Anise or Fennel Seed Infused Tea or Tincture

Both Anise Seeds and Fennel Seeds are an excellent natural remedy for upset digestive systems. Learn how to use these seeds (either together or just use one) in both an infused tea and tincture form. Both a Fennel Seed Infused Tea and a Fennel Seed Tincture will help sooth your digestive discomforts.

How Fennel Seeds and Anise Seeds Can Help With Digestion

If you suffer from digestive ailments including: bloating, flatulence, indigestion, nausea, gas, cramps, heartburn, or other digestive issues, you might find both anise seeds and fennel seeds helpful to add to your nutritional diet and lifestyle. 

Please note: Unlike modern U.S. medicine beliefs, which look for “quick fixes” and “band-aid solutions”, natural and herbal remedies work better if you use them over a long period of time WHILE you boost your health in other ways, including eating nutritional whole foods, adding probiotics and fermented foods to your lifestyle, proper exercise and sleeping patterns, and more. 

Also, I am not a doctor, please get advice from your nutritionist, herbalist, naturopathic doctor, etc. for advice for serious digestion issues. 

According to herbalist Rosemary Gladstar, fennel seeds are “a well-known carminative and digestive aid, fennel was used by early Greek physicians to increase and enrich milk flow in nursing mothers. It is also an antacid, which both neutralizes excess acids in the stomach and intestines and clears uric acid from the joints…it stimulates digestion, regulates appetite, and relieves flatulence.” (Rosemary Gladstar, Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health, pg. 331.)

You can learn more about the medicinal benefits of fennel seeds in this article. You can also learn about the medicinal benefits of other spices and herbs in my Spice Series.

Both fennel seeds and anise seeds have been used traditionally to treat digestive issues. They can often offer quick relief for indigestion and other digestive problems. 

If you’re interested in adding fennel seeds into your diet, try making these Cornmeal & Fennel Seed Digestive Biscuits, which have been part of many world cultures as a way to combat the heavy meals.

Fennel seeds are also a great way help with colicky babies and also help nursing mothers produce milk for their babies. Fortunately, nursing mamas can help both them and their babies by drinking fennel seed infused tea. You can also try drinking this Nourishing Nursing Mama Tea recipe, which includes fennel seeds as well as other beneficial spices and herbs for a tasty infused tea.  It has been a popular blend for my nursing-mama-loved-ones!

Fennel Seed Infused Tea Recipe (or Anise Seeds)

If digestive issues come up only occasionally for you, this fennel seed infused tea recipe will be quite beneficial for you. You can either combine fennel seeds and anise seeds to the infused tea, or use anise seeds instead of fennel seeds. They have similar medicinal benefits for digestion problems, and it really depends on your preferred taste or what you have in the kitchen.

Both fennel seeds and anise seeds have a licorice-type flavor to them. I personally find anise seeds to have a more pungent and intense licorice-flavor. Fennel seeds seem a bit more subtle in flavor. I like fennel seeds instead of anise seeds, but I also don’t hesitate to swap in anise seeds if I run out of fennel seeds.

Fennel Seed Infused Tea Recipe

What You Need:

• Good quality Fennel Seeds and/or Good quality Anise Seeds (Mountain Rose Herbs is a great company for good quality herbs and spices)
• Mortar and Pestle (or just slightly smash the seeds with a heavy and clean kitchen object of choice)
• Teapot with strainer OR Mesh Tea Ball Strainer

Instructions:

1. The ratio for this herbal infused tea is 1 cup of hot water over 1 teaspoon of slightly crushed fennel seeds (and/or anise seeds). Adjust accordingly for if you use a teapot or a mesh tea ball strainer.
2. Slightly smash the fennel or anise seeds in a mortar and pestle. Gently crushed seeds allow their medicinal essential oils to come out in the infused tea.
3. Infuse the seeds in boiling water and let it steep for 10-15 minutes. Strain.
4. Drink up to 3 cups per day.

Fennel Seed Tincture Recipe (or Anise Seeds)

Tinctures are a stronger natural remedy than herbal infused teas. They are very potent and are taken by the dropperful, and they are often diluted in warm water or juice. For another digestive tincture idea, check out my recipe for Digestive Bitters. This is another really tasty recipe!

If you suffer from continual digestive discomforts, talk to your naturopathic doctor about making and adding a fennel seed tincture to your health journey.

Fennel Seed Tincture Recipe

What You Need:

• Good quality Fennel Seeds and/or Good quality Anise Seeds (Mountain Rose Herbs is a great company for good quality herbs and spices)
• 80 or 100 proof alcohol (brandy works best, but you could also use vodka, etc.)
• Lemon peel (either dried lemon peel or fresh lemon peel works, however, fresh lemon peel isn’t as strong as the dried form so double it up)
• Mortar and Pestle (or just slightly smash the seeds with a heavy and clean kitchen object of choice)
• A glass jar (mason jars are great for this)
• Dropper glass bottle

Instructions:

1. The ratio for making a fennel seed tincture is 2 ounces of seed per 2 cups of alcohol. Add some lemon peel for flavoring. I use approx. 1/2 tsp. dried lemon peel or for fresh: the peels of half of an organic lemon.
2. Slightly smash the fennel or anise seeds in a mortar and pestle. This will allow their natural medicinal components to come out.
3. Put the lemon peel and fennel seeds (or anise seeds) in a glass jar. Fill with the alcohol of choice, using the ratio mentioned in #1.
4. Put this glass jar in a dark cupboard for 4-6 weeks. 
5. Gently shake the jar every day (I usually only remember every other day, and that’s okay, too).
6. After the 4-6 weeks, strain out the seeds and pour the liquid into a new clean glass bottle. I usually fill a new mason jar (for the dark cupboard) and then put a little bit of the liquid in a glass dropper bottle to be used immediately (placed on a visible kitchen shelf where I see it and remember to take it).
7. The dose is 1/2 – 1 teaspoon of the fennel seed tincture daily for chronic issues. This is approx. 10-15 drops of the tincture.
8. You can put these drops on your tongue or add them to some warm water or juice.

IMPORTANT Note: Please talk to your naturopathic doctor to figure out if you can take this tincture and for how long you should keep taking it.

I hope you find relief from either this fennel seed infused tea or the fennel seed tincture! Check out the following herbalist books for more natural remedy ideas:

• Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health by Rosemary Gladstar
• Alchemy of Herbs by Rosalee de la Foret
• The Herbalist’s Healing Kitchen by Devon Young

More Natural Remedy Recipes:

• Ways to Use Echincea as a Natural Remedy
• How to Make a Sore Muscle Salve
• Hawthorn Recipes for the Heart
• Everything You Need to Know About Yarrow