How Can This Ayurvedic Food Make You Feel Great?

AYURVEDIC ANALYSIS

Pick a random Indian restaurant in the United States, and you are more than likely to be greeted by a little bowl of bright green roasted fennel seeds, placed near the entrance door. You can toss a few in your mouth and chew on them as you scan the menu and place your order. As you wait for the food to arrive, these little seeds do their magic: perking up the palate, stimulating hunger, priming the digestive system. Enjoy the food at leisure, savoring each bite with awareness and relish. On your way out, feel free to help yourself to a few more seeds. Skip the breath mints tonight; fennel seeds function as excellent mouth fresheners and what's more, they aid the digestive process as well.

Digestive & Mouth Freshener

Sweet and stimulating, fennel possesses a unique combination of warming and cooling qualities that stimulate the appetite before meals and facilitate digestion afterward. Ate a little too much and feel bloated? Was the food a tad too spicy? Fennel relieves gas and bloating; it also functions to reduce burping, acid reflux, and alleviate nausea and indigestion. Fennel improves the digestive agni by stimulating blood flow to the stomach.

For Babies

Babies can experience relief from colic pains by drinking fennel water with sodium bicarbonate and glycerine. Fennel is estrogenic in nature, so it increases growth of breast tissue. It also has diaphoretic properties that increase the flow of milk in lactating mothers.

A Rare Cooling Spice

Although many spices are heating, fennel is tempered by a cool quality the calms the mind and increases clarity. As a diuretic it relieves Pitta, flushing and soothing burning sensations in the urinary tract and detoxifying the blood. Fennel has been shown to protect the liver of experimental animals from chemical toxicity.

Relieving Spasms

Fennel, like many aromatic herbs, is effective in relaxing smooth muscle spasms. It specifically relieves bronchial spasms in the lungs, colic in the GI tract and uterine cramping, thereby helping with diverse conditions from asthma to menstrual cramps. Fennel's aromatic quality also relaxes blood vessels and opens circulation, reducing swelling and pain. Its circulatory stimulating qualities are effective in countering rheumatism.

Other Uses

Many lung formulas utilize fennel to clear phlegm and relieve cough. Ancient Romans regarded fennel as the herb of sight and rightly so, for root extracts of fennel have been used to clear cloudiness of the eyes and cure glaucoma.

In Chinese medicine, fennel has the properties of soothing liver Qi, warming the kidney, expelling cold and alleviating pain. It specifically regulates & harmonizes stomach Qi. Like licorice and cardamom, it may be used to help harmonize other formulas. Western herbalists use fennel for its anti-cancer properties.

ABOUT FENNEL SEEDS

Cool and soothing, verdant and fragrant, fennel is a member of the carrot family that includes other popular spices such as cumin, coriander, dill and celery. Fennel is used as a flavoring in some natural toothpastes and mouth fresheners. Fennel seeds may be confused with those of anise; however anise seeds are smaller in size. Cuisines of India, Iran, Afghanistan and the Middle East feature fennel seeds prominently. In many parts of India and Pakistan, roasted fennel seeds are consumed as after-meal digestive and breath freshener. India leads worldwide in production of fennel.

BUYING & PREPARATION

Fennel fronds are delicate in flavor and resemble dill. Fresh fennel seeds are brown/green in color but as they age, the color changes to a dull grey. Store fennel seeds in the refrigerator to retain their freshness for a longer period.

COOKING FENNEL SEEDS

Browse Recipes Be it a warming cup of tea or a piquant 5-spice mix, a simple salad with crisp cabbage shreds and matchstick carrots or an elaborate curry preparation with butternut squash, peppers and coconut, fennel seeds add their own little fragrant punch, distinctive and bright in flavor. Fennel fronds cook up in minutes and can be added to lentils, leafy greens, summer slaws, lettuce and arugula salads, etc. In Syria and Lebanon, fennel is used in combination with flour and onions to prepare a special kind of omelette. Many sausage and pickle recipes employ fennel as a flavoring ingredient. The fennel bulb is often sliced thin and eaten braised, marinated or even raw. Fennel sugar candies provide the perfect sweet ending to a meal, popular with adults and children alike.

WHY EAT AN AYURVEDIC DIET?

Eating Ayurvedically makes you feel nourished and energized. An Ayurvedic diet is tailored to your individual body type and the specific imbalances you are working with at any given time. Ayurveda shows you your specific body type’s needs and what should be favored in your Ayurvedic menu. Watch as you eat less but feel more satisfied because what you are eating truly nourishes you. Since Ayurveda believes all disease begins in the digestive tract, food is your first medicine. By eating a healthy diet that’s ideal for your body, you experience optimal health.

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Are Fennel Seeds Good for My Ayurvedic Diet?

Find out by taking this free, easy quiz. You'll learn your body type, and whether Fennel Seeds is a good fit for you. Time to complete: approximately 1 minute.

AYURVEDIC MEDICINAL BIOCHARACTERISTICS

What is the biocharacteristic theory of medicine?

INCREASES Increases These Biocharacteristics (Gunas) Functional Ayurveda helps you assess imbalances through 20 main biocharacteristics (gunas). Aggravating these characteristics weakens your body and causes imbalance. By knowing which characteristics are habitually imbalanced in your body, you will be able to identify and correct imbalances before you get sick. Every characteristic has an opposite which balances it (i.e. hot balances cold). You restore balance by favoring diet and lifestyle choices that increase the opposite characteristic. Learn More	CLEAR ABOUT CLEAR BIOCHARACTERISTIC Clear refers to anything that cleanses or flushes out wastes, or that digests ama. LEARN MORE ABOUT CLEAR COLD ABOUT COLD BIOCHARACTERISTIC Cold refers to anything that reduces body temperature, metabolism, and blood flow. LEARN MORE ABOUT COLD DRY ABOUT DRY BIOCHARACTERISTIC Dry is identified by lack of moisture, lack of fat, or anything that causes diuresis. LEARN MORE ABOUT DRY EASY ABOUT EASY BIOCHARACTERISTIC Easy refers to anything easy to digest, or digests quickly. LEARN MORE ABOUT EASY LIGHT ABOUT LIGHT BIOCHARACTERISTIC Lightness is identified by reduced weight. LEARN MORE ABOUT LIGHT
TASTES The 6 Tastes Taste is used to sense the most basic properties and effects of food. Each taste has a specific medicinal effect on your body. Cravings for food with certain tastes indicate your body is craving specific medicinal results from food. Taste is experienced on the tongue and represents your body's reaction to foods. Sweet taste causes physical satisfaction and attraction whereas bitter taste causes discomfort and aversion. Kapha should use less sweet taste while Vata and Pitta would benefit from using more sweet taste. One of the first signs of illness is that your taste and appetite for food changes. The six tastes are sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, and astringent. Do you crave foods with any of the tastes below? Learn More	PUNGENT ABOUT PUNGENT BIOCHARACTERISTIC Pungency is characterized by irritation, or sharp, spicy foods that irritate the mouth such as black pepper. LEARN MORE ABOUT PUNGENT
DOSHAS The Three Doshas / Body Types According to the biocharacteristic theory of medicine, people tend to get sick, over and over again, due to habitual causes and imbalances that are unique to the person. Your body type summarizes this tendency, showing you the 'type' of conditions and imbalances that frequently challenge your health & wellness. Using body type, you can also identify remedies likely to improve your strength and resiliency. Your body type identifies physical and mental characteristics as well as your personal strengths and weaknesses. The calculation of your body type is based on your medical history. The 3 functional body types (doshas), are Catabolic (Vata), Metabolic (Pitta), and Anabolic (Kapha). Catabolic individuals tend to break down body mass into energy. Metabolic individuals tend to burn or use energy. Anabolic individuals tend to store energy as body mass. Catabolic people tend to be easily stimulated, hyperactive, underweight and dry. Metabolic people tend to be rosy-cheeked, easily irritated, focused, driven, and easily inflamed. Anabolic people are heavy, stable and grounded, but if they store too much energy, they could gain weight easily and have congestion. Learn More	PACIFIES
HAS THE FOLLOWING	EFFECT: Prana PRANA Prana is the Sanskrit word for vital life energy, similar to Qi in Chinese Medicine. Many herbs stimulate your energy, or improve the flow of prana through your body. Generally, prana needs to be increased in spring after a sleepy winter. LEARN MORE ABOUT PRANA , Sattvic SATTVIC Sattvic foods promote awareness and a refreshed mind by nourishing the body without taxing digestion. Sattvic foods do not stimulate desire or nervous energy. They create clarity instead of drowsiness or heaviness. LEARN MORE ABOUT SATTVIC , Alkalizing ALKALIZING An herb or food that makes the urine more alkaline (higher pH). This herbal action can be helpful for a number of inflammatory conditions. LEARN MORE ABOUT ALKALIZING TYPE: Spices ELEMENT: Air AIR Resembles air (vayu) in quality - highly mobile, drying, light, cold, subtle, rough. LEARN MORE ABOUT AIR SUBTASTE: Aromatic AROMATIC Herbs or spices with volatile essential oils that present strong aromas. Aromatic oils shock, refresh and numb tissue, with the end result of relaxing, opening and clearing stagnant fluids in tissues. LEARN MORE ABOUT AROMATIC COLOR: Green

MEDICINAL PROPERTIES

Experiences are Personal

Experiences vary according to the person and constitution. Individual results may vary. The list of herbal-actions below has not be approved by the FDA and should not be used to treat a medical condition.

Here are the herbal actions of Fennel Seeds:

Digestion:

Antispasmodic

ANTISPASMODIC

Herbs that reduce or inhibit muscle spasms or cramping, such as in asthma, colic or IBS.

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Appetizer

APPETIZER

Herbs that cleanse the palate & stimulate hunger or desire to eat.

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Carminative

CARMINATIVE

Stimulates the release of gas. Helpful for bloating or cramping abdominal pain. Propels food downward.

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Digestive

DIGESTIVE

Herbs that encourage healthy digestion.

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Spleen Tonic

SPLEEN-TONIC

An herb that strengthens spleen function by improving strength of the blood. Spleen tonics Builds agni, brighten the person's appearances & firms up tissues.

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Stomachic

STOMACHIC

An herb that increases appetite or settles a nauseas or nervous stomach. These generally increase the digestive fire, therefore relieving symptoms of sluggish or difficult digestion.

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Cleanse and Detox:

Burns Toxins

BURNS-TOXINS

An herb that detoxifies by helping your body metabolize toxins, as opposed to eliminating them.

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Detoxicant

DETOXICANT

An herb that eliminates or metabolizes toxins from the body.

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Energy Vitality Strength:

Stimulates energy

STIMULATES-ENERGY

This category groups thyroid and adrenal stimulating herbs

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Heart & Circulation:

Cardiac stimulant

CARDIAC-STIMULANT

Herbs that increase the heart rate. Useful in cardiovascular health, blood stagnation, and subjective feeling of heaviness in the chest area.

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Kidney & Urinary:

Diuretic

DIURETIC

Herbs that promote urine formation, thereby flushing the kidneys and urinary tract while eliminating any excess water retention. As diuretics reduce water retention, they are often used to reduce blood pressure.

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Lung and Sinus:

Lung Tonic

LUNG-TONIC

Strengthens the lungs. These herbs are helpful when recovering from either acute or chronic lung issues like bronchitis or pneumonia.

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Antitussive

ANTITUSSIVE

Cough suppressant, particularly for dry coughs or a tickle in your throat.

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Decongestant

DECONGESTANT

An herb that reduces mucus congestion in the sinus or lungs by restricting blood flow to mucus membranes.

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Expectorant

EXPECTORANT

Herbs that help you cough up and eliminate mucus. These herbs often work by increasing the quantity of mucus, or thinning the mucus.

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Mind, Stress & Sleep:

Brain Tonic

BRAIN-TONIC

An herb that strengthens the brain, thereby improves either mental function, stamina, or stability.

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Reproductive Health:

Galactagogue

GALACTAGOGUE

Increases production of breast milk.

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Joyful Belly is a recognized school of biocharacteristics medicine.