Pregnancy is a time when women are inundated with advice, warnings, and cautions from family, friends, and even strangers. During this time, pregnant women often feel overwhelmed and can make mistakes, such as accidentally drinking hibiscus tea while pregnant. Hibiscus tea is an herbal tea made from the calyces of the Hibiscus sabdariffa plant, and it is widely consumed as a health supplement or for its flavor. While it is generally believed to be safe, there have been some reports of adverse effects in pregnant women who consume hibiscus tea, and it is important for pregnant women to be aware of the potential risks. In this blog post, I discuss my own experience with accidentally drinking hibiscus tea while pregnant and provide an overview of the potential risks associated with this common herbal tea.
Being pregnant brings about a lot of wonderful experiences, but trying to determine what foods are safe to eat isn’t one of them.
Additionally, the plant may help improve liver health. Additionally, it might contain some substances that have the potential to prevent cancer.
The safest course of action is to completely avoid hibiscus throughout your pregnancy, including the third trimester and once you’ve reached full term, as tempting as it may be to drink a cup of hibiscus tea to hasten the start of labor may be.
Hibiscus is a flowering plant whose dried flower petals are commonly used to make hot or cold tea.
One of many teas whose use during pregnancy hasn’t been thoroughly researched is hibiscus tea.
Studies of the effects of Hibiscus on Pregnancy
It is extremely challenging to conduct human trials when examining the effects of high doses of herbs or supplements on pregnant women and their unborn children for obvious ethical reasons.
However, numerous studies on the impact of hibiscus on pregnant rats have been conducted in carefully monitored experiments.
A 2016 paper highlighted that “caution should be exercised” when consuming hibiscus in pregnancy (source: Nursing & Care Open Access Journal). This was because the rat studies suggested that consuming hibiscus extract may cause “delayed puberty, elevation of body weight and BMI” in the rat’s offspring.
In 2008, a Nigerian study suggested that hibiscus may cause maternal malnutrition and delayed puberty in the children of mothers who consumed hibiscus (source: Nigerian Journal of Physiological Sciences).
These findings were echoed in another study published in the Pakistan Journal of Nutrition in 2011 (source: ResearchGate).
Smaller-scale studies on rats make it difficult to draw firm conclusions, but in general, it’s best to err on the side of caution when it comes to consuming hibiscus while pregnant.
Pregnant women should also avoid taking hibiscus supplements. WebMD notes that taking a medicinal level like this is “likely unsafe” during pregnancy and breastfeeding (source: WebMD).
When possible, avoid hibiscus tea and substitute other herbal teas that are safer for consumption during pregnancy.
How Much Hibiscus Tea to Consume in Pregnancy
Hibiscus tea should be completely avoided during the first trimester of pregnancy. Even after that, you should still seek medical advice before using the product. The justification is that experiments on pregnant animals produced less than ideal outcomes. As a result, if you ask your doctor if hibiscus tea is harmful during pregnancy, you’ll likely get a response that supports your suspicions. However, you should limit your consumption to no more than 2 cups per day, per the advice of the expert. Simply boil 1. 25 grams of the tea steeped for 5–10 minutes in water
FAQ
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