Some teas we drink mainly for the taste, others for their positive health properties. Fennel tea, although it can’t be said to have a bad taste, is not enjoyed by people, but mostly drunk for various health reasons.
But it can often cure them very effectively and quickly.
Kapitoly
What is it?
It is a plant native to the southern part of the European continent. It can be distinguished from others at first sight, both by its height, which can reach almost three metres, and by its distinctive yellow flowers.
When you get a little closer, or when the wind blows in your direction, you can smell its liquorice-like scent.
Fennel is most commonly grown in countries such as Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary. Outside of Europe, larger cultivation sites are found mainly in Egypt and China. The great thing about fennel is that you can use virtually everything from it, i.e. leaves, stem, bulbs and seeds.
Uses
Fennel is also interesting because it is both a vegetable and a spice. As a vegetable, it is primarily the stems that are used, which are probably most visually reminiscent of celery, but in terms of taste are more similar to aniseed.
This makes it possible to put the stems in virtually any savoury dish.
They do a good service in vegetable soups, as well as in salads and are also suitable for meat.
But fennel seeds are also used in abundance. They are yellow-brown in colour and can grow up to one centimetre in size. Laymen could identify them more easily by the curvature and ridges that are part of the seeds.
The seeds can also be used in the kitchen, in the preparation of various types of pastries or sweet cakes. It is ideal to combine them with apples, whose taste complements perfectly with fennel seeds.
Fennel contains quite a few substances that can benefit human health. That is why this plant has been used quite a lot in medicine for hundreds, but rather thousands of years.
Why does it also act as a medicine?
Fennel has the privilege of belonging to the plant family Apiceae. These plants, which also include aniseed, celery, cumin, coriander, dill and chervil, for example, are known not only for their interesting flavours, which make them useful in the kitchen, but also for the phytonutrients they contain.
They act as a prevention against cancer.
Fennel itself is used in folk medicine for many purposes. S It can be used to induce menstruation in women. It is also useful in cases where new mothers have problems with milk production.
Its effects against various bacteria that plague our lives are also well known. It can be effective in the treatment of staphylococcus or yeast infections. However, this does not mean that it should be taken instead of antibiotics.
But as a supportive treatment that can relieve symptoms and bring relief a few days earlier, it is very good.
Fennel Seed TeaThe ideal way to reap all the health benefits of fennel is to make a tea. This can be bought at a pharmacy, but may not always be as effective as making it at home from your own seeds. Even these can be bought in the supermarket.
The seeds must first be crushed in a mortar and then poured into a cup. For three decilitres, a pulp made from about three to four seeds is sufficient. For smaller children, two may be enough. Then just pour hot water over everything and wait ten to fifteen minutes before all the substances are sufficiently leached into the liquid.
It is advisable to strain the resulting product, as the residue of the seeds can be unpleasant when consumed.
As fennel tea has a special bitter-sweet flavour, there is no need to sweeten it. However, those who are used to it can use honey. This is particularly useful in cases where the tea is to be used to relieve problems with upper respiratory tract inflammation.
When not to use fennel
Fennel in any form is usually well tolerated, but this is not true for all cases, of course. There are some people who find it irritating and generally do not do well with it. They should then not use it in any form. It is also not good for pregnant women to indulge in fennel tea.
It is possible to have an allergy to fennel, but that’s about it. Usually, people who use this plant in large quantities complain mainly of being too sensitive to sunlight.
Otherwise, no other contraindications are known.
This is, of course, especially true if the fennel is consumed as it should be, namely in reasonable quantities.
