Words on Wellness • Gathering Seeds
By Karin Uphoff
As I walk along Big River on a sparkling early autumn morning, the splashes of an otter family can be heard, as they slide down the muddy banks and tease each other into the water. Otter parents use play to teach their juveniles the serious business of how to feed themselves on fish, frogs and crayfish. Fall is a busy season for most temperate species whether migrating long distances or gathering and caching food. Humans get busy canning and drying summer produce or winter-proofing home before hoped-for winter rains come, and otters remind us of the importance of play. Integrating play into your day can boost emotional well-being, your creative process, healthy bonding, and getting things done in a joyful sprit.
I’m here gathering seeds, this time those of wild fennel (Foeniculum vulgare). The stalks are well over my head, and dried out, but their sweet scent of food and medicine carries down the trail. Fennel seed is an excellent addition to salads, curries, fish, and baking. For cooking and tea you can pick the dried or nearly dried seed heads and put them in a paper bag until fully dry. Then shake the heads and pull off the seeds catching them in the bag. Pour your catch into a bowl to sort out any unwanted material and store in a glass container.
Fennel seed is one of the most effective and pleasant digestive aids. Making a tea (simmer it for extra strength) or adding it to cooking, can reduce digestive cramping, gas and bloating. The volatile oils contained in the seed stimulate mucus membranes in the digestive tract, encouraging motility and peristalsis while also being antispasmodic to smooth muscle. The tincture or tea is effective for treating intestinal spasms that result from conditions like irritable bowel, ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease and leaky gut. Fennel tea is a favorite for nursing mothers trying to stimulate milk production and its digestive relief passes through breast milk, reducing infant colic. Fennel can relieve nausea, aiding recovery from stomach flu, food poisoning and hangovers. It is often added to formulas that address liver stagnation. The still-green seeds can be tinctured in a solution of glycerin and vodka for a month – play around by adding fresh ginger, peppermint and orange peel for a tasty and effective formula to ease indigestion.
Ed Note: Karin is away this month. We're pleased to bring you her column from October 2020.
