Green Tea / Camellia sinensis

The Basics

What is Green Tea / Camellia sinensis?

Green tea contains caffeine and it has been used to increase alertness. Green tea has also been used for cancer prevention, to lower cholesterol, and to prevent/delay Parkinson’s disease.

Brand names for Green Tea / Camellia sinensis

N/A

How Green Tea / Camellia sinensis is classified

Complementary Therapies, Food, Phytotherapy, Plants, Medicinal

Green Tea / Camellia sinensis During Pregnancy

Green Tea / Camellia sinensis pregnancy category

Category N/ANote that the FDA has deprecated the use of pregnancy categories, so for some medications, this information isn’t available. We still think it’s useful to list historical info, however, given what a common proxy this has been in the past.

What we know about taking Green Tea / Camellia sinensis while pregnant

N/A

Taking Green Tea / Camellia sinensis While Breastfeeding

What are recommendations for lactation if you're taking Green Tea / Camellia sinensis?

Green tea (Camellia sinensis) contains caffeine, polyphenols (e.g., quercetin), and tannins. Fussiness, jitteriness and poor sleep patterns have been reported in the infants of mothers with very high caffeine intakes (see the LactMed record on caffeine for details). Giving tea directly to infants can interfere with iron absorption and cause anemia,[1] but anemia in breastfed infants has not been reported with maternal tea ingestion. Application of wet tea bags to the nipples has been studied as a method of reducing nipple pain during the first few days of nursing. Two small, moderately well-controlled studies found a positive effect of the tea bags, but warm water compresses were as at least as effective as tea bags.[2][3] No studies were found that examined the use of oral green tea extract, topical application of green tea extract to the nipples, or to the topical product Veregren applied to genital warts during breastfeeding. Topical products applied away from the breast should pose negligible risk for the breastfed infant. Dietary supplements do not require extensive pre-marketing approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Manufacturers are responsible to ensure the safety, but do not need to prove the safety and effectiveness of dietary supplements before they are marketed. Dietary supplements may contain multiple ingredients, and differences are often found between labeled and actual ingredients or their amounts. A manufacturer may contract with an independent organization to verify the quality of a product or its ingredients, but that does not certify the safety or effectiveness of a product. Because of the above issues, clinical testing results on one product may not be applicable to other products.

Maternal / infant drug levels

Green tea (Camellia sinensis) contains caffeine, polyphenols (e.g., quercetin), and tannins. Fussiness, jitteriness and poor sleep patterns have been reported in the infants of mothers with very high caffeine intakes (see the LactMed record on caffeine for details). Giving tea directly to infants can interfere with iron absorption and cause anemia,[1] but anemia in breastfed infants has not been reported with maternal tea ingestion. Application of wet tea bags to the nipples has been studied as a method of reducing nipple pain during the first few days of nursing. Two small, moderately well-controlled studies found a positive effect of the tea bags, but warm water compresses were as at least as effective as tea bags.[2][3] No studies were found that examined the use of oral green tea extract, topical application of green tea extract to the nipples, or to the topical product Veregren applied to genital warts during breastfeeding. Topical products applied away from the breast should pose negligible risk for the breastfed infant. Dietary supplements do not require extensive pre-marketing approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Manufacturers are responsible to ensure the safety, but do not need to prove the safety and effectiveness of dietary supplements before they are marketed. Dietary supplements may contain multiple ingredients, and differences are often found between labeled and actual ingredients or their amounts. A manufacturer may contract with an independent organization to verify the quality of a product or its ingredients, but that does not certify the safety or effectiveness of a product. Because of the above issues, clinical testing results on one product may not be applicable to other products.

Possible effects of Green Tea / Camellia sinensis on milk supply

Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.

Possible alternatives to Green Tea / Camellia sinensis

None listed