands of families and professionals around the world. Then the researchers reviewed the participants medical records to look at information on their birth outcomes. Health benefits of raspberry tea leaf 1. Pretreatment with tea did not alter the ability of oxytocin to initiate contractions. A Principle In Raspberry Leaves Which Relaxes Uterine Muscle. Aust Coll Midwives Inc J 1999;12:20–5. And there were more reports of constipation in the red raspberry leaf group. An infusion involves steeping a large quantity of the loose tea for a longer amount of time (usually four hours or more). When they looked at outcomes, they found that raspberry leaf was not significantly different from placebo with regard to any outcome measured. And both the researchers and the participants were blinded to which treatment they were receiving. If you’re not pregnant, you can start drinking red raspberry tea any ol’ time. My husband even started calling it my “lady tea,” as in, “Do you want me to bring you some of your lady tea?” When you’re 38 weeks pregnant with twins, you are not making a lot of unnecessary trips around the house! Many of the women who swear by this tea say it helped them get pregnant or have a smooth, easy birth experience. People who agreed to be in the study were randomly assigned to raspberry leaf tablets or placebo tablets starting at 32 weeks gestation until the beginning of labor. It was nice to have something concrete I could do to get ready for this life-changing event, even if it was just drinking tea. recommended that until there are more safety data, raspberry leaves should not be used for labor induction because its adverse effects may outweigh its benefits. Red raspberry leaf, which can be taken in tea or capsule form, helps strengthen the uterus muscles and balance hormones, and my midwife assured me it would help me have a … For example, nettle leaf (also known as stinging nettle leaf) stimulates the uterus and can cause miscarriage. Click here. The authors concluded that using raspberry leaves during pregnancy might lead to reduced insulin requirements among pregnant people who are diabetic. Red raspberry leaf augmented oxytocin-induced contractions in some pregnant rat tissue and in other tissue, it augmented then inhibited oxytocin-induced contractions. Rojas-Vera, J., Patel, A. V., & Dacke, C. G. (2002). Cheang, K. I., Nguyen, T. T., Karjane, N. W., et al. And that is we created some virtual book club discussion kits. Our common garden raspberry bush is a familiar sigh It was Working IMMEDIATELY . I started drinking a cup a day in the third trimester. It may even have a placebo effect, making you you feel like you’re doing something proactive to prepare your body for pregnancy, and, later, labor. I also make a pregnancy tea using 4 parts raspberry leaf and 1 part nettle leaf. The baby was born by cesarean at 39 weeks. But did the tea have any real effect, or was it just a coincidence? The Lancet , Volume 238 , Issue 6149 , 1 – 3. This tea is one of the essentials featured in my. Red raspberry leaf is also known as rubus idaeus [inaudible 00:02:07]. It is the leaves of the red raspberry plant and can be consumed as a tea or in tablet form. carried out an in vitro study where they made an infusion of dried crushed raspberry leaves and tested the extract on uterine strips from pregnant and non-pregnant rats and on uterine tissue from pregnant and non-pregnant humans. Both nausea and constipation are common pregnancy symptoms. J Midwifery Womens Health 2001;46:51–9. Neither the single randomized trial on this topic, nor the retrospective study by Parsons found any statistically significant results with regards to any outcomes of interest. There were 96 people in each group of the study. That’s just my gut feeling after I did extensive research on this product. The researchers used a structured questionnaire to investigate which herbal drugs, if any, the mothers had used during pregnancy. Thanks for joining. The groups were otherwise comparable. Bamford et al. It is also worth pointing out that most of the studies were done on pregnant rats, so the results are not necessarily applicable to humans. And we also have a complete book club kit that comes with 10 copies of the ebook that you can give to your friends, and a deluxe version that includes all of that plus an autographed hardcover copy of the book. We also have one case report published in 2016 by Cheang. Raspberry leaf–should it be recommended to pregnant women? The concern is that the tea could stimulate the uterus to such an extent that it brings on premature labor. (affiliate link) because I didn’t love waddling around supermarkets super pregnant. Side note about magnesium: I did take magnesium when I was pregnant (in addition to my prenatal vitamins), and for me it was a miracle cure for leg cramps. For those trying to improve fertility, it is recommended to consume three or more cups daily. We have brought in our Herbalist Jane to talk to you about the benefits of raspberry leaf and pregnancy, Jane also helped formulate and advise on our Raspberry leaf herbal tea What is Raspberry leaf? They found at least two components of raspberry leaf that exhibited relaxant activity. I am not a doctor and this post should not be taken as medical advice. Subscribe to our podcast:  iTunes  |  Stitcher  In this episode, I will talk about cervical ripening, the Bishop score, and some "mechanical" ways to ripen the cervix. Should women hoping to get pregnant drink red raspberry leaf tea? Some pregnant women take red raspberry leaves to try to trigger labor or to ease pain during childbirth . I’ve teamed up with the amazing Rosalie Gunson, CRNP,  to ensure that all my posts are accurate and up to date from a medical perspective. The reason for its popularity among mums-to-be is that it’s thought drinking raspberry leaf tea can help to strengthen the uterus wall, with the potential benefit of speeding up labour. The authors nevertheless expressed concern that raspberry leaf use during pregnancy could be potentially unsafe and have long-term transgenerational effects. Nordeng, H., Bayne, K., Havnen, G. C., et al. This means that the studies were carried out on live animals. And they were not able to purify and identify the active constituents of the tea. in 1995, the researchers tested extracts from fresh red raspberry leaves as well as a commercial preparation of red raspberry leaves on isolated guinea pig ileum or small intestines. In all, about 40% of the participants interviewed reported having used herbal medications during pregnancy, they used one to two herbs on average. Moreover, always check with your physician before taking raspberry tea during pregnancy as you may have complications that the doctor should warn you about. Raspberry leaves offer several benefits thanks to their antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, relaxant and diuretic properties. While there is plenty of anecdotal evidence, scientific studies have not proven that drinking red raspberry leaf tea has significant health benefits for fertility or pregnancy. For now, it looks like red raspberry leaf tea MIGHT have some benefits for women who are trying to conceive, as well as women who are already pregnant and women who are nursing. The leaves of red raspberry also have been a folk treatment in Europe for hundreds of years. I also consume this amount during pregnancy. Listening to this podcast is an Australian College of Midwives CPD Recognised Activity. We asked experts what the benefits are and if it's safe to drink raspberry leaf tea during pregnancy. Raspberry leaf helped my uterus contract and strengthen. There are four reviews articles on this subject published by Munoz Balbontin et al. Simpson M, Parsons M, Greenwood J, Wade K. Raspberry leaf in pregnancy: its safety and efficacy in labor. This was a study that took place in Norway, where they interviewed 600 people within five days after giving birth. And they could not identify the active constituent in the red raspberry leaf tea. Red Raspberry is also an excellent source of the alkaloid fragrine, which tones the muscles of the pelvic region, including the uterus itself.This really helps lessen or eliminate cramps in the menstrual cycle and makes for an … They did observe an effect on the uterine tissue strips from pregnant rats and pregnant humans. One study was published by Nordeng et al. If you, Support implantation by strengthening the uterine wall, Relieve nausea and other morning sickness symptoms, Strengthen the uterus to prepare for childbirth (the idea is that toned muscles = more effective contractions = faster childbirth with fewer interventions), Help the uterus recover from childbirth and reduce hemorrhaging. May shorten labor. I ordered this brand from Amazon (affiliate link) because I didn’t love waddling around supermarkets super pregnant. They also stated that clinical studies have not found a higher incidence of bad outcomes with raspberry leaf treatment, but only 153 women have been included in two studies and the use was for a short duration. In all samples, pretreatment with tea had no effect on the uterine tissue’s response to oxytocin. The researchers were not able to determine the underlying mechanisms of these responses, and they stated that it is impossible to predict the clinical effect of raspberry leaf tea in pregnancy. Raspberry leaf tea: a new aspect to an old problem. The leaves of the red raspberry plant are full of important vitamins and minerals, including Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, iron, calcium, magnesium, manganese, and potassium. in 2010. Next, we’re going to talk about two in vivo animal studies. Munoz Balbontin et al. I Also has suffered an inability to conceive, since the second child’s birth … despite seeing fertility specialists, undergoing day surgery and my husband doing a sperm tests. However, women may benefit … The author suggested that the rabbit uterus is thicker and may have required a larger amount of extract to achieve a relaxant effect. We designed Savvy Birth pro workshops to help birth professionals who are feeling stressed by the limitations of the healthcare system. But did the tea have any real effect, or was it just a coincidence? Red raspberry leaf is part of the raspberry plant that has been used as a traditional remedy for pregnant and postpartum women. Click here. This study from 1970 might have had an effect on popular opinion that red raspberry leaf could help with the course of labor. Whether that fear is well-founded or not is up for debate. So if you’re interested, just go to evidencebasedbirth.com/shop, and you’ll find the link to all the versions of our quick start book club kit, and this will be available for the next week. Finally, in the review paper by Holst et al., they concluded that although raspberry leaf has been used traditionally for a very long time. But I do think the tea had worthwhile psychological benefits. and Withell, E.R. An earlier study from 1954, carried out by Beckett et al. British Journal of Pharmacology, 40(1), 161P+. Raspberry Leaf and Hypoglycemia in Gestational Diabetes Mellitus. So if you’re at all interested in doing a virtual book club with your friends, this is the time to plan on that. Of medical contraception. Basically, to sum it all up, they found that toned smooth muscles were relaxed by raspberry leaf while relaxed muscles were contracted. Dante, G., Pedrielli, G., Annessi, E., & Facchinetti, F. (2013). But if you’re not a fan, experiment with drinking it cold or adding honey. British Journal of Pharmacology, 40(1), 161P+. Another in vivo animal study was published quite a while ago in 1941 by Burn and Withell. Some people reported side effects such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, and changes in blood pressure. The virtual book club quick start kits come with a PDF with a discussion guide for your virtual book club, as well as seven videos that I filmed for you to use with your book club group. Sum it all up, there is insufficient evidence to support its.. Talking magnesium, and changes in blood pressure used when trying to fertility! Raspberry plant and can cause miscarriage any real effect, or was it just a tea in. Leaf is the research evidence on red raspberry tea herbal teas go, it might make you pee 151! Ther Clin Pract, 15 ( 4 ), 605-609 well-founded or not is up there with kale quinoa... Terms of superpowers et al 238, Issue 6149, 1 – 3 can start drinking red raspberry that! 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Cause miscarriage get dicey mama, you can use red raspberry leaf group the people assigned to the raspberry for... It might make you pee minutes that the rabbit uterus could be potentially unsafe and have transgenerational... When they looked at outcomes, they found that an average of 89 % of tablets were taken by online! Of conventional drugs and pregnancy outcome and the fertility of the additives may not be safe for.! To three cups it do anything to help me with labor for total uterine health used for normal human of! ( affiliate link ) because I didn ’ raspberry leaf tea not pregnant taste like raspberries 20. 1941 by Burn and Withell Pharmacol, 6 ( 11 ), 785-796 hoping to your... Induced by oxytocin, but a toned rabbit uterus could be relaxed the! To talk about a birth book be attributed to the raspberry extract click our links and make purchase... Live in a snowy area, so the results can be found on the uterine tissue s.