Pregnancy can suddenly make the ingredient list on absolutely everything look considerably more interesting.
Cheese? Check the label. Supplements? Check the label. Skincare? Check the label. That innocent-looking herbal tea you've been drinking for the past three years?
Hang on. What's actually in this?
It's a sensible question.
Herbal tea during pregnancy can be confusing because “herbal tea” isn't one ingredient. A peppermint infusion and a blend containing ten different botanicals are completely different products, even though both might sit under the same herbal tea heading.
And then there's that wonderfully persistent assumption:
Natural = safe.
Unfortunately, nature has never agreed to those terms and conditions.
So, can you drink herbal tea when pregnant? Which ingredients need more attention? And what should you do when reliable pregnancy safety information about a particular herb simply doesn't exist?
Let's look at what we actually know.
Can you drink herbal tea during pregnancy?
The frustrating answer is: It depends on the tea.
Herbal teas are made from the leaves, roots, flowers, seeds, fruits or other parts of plants. Different plants contain different naturally occurring compounds, which means they can have different effects and safety profiles.
The NHS advises that, as a general rule, you should have no more than four cups of herbal or green tea a day during pregnancy and recommends checking the ingredients, because some herbs used in teas may potentially be unsafe during pregnancy.[1]
It also notes that there is limited information about the safety of herbal and green teas during pregnancy.[1]
That last point matters.
Sometimes you'll find clear guidance about a botanical.
Sometimes you'll find a handful of small studies.
Sometimes you'll find traditional use but very little pregnancy-specific research.
And sometimes the scientifically accurate answer is simply:
We don't know enough.
Not particularly satisfying when all you wanted was a cup of tea, admittedly.
Herbal tea isn't the same thing as ordinary tea
First, a small tea clarification.
Traditional black, green, white and oolong teas come from the plant Camellia sinensis. These teas naturally contain caffeine.
Herbal teas, also known as herbal infusions or tisanes, are generally made from other plants and are often caffeine-free.
Often.
Not automatically.
Products can contain mixtures of traditional tea leaves, herbs and other ingredients, so checking the label is still worthwhile.
The NHS recommends limiting caffeine to no more than 200 mg per day during pregnancy.[2] That total includes caffeine from coffee, tea, cola, energy drinks, chocolate and other sources.
So switching some of your usual tea or coffee to a caffeine-free herbal infusion can be one way of reducing caffeine intake.
Provided, of course, that the herbs themselves are appropriate during pregnancy.
There is always another ingredient label, isn't there?
Why does the individual herb matter?
Because plants are chemically complicated. A herbal tea might contain peppermint leaf. Another might contain ginger root.
Another might contain raspberry leaf, liquorice root, sage, chamomile and six ingredients whose names you haven't encountered since somebody persuaded you to enter a health-food shop in 2014.
These aren't interchangeable.
Some herbs have substantial histories of food use. Others have traditional medicinal uses. Some contain pharmacologically active compounds. And for many botanicals, pregnancy-specific safety data are limited.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) assesses individual herbal substances and preparations separately because preparation, dose and intended use matter.[3]
That's also why research into a concentrated herbal extract or medicinal preparation cannot necessarily tell us exactly what happens when somebody drinks an ordinary infusion.
Plant ≠ extract ≠ supplement ≠ tea.
If you've read our other herbal guides, yes, we will keep saying this until the internet stops pretending they're all the same thing.
Peppermint tea during pregnancy
Peppermint (Mentha × piperita) is one of the herbal teas you're particularly likely to encounter during pregnancy, especially because peppermint is often associated with digestive comfort.
The available pregnancy evidence isn't perfect.
The EMA's monograph on peppermint leaf states that safety during pregnancy and lactation has not been established and, in the absence of sufficient data, use during pregnancy and lactation is not recommended for the medicinal preparations covered by the monograph.[4]
This is a useful example of why wording matters.
It does not necessarily mean: “Peppermint has been proven dangerous during pregnancy.”
It means there isn't sufficient evidence to establish safety for those medicinal uses and preparations.
That's a different statement.
The takeaway: Don't assume that widespread use automatically equals proven pregnancy safety. If you regularly drink peppermint tea during pregnancy, particularly in larger quantities or for a medicinal purpose, ask your midwife, doctor or pharmacist for individual advice.
Ginger tea during pregnancy
Ginger (Zingiber officinale) is particularly interesting because it has actually been studied in relation to nausea and vomiting during pregnancy.
A Cochrane review of interventions for nausea and vomiting in early pregnancy found some evidence that ginger preparations may help reduce nausea, although studies varied in their methods and preparations.[5]
Again, notice the wording: Ginger preparations.
Research may involve capsules, powders or standardised quantities rather than the ginger tea sitting in your kitchen cupboard.
The NHS advises checking with a pharmacist before taking ginger supplements during pregnancy.[6]
That distinction between a culinary amount of ginger, an infusion and a concentrated supplement matters.
The takeaway: Ginger has been investigated more than many herbs in pregnancy, particularly for nausea, but evidence concerning specific preparations shouldn't automatically be transferred to every ginger product.
Chamomile tea during pregnancy
Chamomile has an almost aggressively wholesome reputation.
Soft flowers. Bedtime tea. Possibly a rabbit in a waistcoat.
Surely nothing to worry about? Not quite.
Pregnancy-specific evidence for chamomile is limited, and safety information is not sufficiently robust to make sweeping claims that chamomile tea is universally safe during pregnancy.
This is a recurring issue with herbal products: extensive traditional use does not necessarily come with extensive controlled pregnancy research.
Pregnant people are understandably not an easy population in which to conduct clinical trials, particularly when there isn't a clear medical reason for exposure.
The takeaway: Chamomile's gentle reputation isn't the same thing as comprehensive pregnancy-safety evidence. If chamomile is something you drink regularly or in substantial amounts, discuss it with your healthcare professional.
Raspberry leaf tea during pregnancy
Now we arrive at one of pregnancy's most famous herbal teas.
Raspberry leaf tea is frequently recommended online during later pregnancy, often with claims that it “tones the uterus”, prepares the body for labour or makes childbirth easier.
Those are substantial claims. And the evidence is considerably less dramatic.
The EMA recognises traditional medicinal uses of raspberry leaf (Rubus idaeus), including relief of minor menstrual spasms, but its assessment notes that clinical evidence is limited.[7]
Research into raspberry leaf during pregnancy and labour has also been limited, and reviews have highlighted uncertainty around both efficacy and safety.[8]
So a long history of traditional use should not be turned into:
“Raspberry leaf tea has been clinically proven to prepare your uterus for birth.”
It hasn't.
The takeaway: Raspberry leaf is widely associated with later pregnancy and labour, but evidence supporting many of the claims made about it is limited. Speak to your midwife or doctor before using raspberry leaf products during pregnancy, particularly for a specific intended effect.
Liquorice root deserves particular attention
Liquorice root (Glycyrrhiza glabra) is an ingredient worth actively looking for on herbal-tea labels.
It isn't the same thing as ordinary liquorice-flavoured sweets, although both may contain compounds originating from liquorice root.
Liquorice contains glycyrrhizin, and high consumption during pregnancy has raised concerns in observational research.
Finnish research has associated high maternal glycyrrhizin exposure during pregnancy with differences in cognitive and behavioural outcomes in children, although observational research cannot establish cause and effect in the same way as a randomised trial.[9]
Given the uncertainty and potential concerns, this is not an ingredient we'd treat casually simply because it appears in a “natural” tea blend.
The takeaway: Check herbal-tea labels for liquorice root and seek professional advice about its use during pregnancy.
What about sage?
Sage (Salvia officinalis) is another herb where form and quantity matter enormously.
Using sage as a culinary herb isn't the same thing as drinking concentrated sage preparations or using sage essential oil.
Essential oils, in particular, should not be treated as though they're simply stronger versions of herbal tea. They're highly concentrated preparations with different safety considerations.
The EMA's assessment of sage leaf notes that safety during pregnancy and lactation has not been established and that medicinal use is not recommended in the absence of sufficient data.[10]
The takeaway: Don't assume that because a herb is familiar from your spice cupboard, concentrated or medicinal forms are automatically suitable during pregnancy.
What about blends with lots of ingredients?
This is where herbal tea becomes particularly fun.
Front of packet:
CALM MAMA GLOW TEA
Back of packet:
Eleven botanicals, two of which you have never heard of, plus “natural flavouring”.
The more ingredients a tea contains, the more ingredients you need to assess.
A blend may contain mostly familiar food ingredients but include one botanical for which pregnancy data are limited or which isn't recommended in medicinal quantities.
And phrases such as:
- pregnancy tea
- women's tea
- wellness tea
- hormone tea
- detox tea
- calming tea
are marketing descriptions.
They don't tell you whether every ingredient is appropriate for your individual pregnancy.
Turn the packet around.
The boring bit on the back is suddenly the interesting bit.
“Natural” doesn't mean pregnancy-safe
This is worth saying plainly. Natural is a description of origin, not a safety classification.
Plenty of natural substances can produce physiological effects. That's actually one of the reasons humans have used plants medicinally for thousands of years.
But something having an effect also means there can be circumstances where that effect isn't desirable.
Dose matters. Preparation matters. How frequently you use something matters. Your medicines and medical history matter. Pregnancy matters.
So the question shouldn't be: “Is it natural?”
It should be: “Do we have enough information to know whether this particular ingredient, in this preparation and amount, is appropriate during pregnancy?”
Less catchy.
Much better question.
What about herbal tea for pregnancy symptoms?
Pregnancy comes with plenty of symptoms that make the idea of a simple herbal remedy very attractive.
Nausea. Indigestion. Poor sleep. Constipation. Anxiety. Bloating.
And yes, some botanicals have been investigated for particular pregnancy-related symptoms.
But there's an important difference between:
“This ingredient has been researched for nausea during pregnancy.”
and:
“This tea is safe for every pregnant person and will treat morning sickness.”
If a pregnancy symptom is persistent, severe or concerning, speak to your midwife, doctor or pharmacist rather than relying on herbal tea to manage it.
This is particularly important if you're struggling to keep food or fluids down, experiencing severe vomiting or feeling unwell.
Tea can be lovely.
Tea does not need the responsibility of being your obstetrician.
Pregnancy and herbal supplements are a different conversation
A cup of herbal tea and a concentrated herbal supplement containing the same plant may provide very different exposures.
This is particularly relevant because people sometimes assume:
I've drunk this as tea, therefore the capsules must be fine.
Not necessarily.
Supplements can contain concentrated extracts or substantially larger amounts of botanical compounds than you'd typically consume in an infusion.
The NHS advises checking with a doctor, pharmacist or midwife before taking herbal remedies during pregnancy.[11]
And if you're taking medicines, tell your healthcare professional about herbal supplements too. Botanicals can interact with medicines.
Your body doesn't separate things into a charming “natural” category and a serious “medicine” category.
Why don't we know more about herbs during pregnancy?
This is a fair question.
For many botanicals, you'll repeatedly encounter phrases such as:
“Insufficient evidence.”
“Safety has not been established.”
“Further research is required.”
That can be frustrating.
But pregnancy research comes with obvious ethical and practical limitations. Researchers cannot simply expose pregnant participants to substances of uncertain safety to see what happens.
Traditional herbal remedies are also generally less extensively studied than pharmaceutical medicines.
And women's health more broadly still has significant research gaps.
So an absence of evidence does not necessarily mean:
“This herb is dangerous.”
But it also doesn't mean:
“We've used it for ages, therefore it's definitely safe.”
Sometimes we simply don't know enough.
During pregnancy, uncertainty itself can be a reason to take a more cautious approach.
So, which herbal tea can you drink during pregnancy?
We'd love to give you a beautifully simple list headed:
YES, DRINK THESE.
Unfortunately, that's not particularly responsible.
Whether a herbal tea is appropriate can depend on:
- the individual botanical
- how much of it the product contains
- whether it's a simple infusion or concentrated preparation
- how frequently you're drinking it
- your stage of pregnancy
- your health and medical history
- medicines or supplements you're taking.
The NHS recommends checking the ingredients in herbal teas and limiting herbal and green tea to no more than four cups per day during pregnancy.[1]
For an unfamiliar ingredient, a complicated botanical blend or something you're drinking specifically for a medicinal effect, ask your pharmacist, midwife or doctor.
You don't need to conduct your own PhD in botanical pharmacology before breakfast.
References
[1] NHS. Foods to avoid in pregnancy. NHS advice on herbal and green teas during pregnancy, including guidance on quantities and checking herbal ingredients.
NHS: Foods to avoid in pregnancy
[2] NHS. Foods to avoid in pregnancy. Guidance on limiting caffeine intake during pregnancy to 200 mg per day.
NHS: Caffeine during pregnancy
[3] European Medicines Agency (EMA). Herbal medicinal products. Information on the assessment and regulation of herbal medicinal products in the EU.
EMA: Herbal medicinal products
[4] European Medicines Agency (EMA). Menthae piperitae folium. European Union herbal monograph and assessment documents for peppermint leaf.
EMA: Peppermint leaf
[5] Matthews A, Haas DM, O'Mathúna DP, Dowswell T. Interventions for nausea and vomiting in early pregnancy. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.
Cochrane: Nausea and vomiting in early pregnancy
[6] NHS. Vomiting and morning sickness. NHS information about managing nausea and vomiting during pregnancy, including ginger.
NHS: Vomiting and morning sickness
[7] European Medicines Agency (EMA). Rubi idaei folium. Assessment of raspberry leaf and its traditional medicinal uses.
EMA: Raspberry leaf
[8] Bowman R, Taylor J, Muggleton S, Davis D. (2021). Biophysical effects, safety and efficacy of raspberry leaf use in pregnancy: a systematic integrative review. BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies, 21, 56.
PubMed: Raspberry leaf in pregnancy review
[9] Räikkönen K, et al. (2017). Maternal licorice consumption during pregnancy and pubertal, cognitive, and psychiatric outcomes in children. American Journal of Epidemiology, 185(5), 317–328.
PubMed: Liquorice consumption during pregnancy
[10] European Medicines Agency (EMA). Salviae officinalis folium. European herbal assessment documents for sage leaf.
EMA: Sage leaf
[11] NHS. Medicines in pregnancy. NHS guidance on medicines, herbal remedies and supplements during pregnancy.
NHS: Medicines in pregnancy
This article is for general information only and isn't intended to replace individual medical advice. Herbal products may not be suitable for everyone during pregnancy and can interact with medicines. If you're pregnant and unsure about a herbal tea, supplement or medicinal product, speak to your midwife, pharmacist or doctor.
