Fennel tea is said to have many good properties and has been a very popular home remedy for a long time, to treat colds and complaints in the digestive tract gently and purely plant-based or to provide support therapy. It is also very easy to make your own tea from fresh fennel and even to pull the vegetable fennel yourself. We help with tips and a recipe.
effect
The supposed effect of fennel tea is supposed to loosen phlegm in the bronchi and the remaining airways, calm the stomach and relieve flatulence. Therefore, the tea is already given to infants if they suffer from flatulence or colic. However, it is also diuretic and gently laxative. Therefore, the tea should not be drunk in large quantities.
Instructions for fennel tea
If you want to make the fennel tea yourself, you need the fennel seeds or
On the other hand, tea cannot be brewed from leaves. Instead, like the tuber, they contain vitamins and minerals, secondary plant substances and fiber.
If you don't have vegetable fennel on the balcony or in the garden, you can buy the seeds online or in brick-and-mortar stores to make your own tea. The following utensils are required for this:
- Mortar and pestle
- Tea strainer
- Jug or cup
- tablespoon
The preparation is as follows:
- One tablespoon of the fennel seeds per cup are thoroughly crushed in a mortar with the pestle. The seeds should no longer be recognizable as fennel fruits. The finer they are ground, the more essential oils are released.
- The crushed fennel seeds are placed in a tea strainer and boiling water is poured over them. You should calculate 250 milliliters of water per cup.
- After a steeping time of seven to ten minutes, the tea strainer can be removed.
Tip: Since fennel tea can be very aromatic and sometimes slightly bitter, it is advisable to sweeten it with sugar or honey. Of course, this does not apply to diabetics. A finer taste and an increased effect against flatulence and cramps can be achieved if caraway seeds and aniseed are added.
Fennel tea for babies and children
Infants and toddlers can also get the tea to prevent flatulence and colic or to gently relieve them. However, care must be taken not to give too much tea. From the first day of life to the 6th month it should not be more than 50 milliliters per day. The tea is diluted and, of course, must not be too hot.
Pull the fennel yourself
Tea cannot be made from the leaves of the fennel, but more than one recipe can be made from fresh fennel. It is particularly practical to pull the vegetable fennel yourself. This is just as possible on the balcony as in the garden.
For this you should only pay attention to the following point
- The fennel seeds are grown in the house or greenhouse from mid-March. They should be placed in potting soil and lighted up. The substrate must always be kept slightly moist, but should not be wet. A germination temperature of around 18 to 22 ° C is ideal.
- After about three weeks, the seeds should have germinated and the shoots should already be a few centimeters high. When they are about two inches high, they are pricked out. This means that the plants from the growing container should be placed in larger pots, boxes or tubs and should be about 30 centimeters apart. Germs that are too weak can be removed. In addition, potting soil or another nutrient-rich substrate should be used. For example, plant soil with a proportion of compost is recommended.
- After a further three weeks at around 20 ° C, it can be planted outdoors or placed outside in the planters. Until there is no longer any risk of late frost, a cover with garden fleece makes sense. The location should be sunny, warm and sheltered, as fennel originally comes from the Mediterranean.
- The tubers and seeds for the tea can be harvested between September and October. Tubers harvested later often become tough, dry, and bitter.
The fennel seeds should be kept dry and cool so that they can last for a few months. In addition, they should be checked every now and then so that mold growth can be detected at an early stage.
