Ever thought how hibiscus tea will affect your pregnancy? Does the thought of pregnancy tea sound intriguing to you? This might help ease your aches and pains while you’re expecting. It’s also known to be great for overall health and can have a relaxing effect on the mind, body, and spirit. 

If you are pregnant, you may want to think twice about drinking a tea of hibiscus. While it’s safe to drink hibiscus tea if you’re not pregnant, there’s no data to support whether or not it is safe to drink while pregnant. 

We’ve compiled a list of some of it’s effects while pregnant.

What Is Hibiscus?

Hibiscus is a tropical plant with flowers that can grow up to 12 feet. They bloom from late summer into early fall. It’s said to help prevent fevers, relieve pain, and lower blood pressure.

Is Hibiscus Tea Safe During Pregnancy?

Delayed Puberty

A study conducted in 2016 on pregnant rats suggests that Hibiscus tea, when drunk during pregnancy, can delay puberty in the offspring.

Hibiscus extract could postpone puberty in kids and raise the risk of obesity and a high body mass index (BMI).

Menstruation & Miscarriage

According to a 2019 study, hibiscus has also been linked to promoting the start of menstruation.

In particular, hibiscus aids in the control of hormones that affect your menstruation. Supplements containing hibiscus can assist symmetrical or irregular menstrual cycles in becoming balanced.

You may not, however, want your hormones to be tampered with if you are pregnant.

Can Hibiscus Tea Induce Labor?

Labor induction may be accelerated by hibiscus tea which has an emmenagogue effect. That can assist in accelerating menstruation by increasing blood flow to the uterus. This indicates that drinking it while pregnant may have adverse effects such as bleeding, cramps, miscarriage, and early labor.

As much as you want to meet your new bundle of joy as soon as possible, drinking hibiscus tea is still very much a no-no. 

Can You Drink Hibiscus Tea In Any Trimester?

Hibiscus was noted to potentially have an emmenagogue effect. This means that it may increase menstrual flow.

Although there is no proven link between hibiscus and miscarriage, this emmenagogue effect suggests that it’s probably wise to avoid hibiscus in the first trimester.

However, it is advisable to stay away from tea of hibiscus throughout every trimester due to the uncertainty regarding its overall safety for pregnancy.

What About Breastfeeding?

Its herbal ingredient, galactagogue, is a natural supplement popular for its milk supply improvement techniques. Although no specific tests have been done on animals, in vitro studies on animal cells indicate that a tea of hibiscus improves lactation.

What To Watch Out For When Drinking Hibiscus Tea During Pregnancy

It’s essential to remember that hibiscus may be present in many items, even if it isn’t specifically mentioned on the package. This is particularly true with herbal tea mixes that could also include rosehip and raspberry, two components that are frequently combined with hibiscus.

Other Teas To Avoid

As much as we want that warm, soothing feeling that teas can give us, there are several herbal teas pregnant ladies should steer away from. 

Although not entirely forbidden, rather take the listed teas with caution. It is still best to consult your doctor before ingesting anything.

• peppermint (avoid during the first trimester)
• chamomile (avoid during the first trimester)
• red raspberry leaf (Seek a doctor’s approval before drinking during the third trimester to speed up labor)
• licorice
• ginseng
• dong quai
• Angelica
• wormwood
• shepherd’s purse
• cinnamon
• fennel
• St. John’s wort
• basil and oregano (as a condiment or flavoring agent these are fine)
• rhubarb
• rosemary
• fenugreek

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