What This Fenugreek Tea Is For, and the Four Things to Check First
Nutra Mother Tea is the fenugreek tea new mothers reach for when they are worried the milk supply is dropping, two to three cups a day while feeding. The blend is fennel at 25%, chamomile at 20%, fenugreek at 10% and shatavari at 10%, with raspberry leaf, caraway, nettle and blessed thistle, twenty bags to a box.
It is a kind, old blend and mothers have drunk versions of it for generations, usually in the small hours with a baby on one arm. There are four things to check before you buy it though, and the first one matters most: if peanut allergy runs anywhere in your family, speak to our pharmacist before you open the box, because fenugreek is a legume and that has consequences.
Fenugreek Is a Legume, Like Peanut and Chickpea
Fenugreek sits in the same botanical family as peanut, chickpea and lentil, and reactions in people allergic to those have been documented. If you, or the baby’s father, or an older child reacts to peanuts or chickpeas, please talk to our pharmacist before you start, because anything you drink reaches the baby through your milk in small amounts and that is the whole mechanism this tea is sold on.
Two of the other ingredients, chamomile and blessed thistle, come from the daisy family. So if ragweed, chrysanthemum or chamomile sets off your hay fever, mention that too and we will suggest something simpler.
Fenugreek Lowers Blood Sugar
This is the second thing. Fenugreek has a blood-sugar-lowering effect, which is why it turns up in diabetes products as well as in nursing teas.
If you had diabetes in pregnancy, or you have it now, or you take metformin, insulin or any other diabetes medicine, come and talk to our pharmacist first and keep a closer eye on your readings for the first week. Two to three cups of a 10% blend is a gentle amount, but a new mother who is also eating irregularly between feeds is in exactly the position where a low reading catches her out.
A Smell That Catches Mothers Out
Fenugreek gives the sweat and the urine a distinct maple-syrup or curry smell, in the mother and sometimes in the baby too. It is harmless and it goes when you stop.
We mention it because mothers notice it on their babies and understandably worry. If you have told a clinic your baby smells sweet and nobody knows you are drinking this tea, tell them about it, because there is a rare newborn condition with the same smell and it saves everyone an anxious afternoon.
This Is a Tea for After the Birth
There is raspberry leaf in this blend. Raspberry leaf is a uterine herb used in the last weeks of pregnancy and under advice, so a tea that contains it is a tea for the weeks after your baby arrives, and not one to drink through pregnancy because the name sounds like it is for mothers generally.
If you are still expecting and want a tea you can drink now, ask our pharmacist about our chamomile and ginger preg tea, and if labour is close and raspberry leaf is what you are after, our raspberry leaf and peppermint tea is the one with the timing and the cautions written out properly.
The Honest Part About Milk Supply
Milk supply runs mostly on how often milk is removed and how well the baby attaches. A tea sits a long way behind both of those, and the most useful thing we can give you here is a feeding review rather than a herb.
So drink the tea if you like it, and come and see us as well. Our pharmacist will go through how often the baby feeds, how long each side takes, whether the latch hurts, and how your own meals and water are going between feeds, and that conversation changes supply far more often than anything in a teabag. Bring the baby if you can.
When to Stop the Tea and Get the Baby Weighed
Some signs mean the question is no longer about supply but about whether the baby is getting enough, and those need a scale and a pair of eyes rather than another cup. Please bring the baby in, or go to the clinic, if there are fewer than six wet nappies a day, if the urine looks dark, if the baby has not returned to birth weight by two weeks, if the baby is sleepy and hard to wake for feeds, or if feeds hurt you throughout.
None of that means you have done anything wrong. It means a weight check and a feeding review today rather than a fortnight of hoping, and both are quick.
What We Are Permitted to Tell You
No health claim for fenugreek, fennel, shatavari or blessed thistle is authorised, and every botanical claim submitted in Europe remains on hold. So nobody may promise you that a tea increases milk, and we hold back from saying it.
What we can give you is the proportions, the peanut and daisy family connections, the blood sugar effect, the maple-syrup smell before it frightens you, the reason this one belongs after the birth rather than during, and the red flags that mean a weight check today. That is an honest basis for a tea a mother can enjoy at three in the morning.
Is This Fenugreek Tea Right for You?
Please talk to our pharmacist before you buy if any of these apply to you.
- Peanut, chickpea or lentil allergy, in you or in the family. Fenugreek is a legume and reactions have been documented. Speak to us first.
- Diabetes, diabetes in pregnancy, or any diabetes medicine. Fenugreek lowers blood sugar. Check with us and watch your readings for the first week.
- Still pregnant. There is raspberry leaf in this blend. Ask us for the preg tea instead.
- Hay fever from daisies, ragweed or chamomile. Chamomile and blessed thistle are in the same family.
- A baby under a few weeks old, or a premature baby. Worth a word with our pharmacist before you start, since what you drink reaches the baby.
- Fewer than six wet nappies a day, dark urine, no return to birth weight by two weeks, or a baby too sleepy to feed. Please bring the baby in today for a weight check rather than buying tea.
Where to Buy Nutra Mother Tea in Kenya
Order online and we deliver countrywide, or collect from our pharmacy at Kahawa Sukari Shopping Center, Nairobi. We send orders to Nairobi and every neighbourhood around it — the CBD, Westlands, Parklands, Gigiri, Muthaiga, Runda, Rosslyn, Kitisuru, Lower Kabete, Lavington, Kileleshwa, Kilimani, Karen, Langata, South B, South C, Eastleigh, Buruburu, Donholm, Embakasi, Ngong Road, Kasarani, Roysambu, Zimmerman, Githurai, Ruaka, Banana Hill, Two Rivers, Village Market and Pride Lands — and across Kiambu, Thika, Juja, Ruiru, Kikuyu, Limuru and Ngong.
Beyond the capital we deliver to Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru, Eldoret, Nyeri, Machakos, Athi River, Kitengela, Kajiado, Naivasha, Narok, Kericho, Bomet, Kisii, Migori, Homa Bay, Siaya, Bungoma, Busia, Kakamega, Vihiga, Webuye, Kitale, Nandi Hills, Iten, Kapenguria, Embu, Meru, Chuka, Kerugoya, Murang’a, Othaya, Nyahururu, Nanyuki, Maralal, Isiolo, Marsabit, Moyale, Wajir, Mandera, Garissa, Lodwar, Kitui, Mwingi, Makueni, Emali, Kibwezi, Voi, Taveta, Wundanyi, Mariakani, Diani, Ukunda, Kilifi, Watamu, Malindi, Lamu and Hola. At two to three cups a day a pack runs for a known length of time, so tell us the pack size you want and we will work out how many months that covers before you order.
Across Africa, ask us before you order. We have sent orders to Uganda, Tanzania, Somaliland and as far as Malawi, and we will quote for Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Mozambique, Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa and the rest of the continent. Tell us the destination and we will confirm any import paperwork before the parcel leaves us.
Living abroad? Order from wherever you are and we deliver to your family here in Kenya. Kenyans in the UK, the United States, Canada, South Africa and the Gulf order from us regularly for parents and relatives at home. A herbal tea like this one taken steadily month after month does far more than a single pack, so tell us who it is for and how many months you want covered and we will set up the repeat.
Why Buy Your Nutra Mother Tea from HealthAlone Kenya?
HealthAlone is a pharmacist-led health ecosystem licensed by the Pharmacy and Poisons Board, and our stock is original, sealed and correctly stored. Kahawa Sukari is a real counter with real pharmacists behind it.
Our pharmacists will ask about peanut allergy and diabetes before selling you a fenugreek tea, and will offer you a feeding review with the baby rather than leaving a box of tea to do the work. Our doctor is here too if you would rather have the whole question looked at properly.
It is one more step in our vision: building Africa’s most trusted health ecosystem, accessible to everyone, everywhere.
Nutra Mother Tea: Your Questions Answered
What is in this fenugreek tea?
Fennel at 25%, chamomile at 20%, fenugreek at 10% and shatavari at 10%, with raspberry leaf, caraway, nettle and blessed thistle. Twenty bags to a box.
How many cups a day?
Two to three while you are feeding. For how long, ask our pharmacist, who will look at how things are going rather than guessing.
I am allergic to peanuts. Can I drink it?
Please speak to our pharmacist first. Fenugreek is a legume, in the same family as peanut, chickpea and lentil, and reactions in people allergic to those have been documented.
Does it affect blood sugar?
Fenugreek has a blood-sugar-lowering effect. If you have diabetes, had it in pregnancy, or take metformin, insulin or any other diabetes medicine, check with our pharmacist and watch your readings for the first week.
Why do I smell of maple syrup?
That is the fenugreek, in your sweat and urine and sometimes the baby’s too. It is harmless and it stops when you stop the tea.
The clinic noticed the sweet smell on my baby. What do I say?
Tell them you are drinking a fenugreek tea. There is a rare newborn condition with the same smell, so saying so saves everybody an anxious afternoon.
Can I drink it while I am pregnant?
Ask our pharmacist for the chamomile and ginger preg tea instead. There is raspberry leaf in this blend, which is a uterine herb for the last weeks of pregnancy and under advice, so this one belongs after the birth.
My baby is two weeks old. Is that fine?
Worth a quick word with our pharmacist before you start, especially if the baby came early, since what you drink reaches the baby in small amounts through your milk.
Will it increase my milk?
No claim of that kind is authorised for any of these herbs, so we will not promise it. Supply runs mostly on how often milk is removed and how well the baby attaches, which is why we would rather give you a feeding review alongside the tea.
What is a feeding review?
Our pharmacist goes through how often the baby feeds, how long each side takes, whether the latch hurts, and how your own meals and water are going between feeds. Bring the baby if you can. It changes supply more often than anything in a teabag.
When should I bring the baby in?
Fewer than six wet nappies a day, dark urine, no return to birth weight by two weeks, a baby too sleepy to wake for feeds, or feeds that hurt you throughout. Those want a weight check today.
I have hay fever. Does that matter?
It can. Chamomile and blessed thistle are both from the daisy family, so mention it to us and we will suggest something simpler.
Can I drink it with my iron tablets?
Please ask our pharmacist, who will space them for you if needed.
Where can I buy Nutra Mother Tea 20’s (Fenugreek & Fennel) in Kenya, and what does it cost?
From HealthAlone, online for delivery countrywide or over the counter at Kahawa Sukari Shopping Center, Nairobi. The current price is shown above. We deliver across Nairobi — the CBD, Westlands, Parklands, Gigiri, Muthaiga, Runda, Kitisuru, Lavington, Kilimani, Karen, Langata, South B, South C, Eastleigh, Kasarani, Roysambu, Githurai, Ruaka and Banana Hill — and to Kiambu, Thika, Juja, Ruiru, Kikuyu, Limuru, Ngong, Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru, Eldoret, Nyeri, Machakos, Kitengela, Naivasha, Narok, Kericho, Kisii, Migori, Homa Bay, Bungoma, Busia, Kakamega, Kitale, Embu, Meru, Nanyuki, Nyahururu, Isiolo, Marsabit, Wajir, Mandera, Garissa, Lodwar, Kitui, Makueni, Voi, Taveta, Mariakani, Diani, Ukunda, Kilifi, Watamu, Malindi and Lamu. Outside Kenya we have delivered to Uganda, Tanzania, Somaliland and Malawi, and we quote for Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa and the rest of Africa on request. Tell us how old the baby is when you order, and bring the baby in if you can.
