Fennel

Fennel is a perennial plant with a delicious slightly aniseed taste. The variety with the wider bulb is often called Florence Fennel or finocchio in Italian, where it is a very popular part of the diet. Fennel has a number of useful qualities including:

• It is a natural mild appetite suppressant
• Diuretic – relieves bloating and water retention
• Antispasmodic – Relieves cramps, indigestion, gas pain, infant colic
• Phytoestrogen – increases milk production, libido and reduces PMS
• Decongestant – relieves chronic coughs and phlegm such as in bronchitis

  

Recipe: My three favourite ways of having fennel are (i) steeping a teaspoon of the seeds in a cup of boiling water for a pleasant, soothing cup of tea before bed, (ii) very thinly slicing the fennel bulb with some Spanish onion and iceberg lettuce and drizzling olive oil, salt and white wine vinegar to dress the salad, (iii) roughly slicing the bulb with grated carrots and grated zucchini, laying over the top some chicken drumsticks, adding some stock, white wine and salt and baking in the oven for an hour. 

 

Thyme

Thyme has been used for centuries by many cultures; the Egyptians used it for embalming; the ancient Greeks used in their baths and burned it as incense; it was thought to inspire courage and so was often given to knights by their ladies. Thyme has strong medicinal qualities and before the discovery of antibiotics was often used to soak the bandages.

• Expectorant (a herb that helps bring up mucus) – good for respiratory infections such as bronchitis, whooping cough, runny nose and colds
• Antiseptic and antimicrobial – good gargle for sore throat, tonsillitis, bad breath and gingivitis. The active ingredient in Thyme is “thymol”, which is also the main active ingredient in the mouthwash Listerine!

  

Recipe: In cooking thyme is a great addition to any roast lamb or chicken dish. For respiratory infections thyme can be used at home as a steam inhalation, by steeping some fresh or dried thyme in hot water and breathing in the rising steam (careful, not when it’s too hot!). In the same way you can soak thyme in boiling water and once it cools use it as a gargle. 

 

 

Dill

Dill is one of the traditional ingredients in Gripe Water, a home remedy for infantile colic, gastrointestinal discomfort, teething and reflux. Dill is calming, soothes pain and aids in digestion. Be aware that in stronger doses it can aggravate reflux. Generally though, dill is a great and safe herb to use at home in cooking, pickling, or herbal teas. 

Recipe: For home made Gripe Water – boil 2 cups of filtered water with a teaspoon of fennel seeds, a teaspoon of dill seeds (or more if using the fresh herb) for 5-10 minutes, add a ¼ teaspoon or less of bicarbonate soda and let cool. Give to baby with a dropper, or mix a little with their water or milk in the bottle. For babies with reflux you may like to eliminate the Dill or replace it with a peppermint tea bag.