Raspberry leaf tea in pregnancy: what the NHS says

Somewhere around 34 weeks, somebody tells you to start on the raspberry leaf tea. Your mum, the antenatal group, the woman behind you in the queue at the chemist. It tones the uterus, apparently. Shortens labour. Gets things moving.

So you search it, and you add "NHS" on the end because you want the real answer rather than the folklore. Good instinct. Here it is.

The NHS doesn't recommend raspberry leaf tea and doesn't ban it. What it says is that there are no proven ways to safely bring on labour at home, and that you should check with your midwife before trying anything.

NHS maternity units go further and list raspberry leaf tea under "busting the myths". The old version of this post promised a good deal more than that. This one doesn't, because the evidence isn't there.

Key facts

• The NHS's page on inducing labour says there's no evidence that hot baths, particular foods or drinks, sex or herbal supplements start labour, and that there's no information about the safety of herbal supplements, which could be harmful to you or your baby (NHS, inducing labour).
• The Norfolk and Waveney NHS induction leaflet, under "busting the myths": there is no available evidence that raspberry leaf tea, herbal supplements, acupuncture, castor oil, hot baths, sex, enemas or homeopathy induce labour (Just One Norfolk, induction of labour).
• Raspberry leaf is a herbal tea, so the NHS's general rule applies: no more than 4 cups of herbal tea a day, and none containing liquorice root (NHS, foods to avoid).
• What the NHS actually offers if you go past your date: a membrane sweep, usually from 39 weeks, and induction if you haven't gone into labour by 41 weeks.

What the NHS says about raspberry leaf tea in pregnancy

First, what it is. Raspberry leaf tea is made from the leaves of the raspberry plant. It's not raspberry tea, the fruit one, which is a different drink and a different box. People have drunk the leaf version in late pregnancy for a very long time.

Now the NHS. There's no page on raspberry leaf tea by name. It turns up in two places.

The overdue page lists "drinking raspberry tea" among the tips people find online for bringing on labour, then says there are no proven ways to safely bring on labour at home and that if you're keen to get things moving, you check with your midwife first.

The week 40 page says the same: no proven ways, get advice from your doctor or midwife before trying anything other than watching and waiting.

NHS maternity units are blunter. Norfolk and Waveney's induction leaflet and Doncaster's induction page both put raspberry leaf tea at the top of a list headed "busting the myths": no available evidence that it induces labour.

None of that says the tea is dangerous. The NHS's medicines page does say that not all natural remedies are safe in pregnancy, and its food page caps herbal teas at 4 cups a day. So: not recommended, not banned, ask your midwife. That's the whole NHS position, and it's the position this post takes.

Does raspberry leaf tea actually do anything?

The claims, in the order you'll hear them: it tones the uterus, it shortens labour, it means fewer interventions, it helps you conceive, it helps your milk come in, it helps the womb go back afterwards.

I went looking for an NHS, NICE or RCOG page that backs any of those. There isn't one. What there is, is the NHS's plain statement that herbal supplements haven't been shown to start labour and haven't been checked for safety, and the maternity unit leaflets that file the tea under myths.

That's not the same as "proven useless". Nobody has done the work either way, and the honest position is that people have drunk it for centuries, some of them swear by it, and the evidence is thin.

If you want to try it because your mum did and it makes you feel like you're doing something in the waiting weeks, that's a reason. Just don't let anyone sell it to you as a shorter labour, because nobody can show you that.

Can raspberry leaf tea induce labour?

No, as far as anyone can show. The NHS's induction page says there's no evidence that hot baths, particular foods or drinks, sex or herbal supplements start labour.

Its overdue page says the same in plainer words: there are no proven ways to safely bring on labour at home, so check with your midwife first if you're keen to get things going. The maternity units in Norfolk and Doncaster both name raspberry leaf tea on their myths list.

What the NHS does offer, if you go past your date, is a membrane sweep, usually from 39 weeks, and induction if you haven't gone into labour by 41 weeks. Both are your choice, and your midwife will talk you through them.

One line from the old post worth keeping: don't take more than the packet says in the hope of speeding things up. More tea isn't more labour, and 4 cups of herbal tea a day is the NHS's ceiling anyway.

When to start raspberry leaf tea, and how much

If your midwife's happy for you to try it, this is the shape of the usual advice.

Third trimester, not before. The number most people are given is 32 weeks. I couldn't find that number on an NHS page, so treat it as convention rather than a rule, and as one more reason the midwife conversation comes first.

Start with one cup a day and see how you get on, rather than going straight to three. Follow the packet, and don't go past the NHS's 4 cups of herbal tea a day. Stop if it upsets your stomach or you're getting a lot of tightenings, and mention either at your next appointment.

Not in the first or second trimester. Not if you've been told to avoid anything that might affect the womb. And not without asking if any of the things in the next section apply to you.

Who should skip it, or at least ask first

These are the situations where a midwife will usually want a conversation before you buy the box, and where the sensible answer is often no:

• a planned caesarean, or a previous one
• a previous premature labour, or a previous very fast one (three hours or less)
• bleeding in the second half of this pregnancy
• your baby is breech
• high blood pressure or other complications this pregnancy
• twins or more
• you take regular medication (ask the pharmacist as well as the midwife)

That isn't an NHS list. It's the set of reasons that come up, and only your midwife knows your notes.

Tea bags, capsules or tablets?

Three forms, and no evidence that any of them does more than the others. Tea bags are in every supermarket's herbal aisle, they're the cheapest per cup, and a hot drink at 36 weeks is not nothing. Loose leaf is the same thing without the bag.

Capsules and tablets are for people who can't stand the taste; they're in health food shops and some chemists, and the dose on the packet is the dose. Whichever you pick, take the packet to your midwife appointment and ask the same question.

Check the ingredients whichever you buy. Some "raspberry leaf" teas are blends, with hibiscus, nettle and rosehip and a bit of fruit for flavour, and if it's a blend you're drinking, all of it counts. The tea in pregnancy post goes through those one by one.

Raspberry leaf tea after the birth

The claims for afterwards are the same family: milk supply, less bleeding, helps the womb shrink back, helps your mood. Same problem: no NHS page backs any of them, and the old version of this post shouldn't have said they did.

If you liked the tea, carry on drinking it as a tea. If you're worried about bleeding, feeding or how you're feeling, those are the things your midwife and health visitor ask about at every visit for a reason. Tell them. Don't treat them with a tea bag.

What actually helps in the last few weeks

Nothing on the NHS's list starts labour at home, and that includes everything in this section. What helps is being comfortable and upright while you wait.

Sitting on a birthing ball instead of sinking into the sofa keeps your hips open and takes the pressure off your pelvis, and from about 32 weeks gentle circles on it are what most people use theirs for. The ball exercises post has the routine, and the question of whether it helps your baby into a good position.

One reviewer wrote: "Beautiful colour ball that helped my wife with pain relief doing exercises on it, the guide was helpful and overall its very sturdy".

Where to buy raspberry leaf tea in the UK

The herbal tea aisle of any big supermarket, health food shops, and most chemists. Capsules and tablets are more of a health food shop and chemist thing. We don't sell it and we're not going to link you to anyone who does; you'll walk past it on the weekly shop.

Two things to check on the box: that it says raspberry leaf (not raspberry, the fruit tea), and what else is in the blend.

Questions we get asked

Does the NHS recommend raspberry leaf tea?

No. It doesn't recommend it and it doesn't ban it. Its line is that there are no proven ways to safely bring on labour at home and that you should check with your midwife before trying anything, and NHS maternity units list the tea under myths for inducing labour.

Can I drink raspberry leaf tea in the first or second trimester?

The usual advice is no. If it's used at all, it's a third trimester thing, and the number most people are given is 32 weeks. That's convention rather than an NHS rule, which is one more reason to ask your midwife rather than the internet.

Does raspberry leaf tea make you poop?

It can. Loose stools, feeling sick and more Braxton Hicks tightenings are the side effects people report. None of that comes from an NHS page; it's what people say. If it upsets your stomach, stop.

Does raspberry leaf tea help fertility?

There's no evidence it does, and no NHS advice that says so. If you're trying to conceive, the thing the NHS does ask you to take is 400 micrograms of folic acid a day, ideally from before you're pregnant and through the first 12 weeks (NHS, vitamins and supplements). That's the one with evidence behind it.

Can I drink it if I've had a c-section before?

This is the one to ask about before you buy the box. A previous caesarean, a planned one, a breech baby, bleeding, high blood pressure, twins or a very fast previous labour are the sort of things that change the answer, and only your midwife knows your notes. If in doubt, don't start it until you've asked.

If you're at the counting down stage, the birthing ball collection has the ball, the pump and the stability ring in one place, and the birthing ball size guide tells you which size.