Benefits of Red Leaf Raspberry Tea in Women’s Health

Raspberry leaf, also known as Rubus Idaeus, is a beautiful, nutritive, and practically versatile herb plant that appeals to nearly everyone in one way or another. Raspberry is a fruit that most of us are familiar with as being a delicious and healthy source of food. But equally, on the other hand, there are still many people out there who don’t know or realize that the leafy parts of this wonderful plant can be enormously useful as an organic treatment for a broad range of ailments and health complications, most especially for women.

The raspberry plant is a familiar one that is found in both home gardens and the wild, but the red raspberry plant species is native to Europe and parts of Asia. The plant is also a member of one of the Rosa (a.k.a. Rosaceae) plants family.

The leaf has been used for hundreds of years (probably longer) to make a medicinal tea or infusion that is very nutrient-rich. While red raspberry leaf can be beneficial for anyone, it’s most often used as one of the best herbs for women’s health.

Key nutritional benefits that women can gain from the plant’s leaf are vitamins, E, A, and B, and minerals like calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and iron. All these are found to be very vital in providing necessary nourishment for the female body. Even better, the nutrients found in the raspberry leaf are readily available and easily assimilated by the body- something that can’t always be said for lab-made supplements.

The herb also contains other essential nutrients like potassium, phosphorus, and manganese and Vitamins C, A, E, and B complex. And if that wasn’t good enough, Red Raspberry also has strong antioxidant properties due to the bioactive compounds found in the leaf.

One ounce of red raspberry leaves is packed with 3.3mg of Iron, which is 18% of the daily recommended amount for women ages 19 to 50 years.

THE RED RASPBERRY LEAF TEA AND ITS VARIOUS BENEFITS FOR WOMEN

INDUCING LABOR

Many women may have heard about drinking raspberry leaf tea to bring about labor when about to birth. So the important question here is that should you as a pregnant woman try this use of raspberry red leaf tea procedure on yourself? Now let’s assume that your due date has indeed come and gone, and now you are finding yourself becoming way more heavily pregnant than the way you wish. To your growing dismay, you can feel your body getting more uncomfortable and heavier than it was before. All the previous excitement and eagerness you used to feel when meeting your baby for the first time as it forms in the womb have now been replaced by overwhelming exhaustion. And you are at a loss for what to do. But when you learned about the effectiveness and benefits of the tea made from the red raspberry leaf for pregnant women like you wishing to go into labor, you start wondering if the herb can truly help and give you the relief of labor that you want. And especially if it is your first time using anything herbal, you’d definitely be doubting if the herb can actually induce labor.

So is it true that an herbal remedy like red raspberry leaf tea can actually get labor started? Well, the direct answer to that is that the herb is not guaranteed to induce labor during pregnancy. This is because due to recent reviews, health experts have concluded that there is not enough quality evidence to say for sure whether red raspberry leaf tea is actually effective for inducing labor or shortening it. Also, the same experts even suggested that the tea shouldn’t be recommended because of a lack of good data on its safety.

However, this is not to say that the red raspberry leaf tea should be outrightly condemned as not being useful to pregnant women. We guess the probable reason why the red raspberry leaf tea is made popular for helping pregnant women ease into labor is due to the positive effects it usually has on a woman’s uterus. Of course, this is not asserting that this effect actually works on all pregnant women but the stories of many of the women, especially the expectant mothers who have taken the plant’s tea for this remedy, stated how well the tea usually helps regulate the contractions of the uterus. So depending on the state of pregnancy and general health of the woman taking the tea, there is likely going to be varying degrees of comfort enhanced by the chemicals in the tea when going into labor.

It is said that the nutrients found in the leaf of the red raspberry can go a long way in ensuring a healthy and effective functioning uterus. The herb also provides almost all of the nutrients needed for uterine health, which in turn will help with a healthy pregnancy.

Also, one of its supposed effects on inducing labor can be referenced on the way the herb is said to relax and tone the muscles in the pelvic region, which can further help the uterus to contract more effectively and lead to an easier birth.

MENSTRUAL ISSUES

The combination of fragarine, an alkaloid in raspberries, and tannins, a naturally occurring polyphenol often found in wine, are known for treating Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS), cramping, vomiting, nausea, and diarrhea.  According to Obstetrics experts, this fragarine is known to help tone and tighten muscles in the pelvic region, thereby assisting with the cramps caused by spasms of the pelvic muscles. The tannin and fragarine are believed to strengthen the uterus, mitigating heavy and irregular bleeding during a woman’s menstrual cycle.

FERTILITY AND PREGNANCY ISSUES

As already stated, inherent nutrients vitamins and minerals like calcium, potassium, magnesium, iron, niacin, selenium, and vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, C, and E) of the herb are what makes it a potent tonic for female fertility. The tea made from the leaves of the red raspberry helps balance your hormones and helps to prepare your body for ovulation when taken during the follicular phase.

POSTPARTUM RECOVERY

The herb is also known to be a good astringent, which means the tannin substance in it makes it draw tissue together, thus restricting the flow of blood or preventing bleeding from postpartum wounds. Still, nursing mothers are warned to desist from excess consumption of the tea in order not to let the tannin affect their breast milk supply.

POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION

Postpartum depression is associated with the rapid change of hormones in the mother’s body after she gives birth, and it can also occur following miscarriage and stillbirth. Many pregnant women experience postpartum depression, but the good news is that you can still have the condition managed with good and safe herbal solutions like the red raspberry leaf tea. The leaf is claimed to have sedative and muscle relaxant properties that promote feelings of calmness and might even improve sleep.

This is because it is strongly believed that sleep deprivation is one of the likely factors contributing to postpartum depression in many pregnant women. That reason is logical considering that new mothers are mostly stressed with the rigors of trying to take care of their newborns.

In conclusion, you are still advised to seek the professional guidance and recommendation of your doctor before deciding to use any herbal or chemical prescription before or after pregnancy.