Lavender & Fennel Herbal Tea

Recipe: Lavender & Fennel Herbal Tea

Lavender & Fennel Herbal Tea is a home made infused herbal tea whereby I’ve added culinary lavender buds, some fennel seeds, organic rose petals and mint to create a comforting and sleep inducing herbal tea. Making this flavourful natural herbal tea is so easy. Tastes better than the ready made herbal tea bags that are available in the market. And they tend to be expensive and not too flavourful.

 

Sharing Lavender & Fennel Herbal Tea Recipe With FoodieMonday/ Bloghop Group

The 263rd theme is Herbal And Healthy. Aruna suggested that we make herbal tea or concoctions(kadha) that are good for health. Immediately, I thought of sharing a herbal tea that is helping me during this Covid Pandemic time. Many worry about coughs and colds and accordingly have concoctions to combat it but mental health is fast becoming an issue when people are cooped up at home. I’ve started drinking lavender & fennel tea every day before bedtime and it’s helping me immensely. It calms me down and induces sleep.

Aruna blogs at Vasus Veg Kitchen. Her blog is a treasure trove of dishes from Andhra Pradesh. Her recent Chocolate and Custard Jelly Cake is what I’d love to try out. The dessert looks so tempting.

 

What Is A Herbal Tea?

Also known as tisane (pronounces as tee- zaen), herbal teas are beverages. The concoction or infusion is prepared by adding natural ingredients to hot water. In reality, Herbal Teas are not ‘true’ teas as no tea leaves, black, green or white are used to prepare it. However, these days we find that natural ingredients like flowers, herbs, spices, etc are paired with green tea and they are labelled as herbal tea. These herbal teas are prepared with a perfect balance of the natural ingredients.

 

What Ingredients can be used to prepare herbal tea?

Fresh or Dried Flowers 

like rose, chamomile, lavender, chrysanthemum, butterfly pea flower, hibiscus, lime blossom, dandelion, borage, marigold, moringa flowers, are a few examples.

Roots 

ginger, turmeric, ashwagandha, licorice, dandelion root, maca (Peruvian ginseng), ginseng, sarsaparilla are some of the roots I know.

Leaves 

mint, tulsi, basil, thyme, rosemary, dill, catnip, fennel, lemongrass, lemon balm, sage, stevia, coriander, olive leaf, eucalyptus, pandan, neem, tea, etc

Berries 

strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, goji, juniper berries, elderberry, turkey berry, hawthorn berries, cranberries, redcurrant, sumac etc.

Spices 

cinnamon, clove, cardamom, saffron, fennel seeds, dill seeds, caraway seeds, cumin seeds, carom seeds, coriander, vanilla, fenugreek

Peels

dried orange, lemon and lime peels, etc

Fruits 

bael, lemon, orange, passion fruit, mango, apple, pear, above mentioned berries, etc

Beans/Grains 

Coffee beans, cocoa nibs, barley, millet, wheat.

 

Grandma’s Nuska – Grandma’s remedies

India is pretty famous for having a herbal solution for every ailment. Whether some work or not, these grandmother’s herbal concoctions do not harm as they are made from natural ingredients. Obviously, organic ones are best. By that I mean free from pesticides and chemical fertilizers.

I’ve grown up having haldi ka doodh or turmeric milk for colds and coughs. Don’t think there is an Indian home without their version of this famous herbal preparation.

Ajwain water for tummy aches with a pinch of asafetida – ajwain is boiled in water, allowed to cool till its warm. Add a pinch of asafetida. Drinking this mixture helps to settle the tummy and gets rid of bloodiness.

Fenugreek tea for menstrual cramps or backaches. Fenugreek seeds are soaked overnight in water. Drink the tea with the seeds first thing in the morning.

Tulsi Tea – Fresh Tulsi leaves are boiled in water. Fresh turmeric or turmeric powder and pepper is added to the boiling water. Strain the mixture and sip it will its still hot. Tulsi tea is good for coughs.

Neem Tea – Whenever we fell sick my MIL (Nunu) would get some neem leaves, boil them for 5-10 minutes and allow the leaves to infuse till the mixture cools down. The liquid is strained, some honey is added and its drunk like a shot.. down it in one gulp as its really bitter. Neem Tea gets rid of any tummy bugs, reduces fever and is very good for diabetics.

Try out Aruna’s Immunity boosting Ginger and Lemon Green Tea

Lemongrass Fruity Tea – is good when you have cold and cough, helps to boost metabolism and is good for digestion.

Kadha or Herbal Spicy Tea – for coughs, colds and flu.

 

My Sleep Pattern

The whole issue of being cooped up at home because of the Covid Pandemic, the boring routine life have recently been affecting my sleep pattern. I’ve tried warm milk with turmeric, tried counting sheep, tried Nidra yoga, meditation, soothing music, but I get up within a few minutes. It is literally like taking a catnap! Then the whole night I’m tossing and turning. When it is time for the world to wake up I want to curl up and go to sleep. As suggested by my family, have the occasional glass of red wine, but doesn’t work. I had to break this erratic behavior and so for the past three weeks have been enjoying Lavender and Fennel Tea. While the tea is still hot, I take in the aroma and then sip. It is better than getting hooked onto sleeping pills. I sip on the hot infusion and feel so relaxed.

 

Is Lavender & Fennel Tea Helping?

Don’t know whether its the whole idea of sipping  hot herbal tea, or it is the lavender and fennel doing their job. I find myself more relaxed and the brain has stopped working overtime at night. Sleep patterns are slowing changing so I will continue with this herbal tea. However, only snag is that now I’m running out of lavender buds.

 

 

 

Ingredients Required For Lavender & Fennel Tea 

Lavender Buds

Make sure you use the culinary ones (Lavandula angustifolia  or better known as English Lavender). Don’t add too much otherwise your herbal tea will taste like soap! Lavender helps to improve mood as it helps with anxiety, depression and fatigue. It has the ability to calm the mind.

Fennel Seeds

Also known as saunf, valiyari. Works in a similar way as lavender. It has a calming effect, relaxes the muscles and treats insomnia. It also helps to suppress the appetite so prevents late night bingeing.

Mint Leaves

I add mint to the herbal tea as it relieves clogged sinuses. And is believed that it helps to induce sleep. Also good for digestion.

Rose Petals

Make sure they are organic. I got mine from my aunt’s garden. Rose petals are aromatic, help to calm the mind and a great source of antioxidants. In India I get organic rose petals from Amazon.

Honey

Not only does it act as a natural sweetener but also contains tryptophan, a hormone used to feel relaxed. In addition, it sends signals to the brain to relax and doze off. One teaspoon helps a lot.

 

 

 

 

 

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A Small Request:

If you do try this recipe then please either

• add a comment below,
• send a picture to my email mayuri.ajay.patel62@gmail.com
•  tag me as #mayuri_jikoni on Instagram