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Good question Daredevil, I'm planning on starting it soon myself. I think I'd go for the tea, but then if it tastes rotten I'll wind up with the capsules anyway... I have no idea if there's a significant difference between the two, although it seems reasonable to assume you'd get more of the active ingredients by swallowing the caps?

Oh that's a good idea. I never got the concept of regular iced tea myself- don't drink tea or coffee- but I'd imagine it could be nice enough with honey, quite refreshing. Will have to check the boxes in the health store and see which gives more bang for the buck.

@Coco Bee: I had read that it was considered unsafe for the first trimester anyway, like nearly everything else...

I just read somewhere (of course now I can't remember where) that if you're taking the capsules, you should start taking them at 32 weeks and continue through the end of pregnancy. If you're drinking the tea, I think you start at 36 weeks maybe with 1 cup a day, then move to 2 cups a day at 38 weeks and then 3 cups per day or more if you hit 40 weeks. Those dates could have been 34, 36, and 38 weeks though - I can't remember.

Either way, whatever I was reading definitely said to start taking the pills earlier than drinking the tea and you should increase your tea consumption in stages rather than jumping full in with 3 cups per day.

I'll keep looking for where I got that info to see if I can find a reputable source rather than just being 'some dodgy girl on the internet who said to do X'

Ok, I found my source. I just read it in Better Birth by Lareen Newman. It's an Australian book but that shouldn't matter.

The book says to take two 300 - 400 mg raspberry leaf tablets three times a day from week 32 on. Or if you want to drink the tea, start with one cup of tea per day three weeks before baby is due. The next week, have two cups of tea per day, and the third week 39 weeks) drink three cups per day until birth.

@aunt pol: yeah I had heard that too, so I asked my midwife about it and she said it was perfectly fine to drink it. I trusted her more than what I found on the internet. She didn't go by half of the "don't do this" out there. She told me I could dye my hair, go to the salon, eat unpasteurized cheese/milk etc... so I listened to her

I love red raspberry leaf tea. I buy it at Whole Foods or get it on amazon (cheaper). I used it for menstrual cramps before becoming pregnant. I have keep on drinking it because my midwife give me the ok.

If you're not a fan of the taste you can add a mint tea bag or honey.