Fennel
The Puritans called them meeting seeds, chewing them to quiet their rumbling tummies during all those interminable church services — or, as some say, to hide the smell of the whiskey our forefathers nipped at on the way to church. Today fennel is best known as a cooking spice, but this versatile herb also has a long history of therapeutic use as an herbal tea.
Try Fennel if:
- Your maternal juices aren't flowing. Fennel is a well-known folk remedy that can help first-time mothers increase their milk production, says San Francisco herbalist Jeanne Rose, author of Jeanne Rose's Modern Herbal. "We don't really know why it works — it may stimulate hormone production — but it does help get the milk flowing." If you're a nursing mom and could use a little help priming the pump, the standard dosage is a cup of fennel tea first thing in the morning.
- Your greasy-spoon lunch is back... and it wants revenge. Your stomach may or may not be the way to your heart, but it's certainly the pathway to heartburn. The next time a dietary indulgence comes back to haunt you, try a cup of fennel tea, suggests Mary Bove, ND, director of the Brattleboro Naturopathic Clinic in Vermont. And the next time you decide to take your chances at the Squat 'n' Gobble, top off your meal by chewing a handful of fennel seeds as a digestive aid.
- Your baby hears the call of colic. Your inner child is fine. It's your child's innards that are giving you the new parent blues. The new baby's gastric distress is making him miserable, and the feeling is contagious, leaving Mom and Dad confused, frustrated and seriously sleep-deprived. Herbala understands. Though conventional medicine hasn't had much luck in treating colic, traditional healers swear by fennel tea to soothe baby's temperamental tummy — and a recent study conducted in Israel suggests that it's more than an old wives' tale. "It's worth a try, because colic is such a complex thing," says Ara Der Marderosian, PhD, professor of pharmacognosy and medicinal chemistry at Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science. Try a weak solution of fennel tea — use only 1/3 teaspoon of crushed fennel seeds per cup of boiling water — and let the tea cool in the refrigerator before giving it to your child.
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