I've Gone Herbal!

Those of you who know me would not say that I am into alternative medicine or herbal therapies. However, the Europeans have got ahold of me and convinced me to try their herbal raspberry leaf tea. I laughed out loud the first time they explained the benefits of the tea to me, but then started thinking. Teas have been used for hundreds of years in several different cultures for medicinal purposes. I saw it in India and have found that Germany is the same way. During my stay in the hospital last fall they encouraged me to drink tea. They even feed it to their young children, which is a big difference from my upbringing in South Dakota.

What is raspberry leaf tea? Well, if you Google it you will be amazed to find all the websites and studies on the benefits of raspberry leaf tea during pregnancy. In a nutschell it is thought to shorten labor time and prepare the uterus for childbirth. Sounds like hogwash I know, but I figure it is worth a shot. As an American we certainly can't preach on healthy living vs. the Europeans so I thought I would try one of their methods. I was given a bag of loose raspberry tea from a friend who just had her baby, otherwise I don't know if I would have bought any to try for myself. The teacher of my birth class, who is a midwife, recommends that at 36 weeks we start with one glass a day and each week add another glass. Therefore, by 39 weeks we are drinking a pot a day. I will let you know if I continue to drink the tea religously over the next 4 weeks and if I think it had any effects on my labor and delivery. http://www.pregnancy.com.au/resources/topics-of-interest/pregnancy/raspberry-leaf.shtml