Anyone Use Natural Remedies/Herbs?

[augustmom]

I use homeopathy, and take a Nettle tincture twice a day. I also plan on getting the pregnancy tea you can get a whole foods.

I also plan on seeing a Homeopathologist, Dr. Richard Moskowitz. I haven't made an appt yet.

[chinacat]

with my last 2 baby's i drank nettle/red raspberry leaf infusion every day starting half way threw my second trimester till about 6 weeks postpartum. I started becasue my iron levels were low, but it made me feel so good and healthy and energized i'll do the same this time around!

Julia

[akmeg]

Glad to see this thread!

I didn't take anything my last pregnancy, but this time around I really want to do some sort of pregnancy tea. Julia....did you buy the herbs and mix them together yourself, or buy something pre mixed?

And I've heard that nettle is really good in pregnancy, I'm just not sure why? Also, when is a good time to start taking RRL? I thought I had heard it was best to wait until the last 4-6 weeks or so, but I've also heard it recommended for the entire pregnancy. I guess I need to do a little research! :)

[chinacat]

megan, I mixed the dried herbs seperately. I used equal parts (by weight) of both. Nettle is extremely nourishing. It contains vitamin k, A, d, c, also calcium and iron...and alot more stuff that i can't remember.. I tried drinking nettle infusions alone but i couldn't quite handle the taste every day..mixing it with raspberry helped alot. One of my favortie ways to drink the infusion was to add a bit of black current juice to it. At my health food store you can by a bottle of pure undiluted black current juice. It's yummy !!!


Julia

[mountainsun]

In the literature my MW gave me, it said to drink 1 cup/ day of RRL tea for the 1st trimester, 2 cups/ day in the second and 3 cups/ day in the third....
Traditional Medicinals is what I have and it is pretty yum. I had my first cup yesterday :D

I want to try nettles as well. I will definately use herbs/ natural remedies before anything else.........

[akmeg]

Thanks Julia, I'll have to try mixing them myself. I LOVE black currant juice, we have it here in the pure juice form too, I think it's concentrated. I could add just a few drops probably! Thanks for the great idea!

[StacyL]

In the literature my MW gave me, it said to drink 1 cup/ day of RRL tea for the 1st trimester, 2 cups/ day in the second and 3 cups/ day in the third....
Traditional Medicinals is what I have and it is pretty yum. I had my first cup yesterday :D

I want to try nettles as well. I will definately use herbs/ natural remedies before anything else.........


Why do people drink RRL tea?

[mountainsun]

Why do people drink RRL tea?

Red Raspberry Leaf tea supports the female reproductive system and generally tones the uterus - helpful when prepariing for childbirth! ;)
HTH!

And could someone please tell me that Bach Rescue Remedy is safe to use while PG??

[luckymama]

i've been drinking traditional medicines' "pregnancy tea," and i just picked up yogi tea "woman's mother to be" which smells yummier than the trad. meds. to me right now.

sarah/mountainsun - doesn't rescue remedy have alcohol in it? that's the only thing that occurs to me ... i'll have to go look.

[mountainsun]

sarah/mountainsun - doesn't rescue remedy have alcohol in it? that's the only thing that occurs to me ... i'll have to go look.

Crap - it does :) Unfortunately I have waves of anxiety/ panic every once in a while and that stuff really helps......Since you only take like 4 drops at a time; I guess you just have to weigh the pros/ cons! Thanks for reminding me about the alcoholl though...I still am not totally thinking "I am pregnant, I shouldn't have this," IYKWIM. :D

[StacyL]

Red Raspberry Leaf tea supports the female reproductive system and generally tones the uterus - helpful when prepariing for childbirth! ;)
HTH!

What do you mean "tones?" Like muscle tone? A tea is supposed to give you more muscle tone in your uterus?? :scratch

[mountainsun]

What do you mean "tones?" Like muscle tone? A tea is supposed to give you more muscle tone in your uterus??

This is from Traditional Medicinals website - traditionalmedicinals.com
They have a really informative website, IMO.

Organic Raspberry Leaf tea supports the female system* by aiding healthy menstruation as well as toning the uterus in preparation for childbirth.* For millennia European and Native American women have safely used raspberry leaf for irregular menstruation, menstrual cramps and during pregnancy.* Today naturopaths and nurse-midwives often recommend raspberry leaf tea for these traditional uses.

Also, Raspberry leaf has a long tradition of use in pregnancy to strengthen and tone the tissue of the uterus. Used for this purpose, it purportedly strengthens contractions and checks hemorrhage during labor.

I took it to mean that yes, the uterus is a muscle, and the herb aids in preparing this muscle for the work of childbirth. :)
HTH!

[meggles]

Crap - it does :) Unfortunately I have waves of anxiety/ panic every once in a while and that stuff really helps......Since you only take like 4 drops at a time; I guess you just have to weigh the pros/ cons! Thanks for reminding me about the alcoholl though...I still am not totally thinking "I am pregnant, I shouldn't have this," IYKWIM. :D

I'm not a member of this due date club, but I was searching for flower remedies, this question popped up, and I wanted to reply.

Bach Flower Remedies, including Rescue Remedy are perfectly safe to take while pregnant or breastfeeding. Don't worry over the alcohol content. It is so very minimal. The same goes for herbal tinctures distilled in alcohol. (However, not all herbs are safe during pg, so you need to check, but the alcohol is nothing to be concerned about). If you're still nervous, put the Rescue Remedy or tincture or whatever into a glass of hot water. This will cause the alcohol to evaporate, but will not harm the flower essence. Let it cool a bit before drinking. Hope that helps! :love

[mountainsun]

Bach Flower Remedies, including Rescue Remedy are perfectly safe to take while pregnant or breastfeeding.
Wow, thank you so very much for your input - I really do appreciate it :D

[StacyL]

Quote:
Raspberry leaf has a long tradition of use in pregnancy to strengthen and tone the tissue of the uterus. Used for this purpose, it purportedly strengthens contractions and checks hemorrhage during labor.

Ok, I have to say that "strengthen and tone the tissue of the uterus" sounds like, cough, bull*@#!, to me...

And strengthening contractions during labor itself or slowing hemmorhage would only seem likely if you took some during labor, and personally my contractions were plenty strong enough, thank you very much!

But I suppose if someone liked the way it tasted and it had a placebo effect than it would be harmless.

[PancakeGoddess]

Stacy, do you have any reasons for thinking those claims are false? It just *sounds* wrong to you?

[mountainsun]

Ok, I have to say that "strengthen and tone the tissue of the uterus" sounds like, cough, bull*@#!, to me...

Hey mama, I am just repeating what is found in the herbal literature. If you do not think that herbal remedies "work" or that they are <enter profanity here>, why are you replying to this thread? :shrug

Raspberry leaf has been used for thousands of years by women for the reasons that have been stated.........I am just confused why you seem so defensive.

[StacyL]

There is no defensiveness at all. My opinion is that it sounds like total "malarkey" (better word than bs) to say that a liquid made from some dried leaves could increase the tone of any muscle, even the uterus. Common sense would show that to be a physiological impossibility. Otherwise, wouldn't everyone just be drinking RRL or some other such herb and never have to go to the gym or exercise to increase our muscle tone of the muscles in our bodies?

My question arose because I see it mentioned repeatedly on the board, and I was wondering what people thought it did. My opinion is that one has to be very careful when it comes to herbal "remedies" as there are many herbal "remedies" that make entirely bogus claims.

[PancakeGoddess]

Stacy - I'm genuinely interested in why you think this is obviously wrong. I don't think we humans fully understand every chemical/hormonal aspect of human physiology well enough to predict how various herbs will behave in the body. I tend to agree that an herbal tea is not likely to go directly to work on the uterus, building muscle. But is it possible that an herb could cause a reaction in the body that would eventually result in that outcome?

Anyway, I have no idea myself whether it works or why. But I certainly have no way of proving it doesn't, and it doesn't seem like "common sense" that it wouldn't.

Could you explain to me, biologically, how that is malarky?

[augustmom]

I like using herbs. For example, echinacea always kicks my colds in the can! I don't really use any other herbs except for nettle, but I trust that it's doing at least some of the things it claims to do. For me, I'd rather go the natural, but pregnancy safe route, than say, take a tyelenol for a headache or fever, KWIM?


B

[luckymama]

rrl has been recommended by herbalists (and used in chinese medicine for a very long time) to prevent miscarriage and prepare the uterus for childbirth. i don't know these facts from experience, but the same herbalists & midwives that i know that have recommended it, have also recommended ginger tea for morning sickness, and that worked for me. so that by way of saying that for me, i guess i trust the wisdow of herbal medicine.

as for drinking rrl instead of going to the gym ... the smooth muscle of the uterus (stomach, intestines, blood vessels, etc) are different from the skeletal muscles that benefit from weight lifting. there are herbs that affect those muscles, too - weight lifters and body builders often use herbs to supplement their training.

now, i'm sure there are herbal meds which may make bogus claims, just as there are synthetic drugs that also may make bogus claims.

[luckymama]

meggles - thanx for the info on rescue remedy ... and tip about hot water! i never thought of that.

[~Asana Mama~]

I'm drinking a quart of tea each day which includes raspberry leaf, red clover, nettle, oatstraw and rose hips. My midwife gave it to me. She gets it from someone in Berkeley.

[augustmom]

asana mama, that sounds good. teas are so comforting.

B

[1stTimeMummytoLore]

more anecdotal information abour red raspberry leaf tea-

there is a homebirth midwife in my area who instructs her VBAC mothers to drink at least 1 quart a day of RRL infusion (hot or iced) and after over 200 homebirth VBACs she has never had to transfer to the hospital with a VBAC mother and never had a mother's uterus rupture.

both Susun Weed and Aviva Jill Romm have more information on the amazing benefits of RRL and nettle in their books. i strongly recommend them for pregnancy, birth and postpartum herbal information. Aviva Jill Romm has a fantastic Nourishment Tonic she recommends throughout pregnancy that is nettle, red raspberry leaf, oatstraw, alfalfa, red clover, rose hips and spearmint. IMHO it's better than any synthetic prenatal vitamin on the market these days. (that and i can't take pills while i'm pregnant anyway b/c of a heightened gag reflex)

[ckhagen]

Where would one get this Nourishment Tonic?

[mountainsun]

Aviva Jill Romm have more information on the amazing benefits of RRL and nettle in their books.

I have her "Naturally Healthy Babies and Children" book, (which is really really good) what book are you referring to??

there is a homebirth midwife in my area who instructs her VBAC mothers to drink at least 1 quart a day of RRL infusion (hot or iced) and after over 200 homebirth VBACs she has never had to transfer to the hospital with a VBAC mother and never had a mother's uterus rupture.

Honestly, the power of nature is truley astounding. Love it! :thumb
Thanks for sharing!

[1stTimeMummytoLore]

she has two books i can't live without when i'm pregnant- The Natural Pregnancy Book- this is the book that has the Nourishment Tonic recipie in it. and Natural Health After Birth-which every woman should read during her fourth or fifth month of pregnancy so she has enough time to implement her postpartum guidance.

[mountainsun]

:Thanks

I want to get Motherings Having a Baby Naturally, too, guess I need to add those as well :)

[augustmom]

Great book recomendations! They all sound great!

[CaraboosMama]

Ok, I have to say that "strengthen and tone the tissue of the uterus" sounds like, cough, bull*@#!, to me...

And strengthening contractions during labor itself or slowing hemmorhage would only seem likely if you took some during labor, and personally my contractions were plenty strong enough, thank you very much!

But I suppose if someone liked the way it tasted and it had a placebo effect than it would be harmless.


Red Raspberry leaves have been used for centuries, but more recently scientific studies have been done to measure their effects.

It is a "tonic" for the unterus - that isn't like a fake supplement that claims to tone the muscles in the thighs without exercise. The RRL Helps improve the effectiveness of contractions - not make them feel stronger. It is helpful to tone the muscles of the uterus, build up your iron supply, and help prepare your uterus for birth - as well as help w/ hemmorhaging afterwards.

It's one thing to be curious or skeptical - and you don't have to use it if you don't want to - but your comments seemed obnoxious to me.