Exploring the Snack Bar

Before you can effectively select an herbal tea that is safe to use during your pregnancy, it is important to be able to distinguish between herbal and non-herbal teas. Herbal varieties include teas consisting of berries, roots, seeds and flowers. They are all caffeine free. Non-herbal teas consist of three sub-categories, and are made from leaves from tea plants: black, green and oolong. Many health care suppliers confirm that the use of certain herbal teas during pregnancy is healthy for both the mother and the baby. Herbal teas used as medicinal supplements can provide additional nutrients such as calcium, iron and magnesium.

Pregnant woman are often advised to eliminate caffeine from their diets while with child. Herbal teas naturally contain no caffeine, so mothers do not need to be concerned about the drug crossing over the placenta and reaching their baby. There are cautions from the FDA, however; some contents in herbal teas have never been officially tested on pregnant women to determine factually if issues arise from their consumption. Due to this lack of data on the effects of certain herbs, doctors continue to debate the overall safety and health benefits or issues developing from the use of herbal teas.

Herbal tea brands commonly found at your average grocery store are generally presumed to be safe for both pregnant woman and unborn child. The FDA has published limited guidelines on safety recommendations for herbal teas, and most commercial brands of herbal tea only use ingredients from the FDA's approved list. Be aware of any teas that use herbs excessively or include known toxic herbs in their recipes. Also, use caution when consuming herbal teas that are not made commercially. Certain herbal teas are touted as being made especially for those who are pregnant. These teas most likely contain red raspberry leaf, which has been deemed safe to be ingested by pregnant women.

There are certain herbs that should most definitely be avoided during pregnancy. The Natural Medicines Database considers nettles unsafe although used in many pregnancy teas. This is because the regulation of nettles in teas is non-existent. Alfalfa and Yellow Dock are also labeled possibly unsafe for pregnant women. Use caution before consuming any type of herbal tea while pregnant and consult your physician first. There are also many herbs that do not have enough supporting information to determine if the use in pregnant women is acceptable, including dandelion, chamomile and rose hips.

About the Author:

Many people are not aware there is a healthier Japanese herbal tea than Green teas, called Tenchicha. The tea contains 12 herbs with no caffeine. Mr. Kumagai is the president of Eco Vita, which provides information on health benefits of herbal products including tenchicha. For more detail, please visit Tenchicha.com.

Article Marketing

3 people like this article