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not all teas are herbal. Non-herbal teas are made from tea leaves while herbal teas are made from the roots, berries, flowers, seeds, and leaves of a variety of plants—not from actual tea leaves. non-herbal teas can also be broken down into 3 categories; black, green and oolong. Herbal teas are naturally caffeine free, so caffeine is not an issue when consuming this type of tea. The concern with consuming herbal teas during pregnancy is the lack of data available on most herbs and their effect on a developing fetus. There are mixed opinions on the safety of herbal teas, for both pregnant and non-pregnant women. Most commercial brands of herbal teas are thought to be safe for anyone to consume in reasonable amounts. Herbal tea companies, such as Celestial Seasonings, report that they do not use any herbs that are considered dangerous and choose to use herbs from a guideline that the FDA published. The herbal teas that are considered to be unsafe are those that are not made commercially, those made with excessive amounts of herbs (amounts larger than that found in common foods or drinks), or those made with herbs that are known to be toxic. As with most things, it is always best to talk with your midwife or doctor about any herbal teas that you are interested in drinking. Although non-herbal tea is a__sumed to have great health benefits due to the antioxidants, it also contains caffeine, which pregnant women are often encouraged to eliminate or cut down on during pregnancy. The average cup of non-herbal tea contains about 40-50 milligrams of caffeine. Decaffeinated non-herbal tea does still contain a bit of caffeine, however the amount is usually only about .4 milligrams. Caffeine does cross the placenta and reaches your developing baby, and the baby cannot metabolize caffeine like an adult can. For this reason, there is much controversy on how much caffeine is safe or if it should be avoided altogether. We know that the least amount of caffeine consumed, the better it is for your pregnancy. Talk with your midwife or doctor about what amount you feel is safe for you. This will then help you make the decision on whether to consume non-herbal teas like green or black teas. americanpregnancy.org/pregnancyhealth/herbaltea.html

sorry thats kinda long.. hope it helps :)

Heather - this is GREAT information - thank you!!

:) no problem.. I just googled it LOL.. im no expert I just dont mind (and actually enjoy) doing a bit of research on random things... Im 38 weeks pregnant so surfing the web is about all Im doing these days lol.