Red Raspberry Leaf Tea tribe - Page 14

[CryPixie83]

Originally Posted by jul511riv

As for kids drinking the tea... our dd would steal my whole mug if I let her. She gulps it hot and gulps it cold. When I mentioned this to my good friend, she gave me a GREAT answer "well, she has a uterus too...so it can't hurt!" And you know, she's likely right about that. So far, no problems, and it even seems to put her in better spirits...

Okay ladies....how much are you drinking...how much SHOULD we be drinking throughout the pregnancy? When to increase?

Good point, dd *does* have a uterus

As for amounts.. I've been looking for a solid consensus... there isn't one Some say none until third trimester and then only a cup a day, while others say 1-2 cups during the first, 2-4 during the second and up to half a gallon during the third, unless of course you are at risk for miscarriages, etc etc

I wrote the recipe for the tea I'm drinking in my grimoire and the latter or the two amounts is what I wrote in.....mainly because I have found that I loooove rrl tea

[boobyfeeder]

I have been drinking one cup a day, I'm 29+ weeks along. As soon as I get the herbs I ordered, I will start making stronger cups, and drinking two a day if I can remember. I probably should have ordered something else to go in it, since I'm not loving the taste. Oh well. Obviously, if you have a history of m/c, you certainly shouldn't be drinking it in your first tri. I would say one cup a day for 2nd tri, then third tri up it to a couple of stronger cups, then once you get into the last couple weeks, more.

[CryPixie83]

Ack! so glad I popped over here, I just realized I haven't had any tea to drink today!

[boobyfeeder]

OMG, this stuff is SO much better iced! I got my fresh herbs really quickly from the bulk herb store, and I put a handful of the RRL into quart mason jars, poured boiling water over them, and let them sit out for about 30 minutes. Then I closed up the jars (with the leaves still in them of course) and put them in the fridge. It is so much easier to drink a quart a day now. I love it! Oh, and my MIL instead of bringing me leaves, brought me two whole raspberry plants to plant myself. I have a few leaves drying now for testing.

[MovingMomma]

That's almost exactly what I do! I've never even tried the tea hot. I make it each evening: Put RRL in a mesh ball in a canning jar, pour boiling water over, cap immediately, let steep on counter for several hours, put in fridge before I go to bed, and drink the next day.

[Lizzo]

I was a big RRL drinker last time, but only got into it halfway through the 3rd T, so I have started as soon as I found at(like 3 weeks!) and I do a cup a day for now b/c I have to get used to the taste. I know by the end, I'll love it...or be sick of it!

[sprout 1]

I'm looooving my rrl smoothies, especially since the tea seems to make me nauseous. I pick a good handful of raw leaves and blend it up with some soy milk, yogurt, a little juice for sweetness and some frozen bananas
I usually drink 1/2 and save the rest in the freezer for the next day.
I've read that the leaves are best in spring/early summer so I'd like to pick some to preserve now, but I'm not sure if freezing or drying would be best?

[Oana]

Ladies, what's the benefit of nettle? And, is spearmint mostly for taste reasons?

I am coming on this late, but will start RRL this week (29 weeks pg). I am going for a VBAC. I took RRL capsules with my son as well.

Thanks,
Oana

[boobyfeeder]

Originally Posted by morgansmom

I'm looooving my rrl smoothies, especially since the tea seems to make me nauseous. I pick a good handful of raw leaves and blend it up with some soy milk, yogurt, a little juice for sweetness and some frozen bananas
I usually drink 1/2 and save the rest in the freezer for the next day.
I've read that the leaves are best in spring/early summer so I'd like to pick some to preserve now, but I'm not sure if freezing or drying would be best?

Mmmm, that sounds yummy! I have no idea re: freezing or drying.

Oana, nettles are actually sposed to be really good for Vitamin K, among other things. I believe spearmint is just for taste, but don't quote me on that.

[Teakafrog]

So, most agree that RRL is safe all throughout pregnancy? Last time I was pg (10 yrs ago!) I drank it by the gallon in my last trimester, but on other lists people who are pretty knowlegeable about herbs have told me to start now. I'm almost 9 wks. So I have been drinking a little, but not as much. And the nettle is new, I never knew about that. So I've added some of it too. I always drink it iced, make a big pitcher and usually sip all day. Any other herbs that would be good to add to it?

[Peppamint]

Originally Posted by boobyfeeder

Mmmm, that sounds yummy! I have no idea re: freezing or drying.

Oana, nettles are actually sposed to be really good for Vitamin K, among other things. I believe spearmint is just for taste, but don't quote me on that.

Also I think nettle can help if you have edema.

[boobyfeeder]

Originally Posted by Teakafrog

So, most agree that RRL is safe all throughout pregnancy? Last time I was pg (10 yrs ago!) I drank it by the gallon in my last trimester, but on other lists people who are pretty knowlegeable about herbs have told me to start now. I'm almost 9 wks. So I have been drinking a little, but not as much. And the nettle is new, I never knew about that. So I've added some of it too. I always drink it iced, make a big pitcher and usually sip all day. Any other herbs that would be good to add to it?

Skim through the rest of this thread (13 pages, I know), there are some recipes for combining different herbs throughout. If you have a history of m/c, I wouldn't take it in the first tri, but otherwise, a cup a day should be fine throughout the first tri.

[jinkel]

For Those Of You Inquiring About The Benefits Of Nettle...

There's a very informative post by busybusymomma on this very thread (page 9) about the benefits of nettle.

I did not re-post it here, due to the length of this thread (no need to make it even longer for no reason )...

[jul511riv]

icing tea

may be a stupid question, but putting tea into the fridge is not working for me. How do you ice this tea? Sweeten it while hot? Let it cool first? When to you put it in the fridge? I have this metal ball for steeping. Don't like it for putting in the fridge. Any ideas? Out here finding alternatives is going to be REALLY REALLY hard, so a do it yourself idea would work best...

THANKS!

[MovingMomma]

Originally Posted by jul511riv

may be a stupid question, but putting tea into the fridge is not working for me. How do you ice this tea? Sweeten it while hot? Let it cool first? When to you put it in the fridge? I have this metal ball for steeping. Don't like it for putting in the fridge. Any ideas? Out here finding alternatives is going to be REALLY REALLY hard, so a do it yourself idea would work best...

THANKS!

What's not working about it?

Here's how I do mine: Put teapot on to boil. As water is heating, fill mesh ball with RRL. Put ball in wide mouth canning jar. When water is boiling, fill jar & cap immediately. I do this as part of my dinner cleanup routine, and leave it on the counter until I'm ready to go to bed. Just before I go to bed about 3 hours later, I put the jar in the fridge. In the morning, I take the jar out, take the mesh ball out, and pour a glass of tea. Then I put the jar (but not the ball) back in the fridge until evening until I have my 2nd cup.

I'll sometimes add just a touch of cranberry juice to sweeten my evening glass, but I've never used sugar or honey. I'd think they'd work fine to sweeten it even when cold, though, they'd just require extra stirring.

If you don't like leaving your mesh ball in the fridge, you could try putting the herbs in the jar loose and then straining through the mesh ball into a different jar in the morning.

[Satori]

Originally Posted by jul511riv

may be a stupid question, but putting tea into the fridge is not working for me. How do you ice this tea? Sweeten it while hot? Let it cool first? When to you put it in the fridge? I have this metal ball for steeping. Don't like it for putting in the fridge. Any ideas? Out here finding alternatives is going to be REALLY REALLY hard, so a do it yourself idea would work best...

THANKS!

I make mine the night before, let it seep for several hours in a large pot, add sugar then put it in the fridge to drink the next day.

[Peppamint]

Originally Posted by jinkel

There's a very informative post by busybusymomma on this very thread (page 9) about the benefits of nettle.

I did not re-post it here, due to the length of this thread (no need to make it even longer for no reason )...

Forgot I'd posted that. But I've given birth since then, is that a good excuse?

[sunshinestarr]

Originally Posted by busybusymomma

But I've given birth since then, is that a good excuse?

Could there be a better excuse????
Congrats on your new addition!!

[Harmony96]

Hmmmm.... my tea is clear and weak-looking now.

When I first started drinking some RRL tea, I just went down to the local health foods store and bought a box of Alvita RRL tea bags. I'm happy with them. Then to save some money since I planned on drinking a LOT of tea, I ordered 2 lbs from Mountain Rose Herbs. It arrived today and I got home and tried to brew a mug of it. I had one of those cotton things w/ the metal ring that sits on top of the cup, and the tea was in that, then I poured the water on top and let it sit for a good 5 minutes at least. Then I poured it into a pitcher and it is SO clear and pale like it hardly brewed at all.

The bag of bulk RRL seems very finely crumbled, and had a spongy texture to it from being so soft and powdery. I don't know if that is affecting its brewing ability or not. I had put in about 1/3 tablespoon of loose-ish powder into the infuser. I also noticed that w/ the Alvita teabags, when they're "used", the RRL inside has absorbed a bunch of the water and I end up with a much "fatter" teabag than I started with. The RRL from Mountain Rose seemed to keep its same volume before and after I brewed it.

Anyone have any ideas? Before I joined this thread I did read the whoooooole thing and don't recall any brewing suggestions. I'm really at a loss here though.

Thanks,
Andrea

[CryPixie83]

I have the RRL from Mountain Rose, so I know the spongey, crumbley texture you're talking about (it's normal). You gotta remember that the bulk stuff is MUCH fresher than anything you can get in a tea bag.

I brew my hot tea in an infusing pot a full teaspoon to a full pot, and let it steep 15-20 minutes. 5 minute steeping is great for black or green tea, but to get full taste and benefit, let the herbs steep a while