Loose leaf, in glass
Fertility boosting teas.
Two blends, one for me and one for him, with the full recipes and how I brew them.
Coffee went, tea bags went, and in their place I blend loose herbs in glass jars: one for me, one for my husband.
Why I don’t use tea bags
Most are sealed with plastic, even the ones that look like paper. Hot water is exactly what makes plastic shed, so a mug of tea is close to a worst case. Loose leaf and a stainless infuser costs less anyway.
Why I stopped drinking coffee
The evidence on caffeine and fertility is genuinely mixed. I cut it anyway, because my whole protocol is built around steady blood sugar and my own sleep was the first thing to improve. Green tea is out too: it still has caffeine, and it can interfere with folate.
Her blend
Makes about 20 cups · keep in a glass jar
What goes in
4 tbsp dried nettle leaf
3 tbsp dried raspberry leaf
3 tbsp dried spearmint leaf
2 tbsp dried elderberries
1 tbsp Ceylon cinnamon chips or a broken stick
1 tbsp dried ginger root, chopped
How I make it
Blend the dried herbs in a bowl and store in a glass jar away from light. Per mug, use about 1 heaped tablespoon.
The two-stage brew matters here. Put the elderberries, cinnamon and ginger into cold water and bring to a simmer for a full 20 minutes with a lid on: roots, bark and berries need simmering, not steeping, and raw or under-cooked elderberries can make you ill. Then take it off the heat, add the nettle, raspberry leaf and spearmint, put the lid back on and steep 10 minutes. Strain and drink warm, never iced.
Two to three mugs a day is my usual. I make a jug in the morning and reheat it.
Why each one is in there
Nettle minerals and iron, and heavy periods drain both.
Raspberry leaf the traditional uterine tonic; the herb I’d call the base of the blend.
Spearmint the one that earns its place for PCOS: it’s anti-androgenic.
Elderberries antioxidants, simmered properly.
Ceylon cinnamon blood sugar, and it makes the whole thing taste like something.
Ginger warming, and good for digestion and cramps.
Timing and safety
Spearmint is phase-timed. I drink it in the follicular half and stop at ovulation, because lowering androgens is what I want early, not during the window. If you’re not managing PCOS, leave it out.
Ceylon cinnamon, not cassia, if you’re drinking it daily.
No licorice in either blend. It raises blood pressure and it isn’t worth it.
Vitex gets asked about constantly: luteal phase only, and not something I put in a shared blend.
Herbs are not neutral, especially while trying to conceive or on any medication. This is what I drink, not advice for you.
His blend
Makes about 20 cups · keep in a glass jar
What goes in
3 tbsp dried raspberry leaf
2 tbsp dried elderberries
2 tbsp maca root, dried and chopped
1 tbsp Ceylon cinnamon chips or a broken stick
1 tbsp dried ginger root, chopped
Ashwagandha root, 1 tsp per mug, added only during his “on” fortnight
How I make it
Same two stages, and more of this one needs simmering. Maca root, elderberries, cinnamon, ginger and the ashwagandha go into cold water and simmer 20 minutes with the lid on. Off the heat, add the raspberry leaf and steep 10 minutes. Strain, drink warm.
Ashwagandha runs two weeks on, two weeks off, rather than continuously. He has a mug a day, usually evening.
Sperm take about three months to mature, so this is a three-month habit before you’d expect a retest to show anything.
No spearmint in his. It lowers androgens, which helps my PCOS and works directly against his testosterone. Same herb, opposite jobs, which is exactly why I keep two jars rather than one.
Ashwagandha caveat, in full: it’s an adaptogen with some human data on male fertility markers and a long traditional use. It can affect thyroid function and it isn’t for everyone, which is why we cycle it rather than take it daily forever. If he were on medication or had a thyroid condition, we’d ask first.
What I drink in each phase
| Phase | Tea | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Menstrual | Ginger, raspberry leaf, nettle | Warmth, cramps, and replacing what the bleed takes |
| Follicular | The full her blend, spearmint included | The window where the anti-androgen side is useful |
| Ovulation | Peppermint, nettle, raspberry leaf. Spearmint stops | Light and hydrating for the fertile window |
| Luteal | Ginger, cinnamon, turmeric, chamomile | Warming again, and chamomile for sleep as things wind down |
No caffeine at any point, green tea included, and nothing iced.