111 Moods of Herbal Tea — Day 47, Fennel Leaves

Photo Credits to Catheryn Montes

Dear Gentle Reader,

This herb did for me on my fifteenth spring everything, but one thing — the one thing I truly wanted back then. Silly, right? Fennel leaves cured and prevented every possible ailment a young lady or gentleman could have, yet that ceased to be enough. It only took five words out of my cousin’s grandmother’s mouth.

The old woman saw me in my bathing suit and practically shouted, “drink fennel leaf tea everyday.” In an ever louder voice, she added, “ it will enlarge your breasts, like your cousins.” Darling…I tried this for a year for the sake of competition. Some research pointed out that, had I been lactating, it would have helped. After that year, I decided large breasts were too heavy to carry around and gave up. I suppose in my family it only works in five out six women.

During that same research, I discovered a medicinal elixir made with fennel. Before it was banned in most countries, it was used as an all-purpose healing tonic that cured even snakebites and scorpion stings. The name is Absinthe. Gossip is that it was only banned as a attempt to bury bohemian culture. The French, in particular, didn’t want to be related to the street artists and writers who were fond of the green spirits (1). When properly prescribed, doctors thought it beneficial for many ailments, which is how it found its way back onto store shelves. You can find it in most liquor stores nowadays, if curiosity compels you to try Absinthe as medicine (with a grain of salt).

Sidetracking left to the side, fennel leave tea will lift your spirits with these health benefits:

• Regulate menstruation
• Soothe the nervous system
• Relax muscles
• Increase milk in lactating mothers
• Protect the respiratory channels
• Treat bronchitis, coughs, and sinusitis
• Prevent cancer
• Stop diarrhea
• Relieve constipation
• Prevent Alzheimer disease
• Regulate blood sugar levels
• Ease digestion
• Treat gastritis
• Heal the stomach lining
• Improve sleep quality
• Ease childbirth
• Reduce inflammation
• Stimulate the libido (2)

The tea has a sweet taste, much like star anise, with a hint of licorice. Write me back as soon as you try this fennel leaf tea, dear!

1 fresh fennel leaf

1 teaspoon of dried lavender

3 fresh mint leaves

1 cup of water

1. Bring water to a rolling boil
2. Remove the kettle from the heat
3. Steep the fennel leaf, dried lavender, and mint leaves for 6 minutes
4. Strain and serve warm

To embracing reality,

Valeria Paz

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Sources:

1. Conrad, Barnaby (1996). Absinthe: History in a Bottle. San Francisco: Chronicle Books. ISBN 978–0–8118–1650–2
2. Badgujar SB, Patel VV, Bandivdekar AH. Foeniculum vulgare Mill: a review of its botany, phytochemistry, pharmacology, contemporary application, and toxicology. Biomed Res Int 2014;2014:842674.