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Written by Karli @ Feed Me Mama, Contributing Writer
One of the very first areas of alternative medicine that I adopted into my own life was studying herbs and medicinal teas. Soon after I got married, I worked in a natural cosmetics shop, which introduced me to the benefits of healing and supporting your body with natural ingredients. I was fascinated with the properties of herbs- the way that chamomile tea could put me to sleep, and peppermint could wake me up, but both could help a headache? I mean, really- who wouldn’t be fascinated by that? Soon I discovered that I could buy my own loose herbs and blend my own teas– a blend for sleep, a blend for immunity, a blend for PMS. My friends would come to me when they weren’t feeling well and have me blend something specific for their ailments. It was so encouraging to see that there were many common health issues that could be dealt with ‘in house’ using natural remedies. I loved the empowerment that came with understanding herbs and how they could help me!
Within the first few months of trying to get pregnant, it became apparent that I had a hormone imbalance. I had probably had it for years but never really felt the full effects until it came time to start a family! I came up with this simple yet effective herbal blend to both balance my hormones and provide my body with vital nutrients.
The foundation of this blend is arguably the best herb for women that you can find- red raspberry leaf! Commonly thought of as a pregnancy support herb, RRL actually works effectively by bringing balance to the hormones, which is beneficial for treating all types of women’s issues- from infertility to fibroids to postpartum care to endometriosis and beyond.
The other ingredients in this blend- nettle, alfalfa, and peppermint- provide ample essential nutrients, enabling the body to function at it’s best. The peppermint is especially useful in this blend because of it’s ability to lend a nice flavor to the tea, as the other three herbs have very earthy tastes.
You can play around with the ratios if you’d like, but I start with equal parts of each herb.
DIY Hormone Balancing Tea
For Pregnancy Use:
There are many differing opinions regarding the use of red raspberry leaf during the first trimester- and peppermint, for that matter. Discuss these herbs with your healthcare practitioner and come to a decision as to what safe use of these herbs looks like for you. For me, I used each of them sparingly yet regularly in the first trimester- half doses in the tea blend, but still one cup per day.
For Labor & Postpartum use:
In the end of pregnancy, I doubled (or even tripled) the RRL in the recipe to strengthen and tone the uterine muscles! The same recipe can also be used during the postpartum period to level hormones and discourage postpartum depression. However, peppermint can sometimes reduce milk supply, so be sure to add it into your recipe a bit at a time and observe if it affects you in this way.
Do you use herbs for medicinal purposes? What is your favorite tea blend?
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