Herbal Tea Safe in Pregnancy: What to Drink, What to Avoid, and Why It Matters

This article is part of the Pregnancy Nutrition: Complete Guide for Australian Mothers pillar. It covers one specific question: which herbal teas are safe to drink during pregnancy, which to avoid, and what the evidence actually says. For trimester-by-trimester nutrition guidance, head back to the full pillar.

Pregnancy has a way of making simple pleasures feel uncertain. You reach for your usual herbal tea — the one that calms you down before bed — and pause. Is it safe? Should I check? What if I already drank three cups last week?

You're not overreacting. This is genuinely a question worth asking. Herbal teas aren't regulated the way food and medicine are, and some herbs that are perfectly fine outside of pregnancy can be a problem during it. But it's also not a minefield — most herbal teas that pregnant women reach for are safe in moderate amounts, and a few are genuinely helpful.

At Nella Vosk, supporting your body through pregnancy sits at the heart of our Maternal Wellness Support pathway — because what you nourish yourself with during these months forms the foundation for everything that follows.

Here's what the evidence says, plainly.

Herbal teas are made from plant material — leaves, roots, flowers, bark. That sounds gentle, but plants contain biologically active compounds, and some of those compounds can cross the placenta or interact with hormones, uterine tone, or fetal development.

The challenge is that herbal teas fall into a regulatory grey zone in Australia. They're not assessed for safety during pregnancy the way pharmaceutical drugs are. Research in this area is also limited — most studies are small, older, or rely on animal models. That's not a reason to panic. It's a reason to be selective.

The good news is that a short list of teas are well-established as safe in pregnancy, and for common pregnancy symptoms like nausea, they can genuinely help. For a broader overview of nutrition during pregnancy — including which foods and supplements matter most — the Pregnancy Nutrition: Complete Guide for Australian Mothers covers the full picture.

The following teas are widely regarded as safe in moderate amounts (generally 1–2 cups per day) during pregnancy. If you're in the first trimester or have a high-risk pregnancy, it's still worth running anything new past your midwife or GP.

Ginger Tea

Ginger is the most studied herbal remedy for pregnancy nausea, and the research actually supports it. Multiple controlled trials have found it helps reduce both nausea and vomiting in the first trimester without harm to the baby at typical food amounts. If you're deep in the nausea fog right now, this is the tea to reach for first.

You can buy ginger tea bags or make it yourself — just slice a few centimetres of fresh ginger, steep in boiling water for 5–10 minutes, and add a squeeze of lemon or a little honey. If morning sickness has you unable to face anything, the article on foods for morning sickness is worth reading alongside this one.

Peppermint Tea

Peppermint is another well-tolerated option for pregnancy nausea and digestive discomfort — bloating, gas, sluggish digestion. It's caffeine-free and generally well studied. One note: peppermint can relax the lower oesophageal sphincter, so if you're already dealing with heartburn (extremely common in the second and third trimesters), it may make things worse. Know your symptoms before you sip.

Rooibos Tea

Rooibos is naturally caffeine-free, which makes it a practical everyday option for pregnant women looking to cut back on caffeine. It's rich in antioxidants and has been used safely in children and during pregnancy for generations. No significant concerns have been identified in the literature at moderate intake.

Red Raspberry Leaf Tea

This one requires a timing note. Red raspberry leaf is widely used in the third trimester to prepare the uterus for labour — it contains fragarine, a compound thought to tone uterine muscle. Most practitioners advise waiting until after 32–34 weeks and avoiding it in the first trimester, when uterine stimulation is a concern. Some midwives recommend starting at around 34–36 weeks at low doses.

The evidence on red raspberry leaf is modest rather than definitive, but it has a long history of use in late pregnancy and is not considered harmful when used as directed. If you're looking for more context on teas specifically selected to support you through pregnancy symptoms and labour preparation, our best teas for morning sickness article outlines options by symptom.

Lemon Balm Tea

Lemon balm is a gentle herb used for anxiety, sleep difficulty, and general calm — things many pregnant women need more of. It's generally considered safe in moderate amounts, though some sources recommend caution at high doses. One to two cups occasionally is fine for most people; just don't use it as a daily large-quantity habit without checking in with your care provider.

Black tea, green tea, and white tea all contain caffeine. They're not off-limits during pregnancy, but caffeine is. Australian guidelines (aligned with WHO recommendations) suggest limiting total daily caffeine to 200 mg during pregnancy. A standard cup of black tea contains around 40–70 mg; green tea is lower at around 20–45 mg.

If you add these teas into your daily routine, account for coffee, soft drinks, and dark chocolate in your total. The issue isn't a single cup — it's cumulative daily intake. Matcha is much higher in caffeine than standard green tea and should be treated more like coffee.

If you're also managing nausea that makes drinking plain water difficult, coconut water during pregnancy and chia-based drinks are two useful alternatives covered in the pregnancy cluster — both offer hydration with some additional nutritional benefit.

If you've been wondering whether your morning ginger tea is safe or what to swap out of your usual herbal rotation, you now have a clear starting point. Stick to ginger, rooibos, peppermint (if no heartburn), and later in pregnancy, red raspberry leaf — and check your labels carefully on anything else.

For the full picture of what to eat, drink, and supplement through pregnancy, visit the Pregnancy Nutrition: Complete Guide for Australian Mothers. If morning sickness is the reason you're researching teas right now, the morning sickness at night guide covers evening nausea specifically, and the Morning Sickness Relief collection has products formulated to help. For nausea-friendly nutrition beyond tea, the guide on chia seeds during pregnancy is worth bookmarking too.