If someone is suffering with an overgrowth of the intestinal yeast Candida albicans, it is highly likely that along with symptoms of fatigue and aching muscles they also experience problems with digestion, including indigestion, wind and bloating.
However, with Christmas dinners upon us, it may not just be people with Candida that need some digestive support! If a big meal is accompanied by indigestion and bloating you may well want to have some fennel tea to hand.
You can buy fennel tea in teabag form, which uses crushed fennel seeds. The seeds are high in volatile oil compounds, which are thought to provide antispasmodic and anti-inflammatory properties. Many people find that drinking fennel tea regularly helps lessen the occurrence of both bloating and flatulence. The beneficial compounds within the tea help relax the smooth muscles of the gastrointestinal tract helping reduce bloating and wind. In encouraging good movement of food through the digestive tract, the opportunity for food to ferment and putrefy in the colon is reduced, thus helping to diminish the likelihood of flatulence.
Fennel seeds might also help stimulate bile flow, which is vital for digestion and the absorption of fats particularly.
A 2014 review paper by Badgujar et al, lists a number of additional benefits of fennel. These include antimicrobial and antiviral activities, and also expectorant activity. Fennel seeds “stimulate the contraction of the smooth muscles of the trachea, an action that could facilitate the expectoration of mucus, bacteria, and other corpuscles extraneous to the respiratory tracts.”
So, if you are struggling with the cough and cold virus, you may well appreciate sipping on fennel tea.
Why not pick up a pack of fennel tea and use it as a regular, refreshing after-dinner drink?
