Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare — also known as raziyane, sweet anise), contains essential oil and vitamins A, B, C, and E; anethole, fenchone, and pinene. Under normal conditions, it has no side effects; it is not recommended for pregnant women to consume in excess. Fennel is a plant that provides hormonal balance; it is especially recommended during menopause.

Benefits

  • Diuretic: Fennel seeds are boiled, sweetened with honey, and drunk.
  • Breast milk enhancer: Fennel seeds can be boiled and sweetened with honey; those with weight issues should drink it without sugar. If a mother drinks fennel tea during breastfeeding, the baby becomes gas-free and calm. It is also beneficial for hormonal development; its use during pregnancy is not recommended.
  • Liver obstruction: Fennel seeds are boiled, sweetened with honey, and continued to be drunk cold.
  • Eye strengthener: Fennel herb or seeds are boiled and continued to be drunk. The vitamin A it contains increases the eye's visual power.
  • Menstrual promoter: Fennel seeds are boiled, sweetened with honey, and drunk.
  • Clogged vessel opener: When fennel is boiled and continued to be drunk with honey or plain, it opens the liver channels.
  • Pain reliever: Fennel seeds are boiled, sweetened with honey, and drunk.
  • Poisoning antidote: If fennel seeds are boiled, sweetened with honey, and drunk, they act as an antidote for poisonous scorpion stings, etc.
  • Carminative: Fennel seeds are boiled, sweetened with honey, and drunk.
  • Digestion facilitator: Fennel seeds are boiled and continued to be drunk after meals.
  • Body strengthener: Fennel seeds are ground, made into a paste with honey, and continued to be consumed.
  • Weakness: Fennel seeds are boiled, sweetened with honey, and drunk.

Characteristics of the Plant

Fennel is a plant 1–1.5 meters tall, with yellow flowers and thread-like, segmented leaves. In the Aegean Region, its leaves and young shoots are eaten as salad. Its leaves have a wound-healing effect. The fact that a snake rubs its eyes on fennel herb when it wakes from hibernation and that this helps open its eyes is the oldest folk evidence that fennel is a medicinal plant for the eyes.

Fennel Tea for Breast Milk

If mothers drink fennel tea instead of feeding their children formula, their milk increases; thus, they can breastfeed their babies longer. It is brewed with 1 teaspoon of fennel per 1 large glass of water and drunk hot and without sugar.

Other benefits of fennel tea besides its breast milk enhancing effect:

  • Fennel tea, which passes to the baby through breast milk, alleviates colic pains in the baby.
  • It accelerates circulation.
  • It provides peace and regulates sleep.
  • It is recommended for stomach and intestinal disorders.
  • It is supportive in eliminating urinary tract infections.