Herbal teas which ones are ok

[chadmoonshine]

Hi Everyone,

I am new here. I am just pregnant (5 weeks) My pregnancy book is very vague on fruit and herbal teas, along with saying I can't have much normal tea. I love a hot drink, it is my support and scantuary so if anyone could point me in the direction of ones that are pregnancy safe I'd really appreciate it.

[Rockchick1984]

Most of them are fine... Depends what sort of thing you like! I drank a lot of Rooibos tea while pregnant, green tea with lemon, and peppermint helped with heartburn and trapped wind. If you suggest the types you like, someone should be able to tell you if they are ok :)

[seven77]

Any commercial teas from the supermarket are fine. I'm not sure about other herbal teas from specialist shops, only not to drink raspberry leaf tea until late on in pregnancy. The only reason it mentions normal tea is because of caffeine, I find that decaf doesn't taste the same, but tea is much lower in caffeine than coffee so I allow myself two mugs a day but don't let it brew for long.

And a great hot drink in pregnancy is ovaltine, if you get the one you stir into hot milk you're getting the calcium and it contains loads of added vitamins and minerals.

[scruffylady]

I can't find one single herbal fruity tea that doesnt contain Hibiscus which we are not supposed to drink in pg. So all twinings fruit teas are out. Can anyone recommend fruity teas that dont contain any nasties? I usually love peppermint, rooibos etc but cannot stand them at the mo, nor decaff tea.. Everything makes me sick! I really want a fruity tea. I even read we shouldnt drink chamomile tea!! So annoyed!

[tothemoon]

scruffyladyWhat about if you make lemon/ginger tea? I know it's not quite the same but I swear by a cup of homemade lemon and ginger tea every morning. Firstly is kick starts my digestive system and Ginger is good for relieving nausea and morning sickness. Not quite the same as sticking a fruit tea bag in hot water though :/

[YokoUhOh]

All fruit/herbal teas are fine during pregnancy - I've read nothing saying you can't drink hibiscus. I'm on the raspberry leaf now but have drunk white tea/green tea throughout (quite a lot of it, too!). The baby is set to be on the big side so there's no caffeine-related low weight problem...

[Rockchick1984]

I had never heard anything about not drinking hibiscus during pregnancy, have had a google and it seems to be because they don't know if it affects your fertility here but I know Pukka teas generally don't contain hibiscus so maybe go for those if you're concerned? Being honest, my midwife advised me to drink fruit and herbal teas throughout my pregnancy so I think it must be a fairly uncommon concern :)

[mrsbugsywugsy]

I'm worried now...I've been drinking loads of herbal teas through my pregnancy, hadn't really occurred to me not to, apart from raspberry leaf. What is bad about hibiscus and camomile?

I've been drinking lots of ginger tea (good for nausea), chamomile, and peppermint. Recently I have become addicted to pukka chai tea with a spoonful of honey (although this one does have caffeine so it kind of defies the point).

Actually I'm not too worried about the caffeine from tea as my midwife said up to six cups a day was fine, and I didn't drink that many pre-pregnancy. I've cut out coffee, but only because I drink the really strong freshly brewed stuff.

Also similarly to Seven a cup of horlicks made with milk before I go to bed seems to help me sleep and stop me from waking up hungry in the middle of the night.

[Petcat]

I love drinking herbal teas and have a whole cupboard full. I read that licorice root can cause a miscarriage so went though the lot and was sad to find nearly all my faves contain at least some licorice (especially Pukka blends). Pukka do have some information about this on their website www.pukkaherbs.com/faq-old. Although I believe miscarriage is very unlikely to be caused by anything you eat or drink, I didn't want to take the chance as I am already a high risk due to other factors. I also avoid hot chocolate, and white and green tea as these all contain some caffeine.
I now stick to mint, nettle, lemon and ginger, which are all considered completely safe. Sainsbury's also do a decaffeinated earl grey blend which I prefer to regular de-caf tea. And I find a small mug of ovaltine before bed is lovely

[chadmoonshine]

Thanks everyone, really helpful to have all your replies. I had been drinking decaffinated Green tea, but read that that may block folic acid. I take my folic acid in the morning and don't drink green tea until the evening, so can't see that there would be so much of a problem. It's reasuring to hear what you are all drinking. I hadn't thought of all the ovaltine at all. Thank for that
[hsmile]

[lurcherlover]

Petcat, that FAQ is about Pukka herbal remedies, not herbal teas. I am a Pukka addict so emailed them to ask about the teas - they replied to say that all of their teas are safe to take in pregnancy, and they would recommend up to 5 cups a day to be sure your intake of any particular herb would always remain within safe levels - but she said even that was probably an unnecessary caution as the levels of herbs in teas (as opposed to remedies) are very safe anyway. I have been drinking them ever since and so far all is fine.

[Littlemissimpatient]

chad I have just read same as you, to avoid green tea and some others as reduces folic acid absorption. As I'm on 5mg folic acid I am avoiding completely. Also on decaf tetley and decaf carte noir or milicano coffee which taste ok I can't tell the difference.