Holistic Health - Food as Medicine - Fennel

Food as Medicine — Day 7: Fennel, The Gentle Gut Guardian

Hello My Beautiful Wildings

We’ve reached the final day of our Food as Medicine series. Over the last week or so, we’ve journeyed with fiery roots, cooling herbs, grounding spices, and soft florals… and now, we close with a gentle, loving ally.

Fennel - delicate, sweet, and full of quiet power, has long been a friend to the gut and nervous system. She doesn’t shout; she soothes.

Herb or Spice of the Day – Fennel

Fennel seeds have been used for thousands of years to support digestion and bring ease to the belly. In many cultures, a few fennel seeds after a meal is a daily ritual.

Key Benefits:

• Physical: Supports digestion, eases bloating, calms cramping, can freshen breath, gently supports hormone balance.

• Emotional/Mental: Soothing, grounding, helps ease anxious energy stored in the gut.

• Energetic: Connected to the solar plexus and sacral chakras, supporting confidence, flow, and gentle inner warmth.

  
  

Wild Queen Tip:  Fennel is a beautiful herb to reach for when you want to feel nourished and supported without overstimulating your system. It’s like a soft hand on your belly saying, “I’ve got you.”

Tea Time for Healing – Sweet Belly Tea

Fennel makes a light, sweet, and comforting tea that soothes digestion and calms the nervous system.

Sweet Belly Tea 

• 1 tsp lightly crushed fennel seeds

• ½ tsp chamomile (optional, for extra calm)

• Hot water

  
  

How to make it:

1. Gently crush fennel seeds to release their oils.

2. Add to your mug, pour over hot water, and steep for 7–10 minutes.

3. Strain and sip slowly after meals or before bed.

Why it helps: Fennel relaxes the muscles in the digestive tract, reduces bloating, and can gently ease tension held in the gut.

Kitchen Pharmacy – Everyday Magic in Your Meals

Fennel is beautiful in both sweet and savoury dishes. Its subtle anise flavour adds lightness without overpowering.

Simple ways to use fennel:

• Chew a few seeds after a meal to freshen breath and aid digestion.

• Add to soups, curries, or roasted vegetables.

• Use ground fennel in spice blends for warmth without heat.

• Brew into broths or infuse in honey for a soft digestive tonic.

You could make a simple fennel seed and lemon broth - light, bright, and so gentle on the gut

Ideas on what you could Eat in a Day – Energy & Balance

Here’s how fennel can flow through your day:

• Morning: Warm fennel tea to gently wake your belly.

• Lunch: Roasted veggies with a fennel seed sprinkle for subtle flavour.

• Afternoon: Sweet Belly Tea, light, calming, grounding.

• Evening: Lemon fennel broth to support digestion and soothe your system.

Fennel is a quiet companion, not fiery, not cooling, but balanced. She steadies the rhythm of your body.

Gut Feelings – Tuning In to Your Second Brain

Fennel is a true gut ally, working gently to support healthy digestion and ease discomfort.

Why it matters:

• When the gut is calm, the nervous system softens.

• Gentle herbs help us cultivate a relationship with our body that’s rooted in care, not control.

• Fennel’s sweetness invites ease, reminding us that healing doesn’t have to be intense.

  
  

Mini Practice: Bring your hands to your lower belly. Take a soft, steady breath. Imagine sweet, golden light swirling gently in your centre, calm, warm, and held.

Reflection – Integration & Intuition

As we close this 7-day herbal journey, reflect with me:

How does your body feel after these daily herbal rituals? Which herbs spoke the loudest to you? Which ones whispered softly but stayed with you? How might you keep weaving these allies into your daily rhythm?

This isn’t the end, Wildings — it’s the beginning of your own kitchen apothecary.

Final Thoughts

Fennel is a gentle reminder that healing can be soft, sweet, and deeply supportive. She closes this chapter with a warm, nurturing hand on your belly, a whisper of, “You’re safe here.”

“May your herbs and spices be your allies, your kitchen your temple, and your body your guide.”

Sending Light and Love, 💗🧚‍♀️💜

Cindy Amess | Wild Queen Spiritual