Tea first originated in China, and has been around for thousands of years. Traditional teas, like white, green, oolong, and black tea are made from the leaves of the camellia sinensis shrub, and all contain some amount of caffeine. Herbal and rooibos teas are naturally caffeine free because they are made from herbs, berries, fruit, flowers, seeds from other plants. In evaluating the safety of drinking tea during pregnancy, there are both risks and benefits to consider. In addition to paying attention to the amount of caffeine in tea, there are other components like antioxidants, stimulants, fluoride, and heavy metals that could potentially affect you and your baby during pregnancy. There is a lot of confusion around which teas are safe and which should be avoided during pregnancy and this episode dives into some research to give you a clear list of what teas are thought to be the safest.
Show notes: http://pregnancypodcast.com/episode85/
