A delicious herb with high nutrient content
Rich in minerals & vitamins
Raspberry leaves are one of my favorite herb to use to nourish my body. I am talking about the same plant that produces those beautiful red berries that we call as raspberries. The leaves of this plant are used since historical times to enhance women's health. As I always preach on "nutrients as our medicine", raspberry leaves are a perfect example for this. Women in general need more iron since we menstruate, more calcium and magnesium since we bear child or for uterus contraction during menstruation, more B vitamins to strengthen our nerves system since we tend to be more emotional than men. Raspberry leaves are perfect candidate to be taken as tea to supply our bodies with all these nutrients. Raspberry leaves are rich in minerals and vitamins that our body crave most of the time.
The good news is, these NUTRIENTS are found in readily available & easily absorbable form, something that can't always be found in lab-made supplements.
The link of calcium & women's hormones
Calcium is very important for women's hormonal health. Calcium helps to regulating our hormones. Without adequate calcium, we tend to get cramps, irritability, and mood swings. A studies show how adequate calcium in the body helps with ESTROGEN METABOLISM. Once our hormones are used up, it has to be recycled or broken down (metabolized), so it doesn't linger around. If this happens, then it can create an imbalance in total hormonal circulation in the body which leads to many hormone related issues.[1] Raspberry leaves contain high amount of calcium along with magnesium.
Why women suffer with iron deficiency?
Cold hands and feet, feeling fatigue all the time & lightheadedness (especially when you stand up quickly) are all very common symptoms related to iron deficiency. Women tend to loose iron during the menstruation. Besides, vitamin C is crucial to absorb iron into our blood. The bad news is, stress deplete our vitamin C because the body uses vitamin C to make stress hormones. So when we are stressed we loose vitamin C, and inadequate vitamin C makes our body hard to absorb iron. Do you see where the problem is? I mean how many of us can raise the hand when asked about chronic stress or prolong stress? I guess many of us can relate to this. So, the raspberry leaves are not only high in IRON but also in Vitamin C. Isn't that great news?
Weak uterus & blood flow
Whether we realize or not, many women have the condition of sagging uterus due to lack of exercise, low estrogen, calcium & magnesium. Our uterus can sag when pelvic floor muscles and ligaments stretch and weaken and no longer able to hold the uterus in place. This distortion makes the blood flow difficult to flow into the uterus. As a result, the uterus is unable to get enough oxygen & nutrient. Eventually this will disrupt the menstrual cycle and causes many issues such as cramp, pain & stagnation in the uterus. Raspberry leaves contain an alkaloid called FRAGARINE which helps to both strengthen and relax the uterine muscle. The astringent in this herb also help to tighten up the loose pelvic muscle.[2]
How to take raspberry leaves?
You can take raspberry leaves in a tea form. It is best to infuse raspberry leaves overnight rather than just to steep for 5 -10 minutes. The longer you infuse, the better the medicinal qualities of the tea will be. Take two tablespoon of the dried leaves per cup and infuse with hot water overnight and drink the next day.
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REFERENCES
[1] Nicola Napoli, Jennifer Thompson, Roberto Civitelli, Reina C Armamento-Villareal, Effects of dietary calcium compared with calcium supplements on estrogen metabolism and bone mineral density, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Volume 85, Issue 5, May 2007, Pages 1428–1433, https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/85.5.1428
[2] Trickey, Ruth. (1998). Women, hormones, & the menstrual cycle. St. Leonards, NSW: Allen & Unwin.
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