Red Raspberry Tea & Fertility

You may be exploring ways to enhance your fertility without resorting to fertility medications. You've probably heard that some herbal teas are reputed to be helpful for enhancing fertility. If you have no structural infertility conditions, medicinal herbs may be an answer to boosting your pregnancy chances. Red raspberry tea is one tasty solution. Consult your physician before adding red raspberry tea to your diet.

Red raspberry tea is actually made only from the leaves, not the berry. (Image: Pugovica88/iStock/Getty Images)

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It sounds so tempting -- pretty, juicy little ruby-colored berries in tea form. But the medicinal version of red raspberry tea is actually made from the plant's leaves. Raspberry leaves -- Rubus idaeus -- have astringent tannin, causing a constrictive effect on cells, thereby reducing inflammation in the smooth muscles of the body, like those in the uterus.

Medicinal Uses

The University of Michigan Health System says astringent tannin is soothing for sore throats and for relieving diarrhea. Considered a traditional tonic, herbalists have long prescribed red raspberry leaves for enhancing uterine health during pregnancy and postpartum to decrease excessive bleeding. It's also been used to increase lactation in nursing mothers.

Use in Fertility

According to Jennifer Brett, N.D., on MotherNature.com, the relaxation effect of red raspberry leaves on the uterine muscles may work to help prevent early miscarriage and to assist early embryos in attaching to the uterine wall. She adds that the tea's phyto-progesterone quality can increase progesterone levels.

How to Use It

You can make your own red raspberry tea by steeping 2 tsp. in 1 cup of boiling water for 10 to 15 minutes. Dosages vary -- from 3 to 6 cups per day -- depending on the condition you're treating. Ask a qualified herbal practitioner how often you need to drink raspberry tea.

Precautions

The tonic effects of red raspberry leaf tea can cause nausea and loose stools. It should not be taken by anyone who is also taking acetaminophen with codeine, atropine, ephedrine or theophylline. Also, AltMD warns against using the leaves of a non-flowering plant and states be sure to use fully dried leaves for tea. Cyclospora, a parasite that can cause disease, was found in Guatemalan raspberries imported to North America in the 1990s.