Harvesting Red Raspberry Leaves

Red raspberry leaf tea is a common tea that can be found at any grocery store. It contains many beneficial nutrients such as vitamin C, E, A and B, as well as minerals such as potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron and antioxidants. Woman who are trying to conceive are suggested to drink red raspberry leaf tea to improve fertility. This tea is said to ease menstrual symptoms such as cramping and bloating for woman. For pregnant woman, drinking this tea is debatable, with resources saying in all trimesters, not the first trimester as it may cause miscarriages, only in the third trimester to help prime the uterus for labour and even not at all as it can induce labour. Well isn't that helpful. This tea is not restricted to feminine issues though, as it also assists with constipation, inflammation, anemia, cold and flu and digestive issues. Now as with any herbal supplement or tea, caution should be used. Consult a doctor or a herbalist to ensure that this herb is right for you. 

But going back to my first sentence, this tea can be found at any grocery store. Why the heck would you want to pay almost $5.00 for a box of organic red raspberry leaf tea that will only last you lets say a couple weeks? My saying is if I can get it for free, why should I pay for it! And this saying applies to red raspberry leaf tea. I have a plot of red raspberries in my garden, and for the past 4 weeks, I have been harvesting the young green leaves and drying them. My husband thinks I'm so smart because I figured out how to get free tea. In reality, I'm just extremely cheap. I will be starting to drink red raspberry leaf tea, slowly entering into my daily routine, once I have entered the third trimester. I do have a herbalist that I will be consulting so if I encounter any symptoms or reactions, the herbalist will be able to assist. I have collected red raspberry leaves in the past for teas to treat winter colds, but have never really had to use it as we get over colds relatively fast (probably from preventative herbs and drinking at least one cup of winter cold tea when we do get sick). 

So if you enjoy red raspberry leaf tea (or a tea that contains red raspberry leaves), I suggest you look into harvesting your own. The first thing that comes to my mind is how could you not!? Think of the money you will be saving!