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Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Red Raspberry Leaf

Rubus Idaeus (Raspberry Leaves)

Red raspberry leaf has become the herb of choice for pregnant women due to it's ability to tone the uterus, shorten labor, and help prevent cervical tears, but I would also like to list its benefits outside of pregnancy.  We regularly consume this herb in our household as a tea.

Here are just some of the other benefits of red raspberry leaf:

*helps to balance hormones
*rich in minerals such as calcium, iron, manganese, and phosphous
*rich in vitamins A, B, and C
*due to it's astringent (tightening) properties, this herb is excellent for diarrhea, even for children
*good to use when you have a cold or a fever because of it's antiviral and antibacterial properties
*helps with sterility
*bleeding and inflamed gums
*helps to reduce blood sugar

My favorite way to use this herb is to make a tea with the leaves.  Adults and children can take this herb. I like to give it to my son once a week or so due to the vitamin and mineral content.  If you are giving this to a child, be sure that you use the proper formulas, most often by weight, to figure out the safe dose.  Many formulas can be found online and I will also be doing a future post.  My best advice for giving herbs to children is to buy the book Gentle Healing for Baby and Child.  This author reviews how to determine dose and what herbs can be safely given to children.

3 comments:

  1. I am a huge fan of red raspberry leaf. I did use it during both of my pregnancies, but still use it for its amazing mineral and vitamin content. I am your newest follower :)

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  2. try adding some rose hips and discarded orange peels ~ YUM!!

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  3. I am so glad I found your blog! I have desperately been wanting to learn to live naturally. My husband has been to so many dr's (for stomach problems) with such negative results that we have learned to take our health back into our own hands. Can you recommend ways to become more knowledgeable in this area? It makes me nervous to try various remedies when I don't know what I'm doing! :)

    Wishing you a blessed day!

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