After-meal three seeds
Equal fennel, cumin, and coriander in a cup of hot water. After the pot — digestion and sweeter breath. The same trio, simmered 5 minutes, was given for a kidney-story cup and (in folk use) for bedwetting.
Earth· sweetGenerally safe
Fennel
Foeniculum vulgare
Seed; bulb is food · warming · settling
The after-dinner seed that lets wind leave quietly.
In the mouth
How it tastes
Sweet anise, warm seed, a little licorice.
Traditional use
Chewed after meals. Fennel tea was the colic and bloating cup, and a gentle sweetener for less friendly herbs. Anise-sweet, not cloying. Also in the old gripe water, and in a fennel–fenugreek pot for a closed head.
In the cup
Crush 1 tsp seed, steep 8–10 minutes. Chew a pinch of whole seed after a heavy meal. Culinary: sausage, fish, salads, the bulb roasted.
From the receipt book
Sinus pot
1 tablespoon fennel and 1 tablespoon fenugreek in a quart of water. Boil, simmer 10 minutes, strain.
Hiccup cup
A cup of hot fennel tea.
Blood
Sweet blood · sweet
Sweet first warms, then cools, and it softens. It is relaxing — the reason sugar went into cough syrups — nutritive, building, and hormonally active. Sweet herbs feed the brain and nerves, nourish spleen and pancreas, and coat dry tissue. They cleanse by moving blood toward the organs that wash it.
Read sweet bloodReached for
The promise
A careful hand
Ordinary tea for a healthy adult.
Culinary seed is the tradition. Medicinal amounts of essential oil are another matter entirely.
Read the whole promiseSits well with
Air· sourGenerally safe
Peppermint
Mentha × piperita
The lift in the cupboard — head, belly, and a closed room.
Bloating · Indigestion · Headache
Brighten, circulate, and clear
Fire· bitterGenerally safe
Ginger
Zingiber officinale
The stillroom’s first answer to a cold belly or a coming chill.
Nausea · Indigestion · Chill & congestion
Warm, move, and stimulate
Earth· sweetGenerally safe
Chamomile
Matricaria chamomilla
The evening apple-scent that settles both belly and mind.
Restless sleep · Frayed nerves · Bloating
Ground, build, and settle
Earth· sweetGenerally safe
Caraway
Carum carvi
The rye-bread seed that was also a wind-breaking tea.
Bloating · Indigestion
Ground, build, and settle
Traditional kitchen and folk use only. This is not medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you are pregnant, nursing, on medicine, or unwell, ask a clinician before drinking anything as a remedy.