Raspberry leaf tea how does it work

Always talk to your midwife and a medical herbalist with experience of pregnancy before drinking the tea or taking capsules. Raspberry leaf contains chemicals which act in exactly the same way as drugs. It may not be safe for you and your growing baby. Even if it is, it's important to make sure you're taking or drinking a dose that's safe for you both. Obstet Gynecol. Herbal therapies in pregnancy: what works? Herbal medicine use in pregnancy: results of a multinational study.

Use of herbal medicines by pregnant women: What physicians need to know. Front Pharmacol. Phytotherapy Research. Inducing labour. Caesarean section. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Raspberry leaf tea in pregnancy. Information for mums-to-be. Raspberry leaf has demonstrated both stimulatory and relaxation effects on smooth muscle depending on a variety of factors including; herbal preparation used [ 29 ], method of extraction [ 27 ] [ 24 ], type of tissue and animal [ 22 ], baseline muscle tone [ 22 ] and pregnancy status of uterus or uterine tissue [ 25 ] [ 29 ].

Previous studies have also shown variation in the bioactivity of raspberry leaf by geographical region [ 39 ]. Toxic effects in animal studies have only been achieved with intraperitoneal or intravenous injection [ 22 , 24 ]. While results of animal and in vitro studies must be interpreted with caution because they are not always consistent with human and the in vivo situation, they nonetheless offer valuable information on the efficacy and safety of therapeutics [ 50 ].

Raspeberry leaf has potential to interact with other drugs. Makaji, Ho et al [ 31 ] found that female offspring of rats exposed to raspberry leaf exhibited alterations in the activity of the enzyme cytochrome CYP. Investigating six herbs commonly used in pregnancy including raspberry leaf, Langhammer and Nilsen [ 51 ] found raspberry leaf especially ethanolic extract to be a powerful CYP inhibitor.

This has implications for herb-drug interactions with potential to cause unusual sensitivity to drug effects at normal doses [ 52 ]. While Cheang, Nguyen et al [ 32 ] was the only case study identified in our systematic review that suggested a relationship between raspberry leaf and drug sensitivity insulin in this case we should be mindful of the potential for raspberry leaf - drug interactions.

They found that a high proportion The herbal and natural products identified in the interactions included aloe, chamomile, cranberry, fish oil, ginger, ginseng, grapefruit, and sage. Raspberry leaf was not implicated though the inhibition of CPY was cited as a potential mechanism in the herb-drug interactions.

Authors have also raised concerns that constituents in raspberry leaf polyphenols could compete with iron for absorption [ 54 ], promoting anaemia in childbearing women taking raspberry leaf. This has not been demonstrated in any studies of raspberry leaf use in pregnancy to date. The body of evidence informed by human studies on raspberry leaf use in pregnancy does not show any benefit. There is scant evidence from these works to suggest that raspberry leaf has an appreciable effect as a parturient with the only indication coming from the study by Simpson, Parsons et al [ 16 ] who identified a clinically though not statistically significant difference with women in the raspberry leaf group experiencing a shorter second stage of labour and fewer women experiencing augmentation of labour.

Likewise, there is scant evidence to suggest that raspberry leaf has a detrimental effect. While Nordeng, Bayne et al [ 30 ] identified an increase in caesarean section amongst the cohort taking raspberry leaf the small sample size, selection bias and lack of control of variables means this result cannot be accepted with any confidence.

The case study by Cheang, Nguyen et al [ 32 ] highlights the potential for herb-drug interactions and serves as a reminder to clinicians of the importance of taking a thorough medication history from pregnant women which includes the use of herbs and other supplements. Several limitations of this review must be acknowledged. A lack of internationally consistent terminology can impact search strategies in this area.

This review focussed on articles published in peer reviewed journals and some have suggested that practitioners and researchers of CIM may not be inclined to publish in these types of journals. Limiting the search to peer review papers however, infers a level of quality. This review also sought only articles published in English, potentially missing relevant research conducted in other countries and in other languages such as China or India where the practice of CIM is more mainstream.

The decision to limit articles to those published in English was due to the limited resources available to support this study. This review sought to bring all the relevant empirical research to the table; old and new, in vitro, in vivo, animal and human, which has made synthesis of the findings difficult.

Nonetheless this provides a thorough presentation of the state of the art in relation to the biophysical effects, safety and efficacy of raspberry leaf use in pregnancy.

This review highlights the need for further research into the effects of raspberry leaf use in human pregnancy.

The only randomised controlled study on human subjects in this area used a sub-therapeutic dose of raspberry leaf, taking a conservative approach as it was the first study of this kind. This however, leaves the question of the efficacy of raspberry leaf at therapeutic levels un-answered. We suggest that we can have some confidence that raspberry leaf does not have significant detrimental effects given the long history of raspberry leaf use and the large proportion of women that currently use it in pregnancy.

There is scope to conduct further research in this area and both clinical trials and well conducted prospective cohort studies would add significantly to the evidence base. Such studies should provide detail on the type, form, dosage, and timing of raspberry leaf consumed and have a sample size that can accommodate sub analyses based on differences in these parameters. A large proportion of pregnant women take raspberry leaf in pregnancy with the aim of facilitating an easier birth however, as this review has demonstrated there is a dearth of evidence to inform the practice.

In vitro studies have demonstrated biophysical effects on human and animal tissue though these effects are often contradictory. Toxicity has only been demonstrated in animal studies when large amounts of raspberry leaf extract is injected intravenously or intraperitoneally. Human studies have not demonstrated any statistically significant effects.

The evidence base is impacted by lack of detail and consistency in preparations, dosage and timing of raspberry leaf or its constituents used in the studies. This integrative review presents the state of the art of the evidence informing the use of raspberry leaf in pregnancy and while we can be reassured by the long history of the practice and lack of documented evidence of harm, contemporary healthcare practice demands that we examine the safety and efficacy of the use of raspberry leaf in pregnancy.

Further research is required to provide this information. Thatcher-Ulrich L. New York: Vintage Books; Google Scholar. Lawless J. The encyclopaedia of essential oils: element; Pregnant women and health professional's perceptions of complementary alternative medicine, and participation in a randomised controlled trial of acupressure for labour onset. Complement Ther Clin Pract. PubMed Article Google Scholar. Born D, Barron M. Herb use in pregnancy: what nurses should know. Use of complementary and alternative medicines by a sample of Australian women during pregnancy.

Prevalence and determinants of complementary and alternative medicine use during pregnancy: results from a nationally representative sample of Australian pregnant women. Herbal medicine use during pregnancy in a group of Australian women.

BMC Pregnancy Child. Article Google Scholar. Midwives' personal use of complementary and alternative medicine CAM influences their recommendations to women experiencing a post-date pregnancy.

Women Birth. Hoffmann D. The new holistic herbal: a herbal celebrating the wholeness of life. Shaftesbury Dorset: Element Books Limited; Herbal medicines.

London: Pharmaceutical Press; Medicinal plants used in British Columbia, Canada for reproductive health in pets. Prevent Vet Med. Pengelly A. The constituents of medicinal plants 2nd ed. Raspberry leaf--should it be recommended to pregnant women? Herbal therapies in pregnancy: what works? Curr Opin Obstet Gynecol. Raspberry leaf in pregnancy: its safety and efficacy in labor.

J Midwif Womens Health. Raspberry leaf and its effect on labour: safety and efficacy. Aust Coll Midwives Incorpor J. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Caesarean section. Whittemore R, Knafl K. The integrative review: updated methodology. J Adv Nurs. Mixed methods appraisal tool MMAT , version Guidance on assessing the methodological and reporting quality of toxicologically relevant studies: A scoping review.

Environ Int. Best foods for a healthy pregnancy Food cravings. What are they? At a glance Raspberry leaf tea is believed to help bring on labour It is rich in nutrients that are thought to help the uterine muscles It is believed to help your milk come in and reduce post-delivery bleeding.

Ask your midwife about raspberry leaf tea first as it isn't suitable for all mums-to-be. Today's most read The 5 gift rule. Raspberry leaf tea Food allergies during pregnancy How to mange them.

Some midwives and doctors advise against taking anything that may interfere with labour. That is especially the case if there is a lack of evidence that it works. Our bodies are designed to give birth without help. Trying to change the course of this natural process could be seen as just another way to induce or speed up your labour.

Evidence provided by NHS Medicines Information shows that research studies show no difference in length of labour or birth outcome for mums who had taken raspberry leaf tea compared to those who had not. Like other herbal teas, raspberry leaf should be drunk in moderation. The chemicals in the tea work their way through your body in the same way as a drug. This may affect how some of your bodily processes work.