Red Raspberry Leaf
HerbalAlso called · 6 names▾▴
Raspberry leaf, raspberry leaves, Rubus idaeus, Rubus idaeus L., Rubi idaei folium, Raspberry
Herbal supplement (pregnancy and labor support)
Herbs and supplements are not FDA-approved before sale. About these sources
- Tea
- Capsule/tablet
- Other
Research strength: 3 / 5
The EMA's 2014 monograph says raspberry leaf medicinal products are not recommended during pregnancy because data are insufficient and safety has not been established. The UK Committee on Toxicity reached a different conclusion: it judged the risk to be low, but highly uncertain, based on two Australian human studies. A 2021 review found six human studies and called the evidence weak; it reported no clear human benefit or harm, though one study found labor changes that were not statistically significant. A 2019 review reported an association with cesarean delivery in a 34-person raspberry-leaf subgroup of a 600-person Norwegian survey; this does not show the herb caused the outcome. The sources do not establish a separate first-trimester effect. Ask your provider about your situation.
Last reviewed: 2026-10-14
Sources
- EMA: Community herbal monograph on Rubus idaeus L., foliumEU agencyEuropean guidance
- UK Committee on Toxicity: Statement on the potential health effects of raspberry leaf tea in the maternal dietUK government
- Bowman et al., BMC Complement Med Ther 2021: Systematic integrative reviewUS government
- Muñoz Balbontín et al., Obstet Gynecol 2019: Systematic reviewUS government
- Nordeng et al., Complement Ther Clin Pract 2011: Norwegian pregnancy surveyUS government
Research strength: 3 / 5
The EMA's 2014 monograph says raspberry leaf medicinal products are not recommended during pregnancy because data are insufficient and safety has not been established. The UK Committee on Toxicity reached a different conclusion: it judged the risk to be low, but highly uncertain, based on two Australian human studies. A 2021 review found six human studies and called the evidence weak; it reported no clear human benefit or harm, though one study found labor changes that were not statistically significant. A 2019 review reported an association with cesarean delivery in a 34-person raspberry-leaf subgroup of a 600-person Norwegian survey; this does not show the herb caused the outcome. The cited studies do not provide a reliable second-trimester-specific outcome estimate. Ask your provider about your situation.
Last reviewed: 2026-10-14
Sources
- EMA: Community herbal monograph on Rubus idaeus L., foliumEU agencyEuropean guidance
- UK Committee on Toxicity: Statement on the potential health effects of raspberry leaf tea in the maternal dietUK government
- Bowman et al., BMC Complement Med Ther 2021: Systematic integrative reviewUS government
- Muñoz Balbontín et al., Obstet Gynecol 2019: Systematic reviewUS government
- Nordeng et al., Complement Ther Clin Pract 2011: Norwegian pregnancy surveyUS government
Research strength: 3 / 5
The EMA's 2014 monograph says raspberry leaf medicinal products are not recommended during pregnancy because data are insufficient and safety has not been established. The UK Committee on Toxicity reached a different conclusion: it judged the risk to be low, but highly uncertain, based on two Australian human studies. A 2001 trial began raspberry leaf tablets at 32 weeks in 192 low-risk, first-time mothers; the COT said it found no significant differences in its measured outcomes. A 2021 review called the overall evidence weak and did not show that raspberry leaf makes labor easier. The cited studies do not establish a separate third-trimester effect. Ask your provider about your situation.
Last reviewed: 2026-10-14
Sources
- EMA: Community herbal monograph on Rubus idaeus L., foliumEU agencyEuropean guidance
- UK Committee on Toxicity: Statement on the potential health effects of raspberry leaf tea in the maternal dietUK government
- Simpson et al., J Midwifery Womens Health 2001: Randomized trialUS government
- Bowman et al., BMC Complement Med Ther 2021: Systematic integrative reviewUS government
Red Raspberry Leaf — Breastfeeding
Research strength: 1 / 5
LactMed reports no published data on raspberry leaf levels in milk, infant levels, or effects in breastfed infants, and says no scientifically valid trials support its use as a milk-supply herb. A study of 66 mothers tested a tea blend that included raspberry leaf and several other herbs; LactMed says the effect cannot be assigned to any one ingredient. A second study tested a multi-herb tea and found no difference in milk antioxidant measures, so the result does not isolate raspberry leaf. EMA says use during breastfeeding is not recommended because available data are insufficient. Ask your provider about your situation.
Last reviewed: 2026-10-14
Pregnancy
The EMA monograph states that pregnancy and lactation use is not recommended because safety has not been established and data are insufficient. The UK Committee on Toxicity (COT) reached a different conclusion for pregnancy: it assessed the risk as low but highly uncertain, based on two Australian human studies. Bowman et al. (2021) reviewed 13 studies in total, including 5 laboratory studies, 2 animal experiments and 6 human studies; it called the evidence weak and said the human studies did not show clear benefit or harm, though one reported non-significant labor differences. Muñoz Balbontín et al. (2019) reported an adjusted odds ratio of 3.47 (95% CI 1.45-8.28) for cesarean delivery after oral raspberry leaf use. Bowman et al. (2021) identifies that estimate as coming from 34 raspberry leaf users in Nordeng et al.'s (2011) survey of 600 Norwegian women. Nordeng's PubMed abstract confirms the association but does not give the 34-person subgroup or estimate; the exact subgroup and estimate were not verified in the primary full text. COT's two Australian studies were Parsons et al. (1999), a retrospective study of 108 women (57 raspberry leaf users and 51 controls), and Simpson et al. (2001), a randomized trial of 192 low-risk first-time mothers that began at 32 weeks. Simpson's abstract reports no significant overall relationship between tablet use and birth outcomes. Bowman et al. (2024) reported an observational study with 91 records (44 exposed, 47 unexposed) and less labor augmentation among exposed women, but the authors said the findings cannot be relied on or generalized. They also said that the absence of observed safety concerns should not be taken as evidence of no risk. A 2026 survey reported prevalence and user experiences, not clinical outcomes. No reliable human outcome estimates separate the trimesters.
Breastfeeding
LactMed reports that no relevant published information was found on maternal milk levels, infant levels or effects in breastfed infants. It describes one study of 66 postpartum mother-infant pairs in which a multi-herb tea containing raspberry leaf was associated with greater milk volume on day 3 and earlier birth-weight regain; the product included several herbs, and LactMed says no single ingredient can be credited, while the study authors attributed the effect to fenugreek. A second study compared a multi-herb tea containing raspberry with water in 80 nursing mothers and found similar antioxidant measures in milk on days 1 and 7-10. These studies do not establish an effect of raspberry leaf alone. EMA says use during breastfeeding is not recommended because data are insufficient.
Red raspberry leaf is the leaf of Rubus idaeus. The EMA monograph describes comminuted leaf for tea or infusion and solid oral preparations. The COT states that the active components are unclear and that preparations can vary; the live entry lists tea, capsules or tablets, and other forms.
What was tested
Pregnancy evidence includes human observational studies, one small randomized trial, systematic reviews, animal studies and laboratory work. The 2021 review included 13 studies (5 laboratory, 2 animal and 6 human) published from 1941 to 2016. The best-known human trial randomized 192 low-risk, first-time mothers to raspberry leaf tablets or placebo from 32 weeks. The 2024 observational study had 91 completed records, and the 2026 cross-sectional survey measured herbal use and women's experiences rather than clinical outcomes. Breastfeeding evidence includes trials of multi-herb mixtures, not raspberry leaf alone; LactMed reports no published maternal milk-level, infant-level or infant-effect data specific to raspberry leaf.
How should the limited pregnancy evidence on raspberry leaf be interpreted?
- Source A says
- The EMA monograph says pregnancy use is not recommended because safety has not been established and data are insufficient. (EMA: Community herbal monograph on Rubus idaeus L., folium)
- Source B says
- The UK COT concluded that the risk associated with raspberry leaf use during pregnancy was low but with high uncertainty, based on two Australian human studies. (UK Committee on Toxicity: Statement on the potential health effects of raspberry leaf tea in the maternal diet)
- Why they differ
- The EMA monograph is a 2014 herbal-medicinal-product monograph and takes a precautionary position when pregnancy data are insufficient. The COT's 2024 risk assessment focused on maternal dietary use during pregnancy and weighed two Australian human studies alongside other evidence; it could not establish a health-based guidance value and emphasized high uncertainty. The documents address related exposure questions but use different assessment scopes and decision thresholds.
- What the evidence shows overall
- Both sources describe major evidence limits. The COT's low-risk conclusion is explicitly highly uncertain and is not a trimester-specific estimate. The EMA's non-recommendation is based on missing data, not an identified causal harm. The evidence does not establish a clear conclusion for any one trimester.
- The EMA states that use during pregnancy and breastfeeding is not recommended because safety has not been established and data are insufficient. (European Medicines Agency)
- LactMed says that herbs used to increase milk production do not replace evaluation and counseling about factors that can affect milk supply. (LactMed (NIH))
General research, not specific to pregnancy.
LactMed notes that dietary supplements may contain multiple ingredients, and the actual ingredients or amounts may differ from the label. LactMed also cautions that findings from one product may not apply to other products.
- LactMed says dietary supplements do not require extensive pre-market approval by the FDA and that manufacturers do not have to prove a supplement's safety and effectiveness before marketing it. (LactMed (NIH): Raspberry)
- LactMed notes that product ingredients or amounts can differ from the label, and results from one product may not apply to another. (LactMed (NIH): Raspberry)
- LactMed (NIH): RaspberryUS governmentSecondaryPage dated 2024-08-15
- EMA: Community herbal monograph on Rubus idaeus L., foliumEU agencySecondaryPage dated 2014-01-28Independent checkEuropean guidance
- Bowman et al., BMC Complement Med Ther 2021: Biophysical effects, safety and efficacy of raspberry leaf use in pregnancyUS governmentPrimary
- Muñoz Balbontín et al., Obstet Gynecol 2019: Herbal Medicinal Product Use During Pregnancy and the Postnatal PeriodUS governmentPrimary
- Nordeng et al., Complement Ther Clin Pract 2011: Use of herbal drugs during pregnancy among 600 Norwegian womenUS governmentPrimaryIndependent check
- UK Committee on Toxicity: Statement on the potential health effects of raspberry leaf tea in the maternal dietUK governmentSecondaryIndependent check
- Parsons et al., Australian College of Midwives Inc J 1999: Raspberry leaf and its effect on labourUS governmentPrimaryIndependent check
- Simpson et al., J Midwifery Womens Health 2001: Raspberry leaf in pregnancyUS governmentPrimaryIndependent check
- Bowman et al., BMC Complement Med Ther 2024: Raspberry leaf use in pregnancy, a prospective observational studyUS governmentPrimary
- Bowman et al., BMC Complement Med Ther 2026: Beyond prescription medicine in pregnancy - raspberry leaf and other herbs in AustraliaUS governmentPrimary
- Turkyılmaz et al., J Altern Complement Med 2011: Multi-herb galactagogue tea studyUS governmentPrimaryIndependent check
- Kavurt et al., J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med 2013: Multi-herb galactagogue tea studyUS governmentPrimaryIndependent check
- Bowman et al., BMC Complement Med Ther 2021: Systematic integrative reviewUS governmentPrimary
Last reviewed 2026-10-14
Independent check 2026-10-14
Not yet clinician-reviewed
Ask your provider about your situation.