Rasp Berry Leaf Tea as Labor Inducer

The Red Raspberry Leaf Tea is a very popular tea used by women in Europe and North America long time ago. It helps to support the female systems. It is believed to attain healthy menstruation, strengthen and tone the uterus, and to prepare the womb for childbirth. Those who used it include women of the Cherokee, Iroquois and Mohawk nations of North America. To them, this is an important gynecological aid. The British Herbal Pharmacopoeia, in its journal of 1996, classified its use as a preparative for childbirth. Raspberry Leaf Tea could be likened to the flavor of the fine black tea with its full-bodied flavor so, it is very popular as breakfast or afternoon tea.

The raspberry leaf can be brewed as a tea itself or as an infusion. The best known and widely used of this kind purposely for uterine and pregnancy tonic is the Rubus. This plant contains fragrine, an alkaloid known to give tone to the muscles of the pelvic region that includes the uterus. The raspberry leaf tea is known for its nourishing power as it is packed with a lot of vitamins and minerals found in the plant. It has rich concentration of vitamin C, has other vitamins like vitamin A and B complex, calcium and iron and other minerals like phosphorous and potassium.

Among the benefits attributed to the raspberry leaf brew are the following:

· It increases fertility in both men and women when combined with red clover, it is also an excellent fertility herb.

· It is said to prevent miscarriage and postpartum hemorrhage.

· It eases morning sickness.

· It relieves nausea and stomach distress throughout pregnancy.

· It reduces the pain during labor and after birth since it tones the muscles used during labor and delivery. However, it does not offset the pain of cervical dilation.

· It provides a safe and fast parturition. It strengthens contractions that allows the contracting uterus to work more effectively.

· It helps to bring down an undelivered placenta. Combined with ground ivy or angelica, it facilitates the delivery of the placenta.

· It assists in the production of breast milk. Its high mineral content assists in milk production. However, its astringency may negate that quality for some women.

As a uterine tonic, the belief is that it tones the uterus so it could deliver the Braxton Hicks contractions. With this belief, so many women started to use this when they learned that they are pregnant at six weeks. They continued to use this too after delivery. The tonic is said to exercise the uterus and will help it to shrink back to its normal size and reduce the bleeding after delivery. However, cautions are being issued not to use raspberry leaves until the last two months of pregnancy because of its stimulating effect on the uterus.

Dosage

The recommended use is one cup of tea a day or one tablet and gradually increase the intake to four cups of tea or tablets daily. During labor, the tea can also be sipped freely.

Raspberry's Effect based on Testimony and Research

The effectiveness of the red raspberry leaf tea as a labor inducer is again a cause of confusion. Many attest to its efficacy and reliability. However, medical experts continue to claim that it has nothing to do in labor induction.

A study was made in Sydney, Australia where 192 first-time mothers were given at random either a 1.2g of raspberry leaf tablet or a placebo twice a day starting at 32 weeks of pregnancy. The result indicated no harmful effects on the mother and baby and those who had taken the tablets had shown a shorter second stage of labor and a lower rate of forceps delivery. Despite this, however, further studies are needed to confirm these results.