Pregnancy comes with a list of do’s and don’ts. Drinking a single cup of coffee a day is enough to trigger pregnancy complications. Whereas drinking rooibos tea can be a tastier and healthier option.

Only non-caffeine teas such as peppermint, dandelion and nettle should be taken during pregnancy. Rooibos is an herb that offers many health benefits to the would be mother.

What is Rooibos?

Rooibos (pronounced “Roy-boss”) is an herb native to South Africa, it yields what we today call as Rooibos tea.

It’s not actually a true tea, but the leaves of the plants are dried and brewed as tea. Also known as “African red tea” or “red bush tea”. Rooibos is harvested and brewed in a similar way to the Camillia sinensis tea plant.

It can be found at grocery stores and cafes.

You can also order it on:

Is Rooibos tea safe during pregnancy?

Rooibos tea doesn’t contain caffeine, so it won’t alter your child’s sleep cycle. It contains aspalathin which is an antioxidant that can boost your immunity. Drinking rooibos tea for stress relief, nausea and digestive problems is a good choice. Aspalathin will keep your blood glucose level to be normal. So yes! It is safe during pregnancy. But always consult your doctor before taking any new herb.

Benefits of Drinking Rooibos Tea During Pregnancy

Rooibos tea has many health benefits, but let’s talks about the major health benefits of having it in your routine during pregnancy.

Contains zero caffeine

Unlike classic herbal teas (0.4 milligrams of caffeine per cup), non-herbal teas (black, green ) contains about 40 to 50 mg caffeine per cup. A study found that expectant women who take more than 200 mg of caffeine daily had double the chances of miscarriage compared with those who avoided caffeine. Most experts believe that it’s best to use caution and avoid intake of caffeine to less than 200 mg a day. Caffeine in either form is too bad during pregnancy. It increases the pressure on the liver, which is already busy making pregnancy hormones; drinking tea during pregnancy tends to be a better option than coffee.

Stress reliever

Pregnancy is a stressful period for a woman. So it is important to relieve stress. High levels of stress hormones can spike blood pressure, can cause sleeplessness, and alter eating habits. It can also increase the risk of having a premature or underweight baby.

Rooibos tea can be a tastier option for managing your stress. It will lower your blood pressure and keep you relaxed.

Helps in improving digestion

Child’s health depends on mother’s diet. During pregnancy when you deal with problems like stomach upset you might not be willing to eat. It’s common to have nausea and vomiting during the first 3 months of pregnancy. The change in hormones can also lead to digestion related problems. But rooibos tea has been known as a digestive aid.

Reduces Gestational Diabetes Risk

Are you nervous about gestational diabetes or diabetes during pregnancy? Pregnancy increases factors like being overweight, having high blood sugar levels, blood pressure and even cholesterol. Drinking Rooibos tea can decrease your risks as it has aspalathin which works against alpha-amylase – which increases blood glucose levels.

Immunity builder

The antioxidants in Rooibos can help you stay healthy during pregnancy.

This herb is a jam pack of poly-phenols and antioxidants. It has high level of aspalathin which is an amazing antioxidant. It will also help to show up immunomodulating and chemo preventive effects. It is also aiding to HIV patients.

Prevents Anaemia

Rooibos tea is a good source of iron and vitamin C, which can boost your haemoglobin count in blood. Drinking rooibos prevents symptoms of anaemia, such as fatigue and dizziness, when you are expecting.

Prevents the risk of cancer

Certain antioxidants found in Rooibos like quercetin and luteolin can kill cancer cells and prevent the growth of tumor.

Read More: Breast Ultrasound During Pregnancy: Can it Detect Cancer

Dosage

The recommended dosage of rooibos tea for clinical purposes is 1 to 4 teaspoons of rooibos for 1 cup of boiled water which can be taken three times daily. But you must ask your doctor about the right amount of dosage for you before you take the tea while you’re expecting.

Caution

There are no such side effects of consuming Rooibos when you are expecting, but you must consult your doctor first.

Side effects

Negative side effects are extremely rare, only few have been reported.

One case study found that drinking Rooibos tea in a large amount daily increased the production of enzymes in liver, which can often lead a liver problem. Some compounds in the tea have shown raise in estrogens. Therefore, people with hormone-sensitive conditions, such as breast cancer, might want to avoid this type of tea. However these effects are very rare and only show up when you consume it in very large amount.