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. Green tea is reportedly used to increase milk supply by sme mothers in Turkey.[4]
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. More detailed information about dietary supplements is available elsewhere on the LactMed Web site.