A timeless blend of herbs used to support women’s health, fertility, and pregnancy, NORA Tea consists of Nettles, Oatstraw, Raspberry Leaf, and Alfalfa. As we said in Our Story, we began making and drinking NORA tea when Amanda was pregnant with our first child. Ongoing struggles with nausea throughout her pregnancy made it impossible for her to keep her prenatal vitamins down. Our doula recommended and provided us with NORA tea so Amanda could continue getting the vitamins and nutrients she and our baby needed.
Traditionally recommended in pregnancy by midwives, NORA tea has many healthful benefits and preventative properties—so much so that many women choose not to continue taking prenatal vitamins after committing to drinking quantities of this tea every day. When we told our midwife with our firstborn that Amanda had begun drinking NORA tea, she confirmed we could ditch the prenatal pills entirely!
Midwives report that drinking NORA tea during pregnancy can help reduce water retention, guard against anemias, improve liver health, improve uterine contractions, improve the release of the placenta after birth which reduces risk of hemorrhage, and even reduce risk of vaginal tearing. NORA tea has anti-inflammatory properties, is a good source of digestible plant iron, and is rich in Vitamins A, B, C, E, and K, chlorophyll, calcium, and bioflavonoids. And it can help milk supply come in after baby is born. Because the Red Raspberry Leaf (RRL) can cause uterine contractions, midwives recommend drinking NORA tea (or any tea with RRL) after week 16 of pregnancy, discontinuing if contractions intensify. NORA tea should be consumed daily, as much as a quart a day to maintain the nutritional and preventative benefits. Why take a multivitamin pill when you can feed your tea habit instead?
We recommend making NORA tea using a French press (the larger, the better). Heat water in a kettle on the stove, removing just as the water begins to boil. Add approximately 1/3 cup of loose-leaf NORA to your French press, then pour the water over the herbs until your French press is full. Replace the lid and press down until the plunger is just below the water line, then allow to sit on the counter until cool before storing in the refrigerator overnight. The next day, press the plunger fully down, pour into a gallon pitcher, and then fill with cold water and sweeten with your favorite sweetener. Now you have a gallon of NORA ready to enjoy throughout the day! But go ahead and start your next batch in the French press with fresh herbs so it’ll be ready for you tomorrow 😊
Alternatively, you can make NORA by the cup; however, the longer you allow the herbs to infuse, the better nutritional value you’ll receive. When making by the cup, we recommend a fine mesh filter to prevent debris from accumulating in your drink.
NORA tea has a unique, light, and refreshing flavor, but some women struggle with the more “grassy” notes. That’s why we developed our Lady Nora and SuperNORA blends! But more on them in the future. You can check out our full line of tea blends designed to support women from Trying-To-Conceive through postpartum in our Shop!