A lot of western herbalists advise that pregnant women drink red raspberry leaf tea and nettle tea to ease birth and for lactation support. These herbs are also recommended for anyone who is experiencing some nutritional deficiency/anemia/fatigue, etc. This blog is about the Ayurvedic perspective of these herbs.
Raspberry leaves are mildly bitter and astringent with cooling virya/energy and that means pungent vipak/penetrating post digestive effects. The astringent quality gives mild hemostatic, anti diarrhea and uterine toning. He does not cite them as galactagogue in action. There is very small amount of Vitamin C (sour) and pectins and sugar (sweet taste) behind it all. In any case, they will be PK- and V+ (pitta and kapha reducing and vata increasing) which means you are right, it needs padding for balance. I might offer raspberry leaf to pitta mamas, with oat straw, as Ayurvedic midwife Terra Rafael did with her clients, and add cardamom and chrysanthemum prenatally, or coriander/toasted cumin in pregnancy. In the postpartum early weeks, she will need stronger pungents/warming herbs with it, yes–even for hot blooded mamas.
Nettles are also blandish, a little more still mildly bitter and astringent, with cooling energy and pungent vipak, more strongly PK- and V+. They are diuretic, also hemostatic, said to be galactagogue, expectorant tonic and nutritive, and Ayurvedic midwife Terra Rafael offers nettles to Kapha mamas. I add fresh or dried ginger or pippali or some such. Terra says it may help with low energy and fatigue because it counteracts flaccidity, removes dampness and brightens the chi.
Oat straw or Avena is not in his book (?!), but it’s taste is mostly sweet from the high bone/nervous system supportive minerals. It is a little drying, must have some astringency my guess. Also cooling, not sure the vipak. PV-K+ in excess, we offer it sometimes to Vatas and warm it up.
About anemia – we know there are several types of anemia, and we know natural sources are more bioavailable–dried fruits, dark red/purple/black fruits, molasses, not just leafy greens are great sources, as long as vatas hydrate or stew them. Nettle is particularly rich in iron, and raspberry leaves have some too. Minerals from leafy greens are more available with some citrus or sour taste added, in veggies and in herbal teas too. Lime juice would be my preference as best for pitta and vata, or lemon for kaphas; rose hips have some sourness and perhaps will act on the green leaves, I’m not sure – and some sweet taste for the vata too.
Dr. Ramakant Mishra gives a really wonderful recipe for building the hemoglobin for vegetarians on u-tube, with his wife demonstrating the recipe, and in separate video he discusses the science.
The mineral content of these “western” herbs, and green leafy vegetables, makes them considered “nutritives” by western herbalism. In Ayurved, we think more of nutritive tonics as the rasayanas which tend to rejuvenate on deeper endocrine and dhatu levels. That said, they are lovely and inexpensive properly used, and minerals are important in pregnancy! I sometimes see mamas’ kitchens with big bags of these though, not getting used. I’m sure it is because of the imbalance in the taste/virya/vipak they don’t understand how to balance.
A mild effect over time consistently used can have stronger effect. Vatas have to be especially careful with diuretics, bitter, and astringent tastes. Pittas do need cooling, bitter sweet and astringent tastes, and kapha needs pungent, bitter and astringent. The western approach as you probably know takes large amount – like a generous handful of the cut dried herbs and steeps and keeps this in a quart of hot water (which becomes cool) to drink through the day. In my opinion balance is needed for it to be most valuable, and well used for perhaps all body types, although more kapha mamas have more padding and may feel amply warm during pregnancy already. Many pittas do not need diuresis.
Would you like to spend some time with retiring Ayurvedic midwife, Terra Rafael? We are now offering her 24 hour online course, Enhancing Fertility, Pregnancy and Birth with Ayurveda.
Namaste!
Ysha Bhu