While raspberry leaves may form a significant part of blends known as pregnancy teas, the two tea types are not interchangeable. Raspberry leaf tea is a single-herb blend, but the contents of pregnancy tea depend on the tea maker. Manufacturers market both types as helpful for various stages of pregnancy, especially delivery. Always check with your midwife or obstetrician before adding any herbal teas to your daily routine, and read labels carefully.
Raspberry Leaf
Raspberry leaf tea comes from the dried leaves of the common red raspberry plant, Rubus idaeus. The tea is mainly known in conjunction with pregnancy, heavy bleeding during menstruation and diarrhea. Proponents of red raspberry tea believe it helps to prepare women for labor by toning the uterus, theoretically aiding in pain reduction, shorter delivery times and reducing the risk of complications during labor. Its reputation as a pregnancy herb extends earlier into the pregnancy as a potential treatment for nausea from morning sickness, as well as after delivery, when it is believed to increase milk production.
Pregnancy Tea
While raspberry tea is a single blend, pregnancy tea may have just one kind of herb or several. Blends vary from brand to brand and from home remedy to home remedy. The American Pregnancy Association notes that raspberry leaves and nettles are often included. One popular brand uses equal parts raspberry and strawberry leaves, along with smaller amounts of nettle leaves, peppermint, rose hips, alfalfa, fennel and lemon verbena. Another lists its blend as raspberry leaf, nettle leaf, dandelion leaf, alfalfa, chamomile, oat straw and peppermint. The APA notes that some midwives recommend nettle leaf for its high mineral content; peppermint for its anti-nausea properties; rose hips for vitamin C; alfalfa for vitamin K, which may help prevent excessive bleeding after delivery; oat straw and chamomile for minerals, to promote sleep and lessen anxiety; and dandelion for its nutritional value and its ability to ease water retention.
Considerations
Your experience with raspberry leaf tea or pregnancy tea blends may not be as positive as those suggested by anecdotal evidence. Opinions vary on both the effectiveness and the safety of virtually every herbal tea. In fact, MayoClinic.com states categorically that herbal teas should be avoided during pregnancy, even those marketed to pregnant women. NYU's Langone Medical Center found little evidence that raspberry leaf tea poses health risks for pregnant women, yet it also found little proof that raspberry leaves aid delivery. Conversely, the APA recommends raspberry leaf tea as helpful in toning the uterus, but suggests that only women in their second and third trimesters drink the beverage to avoid health risks. Similarly, the APA lists nettle leaf tea as "likely unsafe," even while acknowledging that negative information on the herb may come from studies involving improper harvesting. Ask your obstetrician before using raspberry leaf tea or any pregnancy tea blends, and verify whether certain herbs are better used during earlier or later stages of pregnancy.
Teas and Foods to Avoid
While it's difficult to find categorical evidence about which herbs are safe or effective during pregnancy, some foods and drinks are universally discouraged. Avoid caffeine, alcohol, undercooked fish, undercooked meat and eggs, unpasteurized cheese and large doses of vitamin A foods or supplements. The APA warns against herbal supplements or herbal teas like goldenseal, ephedra, passionflower, blue cohosh, black cohosh, pennyroyal, saw palmetto and dong quai.
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