Whether from land or sea, fennel has been making waves since the dawn of time... or almost. Harvested in autumn, its beneficial anise-flavored seeds leave no one indifferent, and for good reason: they go perfectly with our stomachs.
A distant cousin of the carrot, fennel is a perennial herbaceous plant (from the Apiaceae family) that grows wild.
At the end of its stems, tiny yellow flowers give rise to fruit: these are the famous fennel seeds .
To avoid returning home empty-handed, here's a tip: follow the sun! Because even though it's now grown in all temperate regions of the globe, wild fennel loves the Mediterranean climate.
"The juice, put in the eyes, improves vision, and in the ear, kills the worms that develop there." When Pedanius Dioscorides, a Greek physician, pharmacologist and botanist of the 1st century AD, speaks of fennel, we understand how much he loved this aromatic plant. Don't try to put our Fennel infusion in your eyes or ear, just drink it to enjoy its many benefits.
Fennel seeds are the perfect ally for good digestion and are used to stop bloating, soothe stomach aches and stimulate the appetite. That's for the stomach part!
But fennel doesn't stop there. Fennel is also an ally of lactation , it promotes weight loss and helps fight conjunctivitis: Dioscorides was right!
Known as Criste Marine, sea fennel loves to drink! This marine plant with long green leaves and small yellow or green flowers thrives amidst the cliffs of the Atlantic Ocean, in the waters of the Mediterranean Sea, and on the rocks of the Black Sea.
It has long since caught the eye of sailors, who used it to prevent scurvy during long boat journeys. In the 18th century, in the Dictionnaire de Trévoux, it is said of the Criste Marine that it "is good for the stomach and to stimulate the appetite; it also makes you urinate and opens obstructions" . Those who still know it today and do not miss an opportunity to pick it at the beginning of summer know it well: sea fennel has nothing to envy of its terrestrial cousin!
Rich in vitamin C and minerals, Criste Marine is not only a good diuretic but also an ally of digestion.
But despite all its qualities, sea fennel has been overtaken by land fennel, and you won't find it in burrow fennel teas . Alpine marmots don't have sea legs!
Fennel herbal teas
