The holidays are the perfect time to talk about fennel seed, renown for its digestive and flatulent inhibiting benefits. King Henry I of England and his household consumed eight pounds of fennel seed a month~enough said.
I originally planted bronze fennel for the swallowtail butterflies to lay their eggs and the caterpillars to eat as they grew. Then I fell in love with the tall graceful bronze feathery foliage with yellow umbrella flowers. Normally mine grows to about five feet tall, but this year despite the drought it towered above my head at a good six foot. All the bronze fennel asks is a nice sunny location for you to be rewarded in the early fall with lovely licorice flavored seeds.
One of my favorite herbalists is Hildegard von Bingen, who was born 1098. In her book Physica she wrote of fennel, “In whatever way it is eaten, it makes a person happy” and “A person who is healthy retains his health, but this powder strengthens the sick person, furnishes him with good digestion, gives him powers, and supplies his face with good and beautiful color.”
Fennel not only relieves heartburn, gas and bloating, but it is an anti-inflammatory, freshens your breath and increases nursing mother’s milk production. Fennel is a phlegm buster and calms spasms, so is often found in cough medicine. Fennel seeds are safe in moderation, but you should be careful when using fennel oil internally or to be safe avoid it altogether.
I like fennel seed with my tomato sauce on my pizza. Fennel seed is also tasty in bread and sweet pickles. I made mouthwash with sage and vodka, but I didn’t really like the taste so I added fennel seed~it is like gargling with Ouzo! On the subject of alcohol, vodka infused with fennel is also fabulous! As a bonus the fennel reduces the toxic effects of the alcohol on the body.
I had a group over for an East Indian dinner. As part of the meal I had a small bowl of candied fennel on the table. One women was particularly enamored by the candied fennel so I sent the remainder of the bag home with her. She told me later that the candied fennel spilled onto the floor of her car. She crawled around the car desperately trying to pick up the precious little candied fennel. Then I told her you can get a bag at the local East Indian grocery for a couple dollars. HA!
I hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving~after dinner serve your guests a lovely fennel tea to settle their stomachs so the dog does not get blamed for gas emissions.
