Tea for Two: Herbs Through Your Pregnancy

Have a cup of tea - or two or three! During your pregnancy tea can be a wonderful ritual of mindfulness helping us remember to nourish our bodies, spirit, and mind. Herbs such as Red Raspberry leaf(Rubus idaeus), Nettles (Urtica dioica), and Oats (Avena sativa) are particularly suited for nourishing, supporting, and preparing the body for birth as well as supporting you postpartum. So why these three herbs? Glad you asked!

raspberry leaf  by author

Red Raspberry leaf(Rubus idaeus) is a wonderful herb to take during pregnancy, labor, and postpartum because of qualities as a uterine toner. Red Raspberry leaves contain fragrine which is an alkaloid that tones the muscles of the pelvic region without causing contractions by stimulating the uterus. For those concerned about miscarriage, Red Raspberry leaves are very valuable because they so effectively support the uterus. What Red Raspberry leaf does is help the uterus work more effectively – during pregnancy, labor, and postpartum. Raspberry leaves can also help to alleviate morning sickness, assist in the production of breast milk, and reduce pain during labor and after the birth.

nettle leaf photo by author

Nettle leaves (Urtica dioica) are gorgeous wild greens just dancing with all the vitamins and minerals they contain. Some of the vitamins and minerals found in Nettle leaves are vitamins B, C, E, K as well as iron, calcium, silica, magnesium, protein, and potassium. Nettles both nourish and restore the body and because of their high iron content they are especially useful for women who are anemic or have a low iron count. Not only can they be enjoyed as a tea, but fresh Nettles can be prepared much in the same way as spinach for a delicious and nutritious meal. Nettles help to reduce cramping and muscle spasms, eases pain during labor and after birth, and prevents hemorrhaging.

photo from uky.edu

Oats (Avena sativa) are modest powerhouses of nourishment. Oats help to increase energy, strength, and a sense of calmness during pregnancy, labor, and postpartum because of their unwavering support of the nervous system. Silica, selenium, manganese, potassium, iron, zinc, beta-carotene, and B vitamins are some of the nutrients found in Oats. Pregnancy, labor, and after birth can all feel very overwhelming at times, and Oats can be used to address headaches from stress and worry, heart palpitations, mental exhaustion, and cases of mild depression.

To truly benefit from these herbal pregnancy partners, I suggest drinking 2-4 cups daily of herbal tea, rotating between Raspberry Leaf, Nettles, and Oats every 2 or 3 weeks. I also encourage experimentation with combining them to find a blend that is the most delightful to your senses.

Teas to Bring About a State of Awesome

Sometimes we just need a tea to help us restore us to the state of awesome we deserve to be in.  What, pray tell, is the state of awesome?  Awesome is a state of inspiration, of being awe-full, and full of wonder all at once.  In many ways, being in a state of awesome is what so many of us need to be able to remember the world as an enchanted place.  The more folks reside in a state of awesome the closer we get to bringing the unicorns back. I have made two teas to help return to and maintain a state of awesome in your daily life.  A General Sense of Wellbeing is probably one of my most consumed teas amongst my friends, family, and my own home.  It is a very nutritious and soothing tea with a slightly sweet taste made to set hearts, minds, and bodies at ease.  Start your day with A General Sense of Wellbeing and you'll be feeling pretty shiny with that crown of awesome a top your head.

A General Sense of Wellbeing is made of:

CHAMOMILE Matricaria recutita: One of my favorite herbs for providing relief from stress and upset tummies.  Chamomile is also antispasmodic, which helps to soften twitching muscles, as well as antibacterial, antiviral, and antiparasitic.

OAT Avena sativa: Nutritious to the nervous system, Oats help relieve melancholy, states of exhaustion, and build up our strength and ability to focus.

NETTLE Urtica dioica: Nettles rejuvenate, nourish the whole body, and repairs our energetic wiring so we are able to function at our best.  Nettles are very alkalinizing which helps to balance our bodies pH balance.

The next tea to help you in your journey of awesome is the beauteous Bliss Blend.  While Bliss Blend can be enjoyed throughout the day, I find it to be wonderfully suited to the evening hours.  I made this tea originally when a friend of mine was feeling overwhelmed and anxious by trying events in her life and I continue to recommend it to folks who are more prone to anxious states, nervous chatter in the head, and insomnia.  Bliss Blend will help to relax you, refresh you, and help you sleep if that's your need.

Bliss Blend is full of bliss and the following herbs:

SKULLCAP Scutellaria lateriflora: For nervousness, fear, and a sense of being overwhelmed, Skullcap stimulates the brain to produce more endorphins in the system.  It also relaxes spasms and promotes healthly sleep patterns.

LAVENDER Lavandula officinalis: Settles the nerves and promotes calm while providing the mind with much needed clarity and focus.

SACRED BASIL Ocimum sanctum: Brings us to a vibrant state of health and well being through its adaptogenic properties.

You can find both of these teas in our S H O P.

Tooth of Lion: Dandelion

botanical.com

Bitterwort.  Fairy clock.  Fortune teller.  Swine's snout.  Milk witch.  Peasant's cloak.  There are many names for our ever present friend, Dandelion.  Flowering in the spring and fall, Dandelion marks the changing of the seasons with its triumphant yellow head popping up through cracks in the concrete and on hillsides through parks.  Tenacity would be a good word to describe our friend Dandelion who flickers bright in urban and rural setting alike, thriving in disturbed soil (like roadsides and dirt patches in parking lots).

Dandelion's reputation for tenacity makes it a brilliant ally for those needing detoxification and to gently cleanse of the body of excess heat and impurities.  For those who feel stagnant, Dandelion is the bold, toothy companion to help break down emotional and physical barriers to health.

Magickal Uses of Dandelion

Dandelion acts as an herbal guide through the transitional points of the year and myths tell of its affinity for the Goddess Hecate who rules over the crossroads and the plant's healing powers to defy death itself.  Bury Dandelion in the northwest corner of the home to bring favorable winds at sea and drink a tea of its root to awaken the third eye.  Carried on the person, Dandelion is said to bestow the wishes of the seeker. Looking to learn more about the revolutionary energies of Dandelion? Come this way.

Medicinal Uses of Dandelion

Dandelion is a general cleanser of the liver, kidneys, gallbladder, stomach, and spleen.  A mild diuretic as a tea or tincture, the potassium rich leaves help prevent mineral loss and also treats urinary tract infections and gallstones. Dandelion also aids digestion, is a mild laxative, helps with the metabolism f fats, and stimulates the appetite - good for when you are recovering from illness.  Our golden friend is also excellent for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, edema and abnormal blood sugar levels.  As a diuretic, Dandelion increases urination but also replaces the potassium loss through urine.

I use dandelion before and around the spring and fall equinoxes to prepare my body for the changing weather and strengthen it against colds, flus, and various infections.  During the early spring, Dandelion clears away the sluggishness of winter and restores my energy reserves.  For fall, Dandelion helps the body store minerals and supports beneficial flora of the gut. 

by author

A balancer of emotions, dandelion helps regulate hormones for menopausal women when taken over a long period of time. While on hormone therapy or estrogen replacement, women can safely use dandelion as a liver tonic.  Dandelion is also useful for those still menstruating as it relieves cramping, reduces water retention, and prevents bloating.  As a powerful cleanser, Dandelion can also improve the condition of trouble-prone skin, such as acne, psoriasis, and excema.  In addition to being an immune-enhancer, Dandelion strengthens vascular resistance and reduces pathologically-induced capillary wall permeability. Thank you, Toothy!

The Dandelion Personality

Retention is a keyword of the Dandelion personality. They tend towards an agitated anger and/or nervousness as well as dull-mindedness which comes about because of excess toxins in their system. They can be very good at holding onto and stuffing down emotions. Frustration is a familiar companion. There can be a history of or tendency towards alcohol and drug abuse as well as eating disorders - I think this partially stems from a feeling of struggling to take up space appropriately combined with an internal toxicity (think nasty inner voice) that hasn’t been cleared from the system. Excess sleepiness mixed with insomnia are also signs of a Dandelion person. Ultimately, Dandelion folks are operating from a lack of security and you might see a tightness around the solar plexus. The excess of fluids in their body can stem from their emotional retention - they’ve built a watery moat to protect themselves. Dandelion teaches them how to let go while still taking root - a balance that’ll be essential for them to learn for long term healing.

Using Dandelion in Your Life

As Dandelion has many names, so it has many ways of being incorporated into our lives and diet.  In addition to teas and tinctures, try adding the fresh leaves to salads and juices.  The leaves are great in stir-fries and soups, too!  You can also roast the root in your oven to create a decaffeinated coffee substitute.  I make a dandelion vinegar by mixing the root, fresh or dried, in raw apple cider vinegar and letting it steep for one cycle of the moon.  I strain it and either take a teaspoon of the vinegar in water or mix it into my salads.

Herbs for Sassiness

The first of a series of teas for pregnancy, labor, and postpartum, Sassy Mama, was made with the postpartum in mind, whether it has been a few weeks since the birth of your bundle of baby or a few years.  Or let's be honest, a decade plus.  With the entrance of a new member of the family into your life it is important to feed body and spirit because so much change has occurred and sometimes it can seem hard to keep up with it all.  That's why we keep it sassy!

Sassiness needs to be nurtured in order to be maintained and our Sassy Mama tea blend gives your body the respect it needs, saying “That's right!  You’re awesome!”  Full of nutritive herbs, Sassy Mama helps restore vitality and lift the spirit and keep you cool under the stresses of daily life with kids.  Most importantly it just might help give you the peace you need to really appreciate the family you're creating.  Or at least give you the clarity to call up some help from your community of friends and family  (who wants to spend some quality time at your Aunties' house?).

Sassy Mama is best steeped overnight to bring out the full flavor of the following herbs:

HAWTHORN BERRIES Crataegus monogyna: Hawthorne Berries are like a love letter to the heart.  Their adaptogenic, nervine, and nutritive rich properties are very strengthening, promoting circulation and calm.

CHAMOMILE Matricaria recutita: A very attentive and cheerful herb, Chamomile helps soothe the irritation in both body and mind.  Helpful when sleep is difficult because of stressed nerves and indigestion caused by stress and maybe less-than-ideal eating habits from grabbing what we can.

ALFALFA Medicago sativa: Nutritious, delicious, Alfalfa helps the body better assimilate nutrients – which means more energy for being sassy!

ROSE Rosa damascena: Enhances positive emotions and reminds us to love who we are, what we got, and how we show up in the world.

LAVENDER Lavandula officinalis: Cooling, calming, and refreshing, Lavender improves mental clarity and accuracy.

SACRED BASIL Ocimum sanctum: An especially holy herb, as the name implies, Sacred Basil helps grow our bodies into vibrant health, helping the body adapt to stress both internal and environmental.

Find Sassy Mama in our S H O P!

A Strong Brew: Making Medicinal Tea

There is more than one way to make tea.  Tea can be made with carefully heated water to the right temperature with a specific allotment of time for steeping.  Some teas are loose leaf, some are bagged; some left to steep for five minutes, others until the drinker remembers to remove the tea from cup or pot.  Making medicinal tea does not require any skills beyond making a regular cup of tea, except, perhaps, more patience and more tea. First, let's figure out why you would make a medicinal tea versus a daily cup of tea.  Medicinal teas are often for acute conditions such as a cold, sore throat, upset stomach, or headache.  A daily cup of tea, on the other hand (or in the other cup!), would usually be for tonifying the body, nervous system support, general stress relief, and nutritive value.  While I might take an adaptogenic herb such as Sacred Basil Ocimum sanctum daily for its ability to normalize body functions and keep me in balance, I would take an herb like Elder flower Sambucus nigra for a short period when I felt the onset of a cold to help stimulate my immune system with its antiviral actions.

The primary differences between a daily cup and a medicinal cup of tea is dosage and length of brewing.  While the general recommendation for a regular cup of tea is 1 teaspoon per 1 cup of water, for a medicinal dose we would use a tablespoon per cup.  Also, for a medicinal cup we steep herbs for 6 to 8 hours to allow for a greater degree of constituents of the herbs to be pulled out into the water.  I like to make a medicinal jar of tea (about 3 to 4 cups) before I go to bed, drinking it throughout the next day.  After straining out the tea, if making loose leaf, or removing the tea bag, you can choose to reheat the tea.

Drinking 3 to 4 cups daily for up to a week and sometimes longer is generally recommended for medicinal teas, but pay attention to specific instructions that may come with your tea, your neighborhood herbalist or your own research.  You might try preparing the following herbs as medicinal teas for the colds that may come our way this fall season:

Elder flowers and berries Sambucus nigra: Antiviral and good for the first-stage symptoms of colds and the 'flu.

Fennel Foeniculum vulgare: For colds, coughs, congestion, and asthma.  Also useful as a laxative and general relief of indigestion.

Blue Violet leaf Viola odorata: Anti-inflammatory and good for coughs, bronchitis, and asthma.  A good respiratory tonic.

Sage Salvia officinalis: Great for sore throats and also useful for digestive issues.