Monday, May 5, 2008

Pregnancy Nourishment Tea

There are many different recipes for herbal teas that can be enjoyed throughout pregnancy. You can even find some ready-made teas at the health food store. Making your own tea is less expensive because you will be buying the herbs in bulk, and it also gives you a chance to adjust the ingredients for your own taste buds.

The general recommendation during pregnancy is to have 1-4 cups of herbal tea daily after 12 weeks of pregnancy, and only 1-2 per day during the first trimester. Below is my favorite recipe, taken from Aviva Romm's "The Natural Pregnancy Book". She also lists this recipe in her other book that I use all the time, "Naturally Healthy Babies and Children". Both are must-haves if you like to treat your family with natural remedies at home instead of taking them to the doctor when they get the sniffles.

This tea is also great for new moms as it will help establish and maintain a good milk supply and aid in the mom's recovery. There are other recipes specifically for the postpartum period that I will post another time.

Please note: Parts are measured by weight, not volume



Pregnancy Nourishment Tea

1 part red raspberry leaves
1 part dried nettle
1 part dried oatstraw
1/2 part dried alfalfa
1/2 part red clover blossoms
1/4 - 1/2 part dried spearmint leaves

Mix all of the herbs and store away from heat and sunlight in a glass jar.


To prepare: You can use a reusable metal tea ball, single use fill-your-own tea bags, or special tea cups that have a built-in strainer insert. If you don't have any of these, you can simply put the tea directly in the cup and strain it before drinking.


You should always pour boiling water onto the tea, rather than dumping the tea into the hot water. Cover and steep for 5-10 minutes. Strain and add cold water if you want to drink the tea immediately. Sweeten with honey if you like, or add some lemon for extra taste.


If you want a simpler recipe, try this one:


2 parts dried nettle leaf
2 parts dried red raspberry leaves

1 part alfalfa

1 part red clover blossoms


You can add a bit of lemon balm, some kind of mint, or lavender for taste variations.


If bulk herbs are not available where you live, you can order them online. If you use herbs a lot and enjoy gardening, you may want to consider growing a medicinal herb garden.

2 comments:

  1. Have you ever read Healing Children Naturally from Michael Savage? I'm not a huge fan of his (with all his Jew nonsense) but the book is pretty good. I'll have to check out the books you mentioned. Thanks for the post!

    ReplyDelete

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