There are two major categories of herbal teas. Some consist primarily of foods and food-grade herbs; these are quite safe during pregnancy. Others contain herbs used by practitioners of alternative medicine or as dietary supplements. There's much less information available regarding the safety of drinking herbal teas from this second category during pregnancy.
Safe Herbal Teas
The safest herbal teas are those made from ingredients and spices commonly used in food, explains American Pregnancy Association. In general -- though not always -- if you can find an herbal tea at a common grocery store, it is likely to be safe. Popular safe herbal teas include those made from fruits, spices, and cooking herbs. If you're unsure as to whether the ingredients in a particular herbal tea are food-grade, talk to your obstetrician.
Herbal Tea Benefits
Some herbal teas made from food-grade ingredients are even quite beneficial during pregnancy -- ginger tea, for instance, may help reduce nausea, explain Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel in their book "What To Expect When You're Expecting." The spicy chemical in ginger confuses your nervous system, and causes you to temporarily feel relief from nausea. Further, herbal teas are naturally caffeine-free. Most obstetricians recommend limiting caffeine during pregnancy, making herbal teas a suitable alternative to black tea and coffee.
Less Safe Herbal Teas
There are also herbal teas made from ingredients that are thought by some to have medicinal purposes. For instance, some alternative health care practitioners recommend raspberry leaf tea during pregnancy as a uterine tonic. In general, it is best to avoid these "medicinal" herbal teas. At the very least, discuss them with your doctor before drinking them. This is because not all herbs used in alternative medicine have been proven safe or effective.
Other Concerns
There are also "herbal teas" that aren't true teas at all, and as such, contain caffeine. One example is yerba mate, sometimes called mate tea. This is made from leaves of a plant that grows in South America, and it contains large quantities of caffeine and other related compounds. Drs. Michael Roizen and Mehmet Oz, in their book "You: Having A Baby," note that heavy caffeine use can increase your risk of miscarriage and preterm delivery.
References
- American Pregnancy Association: Herbal Tea
- "What to Expect When You're Expecting"; Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel; 2008
- "You: Having A Baby"; Michael Roizen, M.D. and Mehmet Oz, M.D.; 2009
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