After reading through nearly this entire thread more than once and spending hours on google books, and the internet combing to find out many many personal stories on Red Raspberry, a good portion of the women who have the MOST success with Red Raspberry, take it in Susan Weed Infusion doses. We are talking a bag of Red Raspberry and using measuring cups to measure instead of itty bitty tea bags. Also the mineral content comes out of Red Raspberry when you steep it 4-8 hours even overnight and then drink it. These are the women who have labors only a few hours long, 98% of them say their bleeding stops either within a few days, some just spot, and others say they notice a huge difference and being way less blood loss overall and shorter amount of bleeding time than previous births.
Red Raspberry works best when taken over a period of
Several Months and the best is to start before conception. Red Raspberry is a Tonic. And tonics work slowly and surely. Just like walking a mile a day for a week, wont get you fit. You might notice some good effects at the end of that week, but start walking a mile a day, increasing your fitness then over the period of several months, you see a much better difference, your body is actually FIT!! The same way with Red Raspberry to get the most benefit and to allow time for it to work the best, taken over a period of several months
This is my personal Uterine Strengthening Regime Infusions, susan weed strength.
So basicly my plan is 1 cup Red Raspberry Infusion 1 cup Nettle infusion with some Oatstraw 1st trimester
2 cups Red Raspberry infusion 2 cups Nettle Infusion with some Oatstraw 2nd Trimester
3 cups Red Raspberry Infusion 3 cups Nettle Infusion with some Oatstraw 3rd Trimester
4 cups Red Raspberry Infusion 4 cups Nettle Infusion with some oatstraw starting at 34-36 weeks and continuing a Quart of each infusion througout labor, placenta delivery, and immediet postpartum until bleeding stops OR the 1st week postpartum
]Disclaimer- I am not a doctor , so you are responsible for your own health and whatever decisions you make for yourself!
Uterine Strengthening Infusions
.
1. Red Raspberry (strengthens connective tissue and uterine muscles)
This herb is extremly important to women, and to uterine health! The Medicinal infusion is the best if you actually want to get the best benefits from this herb. Also its best to start taking this BEFORE pregnancy so your body is somewhat used to it. I am convinced alot of women say that this causes too many tightenings/spotting/contractions is partly because they START red raspberry in pregnancy. IF your body is used to it (starting 3-6 solid months before concieving) chances are you wont notice as much difference, and your uterus will be more in tone, so it wont need to tighten as much right away. IT also wont mess up your hormone levels as much, It dont seem, if its something you have already been doing.
That being said, 1 cup of infusion, Susan Weed style and strength is all I recomend in the 1st trimester.
1st trimester Red Raspberry Put 1/4 oz ( rounded loose 1/4 cup) in a mason jar Pour over 1 1/4 cup of boiling water and cap. Let set 4-8 hours or overnight. THis is important to get all those minerals and uterus specific properties out. Drink one cup of this daily until you are out of the 1st trimster.
2nd Trimester Red Raspberry Put 1/2 oz (rounded loose 1/2 cup) in a mason jar. Pour over 2 1/3 cups boiling water and cap. Let set 4-8 hours or overnight. Strain and drink aprox 2 cups daily throughout the 2nd trimester
3rd trimester Red RaspberryPut 3/4 oz (rounded loose 3/4 cup) in a mason jar. Pour over 3 1/3 cups boiling water and cap. Let set 4-8 hours or overnight. Strain and drink aprox 3 cups daily throughout the 3rd trimester.
34-36 weeks of pregnancy Put 1 oz of Red Raspberry (rounded loose 1 cup) in a mason jar. Pour over 4 1/2 cups boiling water. Let set 4-8 hours or overnight. Strain and drink 4 cups daily until you deliver the baby.
During delivery Scince you will already be drinking a similar dose that Henry Box the famous quaker herbalist suggests, you dont really need to up the dose. 4 cups of the strongest (1 oz) infusion can be sipped throughout labor OR make ice cubes ahead and suck on them.
Placenta delivery Scince Red Raspberry faciltates and helps deliver the placenta, it would be good to drink a cup or two of the strong infusion soon after birth, along with nettles infusion. It is recomended to make this ahead of time.
Postpartum It is good to continue the strong infusion for the first few days and I have seen it recomened until you stop bleeding.
Black haw, magnesium citrate may be taken with Red Raspberry if too many braxton hicks are felt. Red Raspberry does cause braxton hicks in alot of women. IT can affect women two ways, it can cause you to have more, or cause the braxton hicks to go away. The reason being is that Red Raspberry can either relax or tighten uterien muscles, all depending on what your body needs. If you have a uterus that needs more tone, Red Raspberry will "tone" it up and you will feel the toning. If your uterus is already in tone, you wont feel as much toning. That is why women who have been taking it for years, or for a while before becoming pregnant, dont notice it causing any problems or as much tightening. A very good reason to start taking it well before becoming pregnant at least in the 1st trimster dose.
The second thing is
Nettle Infusions Which are important and work synergysticlly with Red Raspberry.
Quote:
By improving nerve signal to the muscle, Nettle helps increase muscle response time, thus reducing incidences of post-partum hemorrhage.
Quote:
Nettles infusions as well are considered an uterine tonic and overall nourisher- from the childbearing year website
The same dosage applies as red raspberry and you can even drink more.
1/4 oz- 1 oz and 1-4 cups daily drank the same as red raspberry.
Edited by herbsgirl - 10/2/11 at 8:13pm
Follow Mothering