This week, on 4/27/26, we meditated with Fennel, Foeniculum vulgare. As always we taste this tea without knowing the identity of the herb to reduce potential bias. 

Initial Impressions

This herb has a sweet smell when dry. The tea smelled sweet, but tasted sour, with a little spicy (x1) and like paper (x1). 

Fennel photograph by Елена Кузьмина

Meditation

•Multiple participants felt this enhanced their third eye focus. 

•I had a stomach ache going into the meditation and passed some gas shortly after drinking the tea, which was relieving. 

•My lungs felt clearer (I was not having noticeable trouble before the herb).

•This felt comforting, enveloping.

•Feeling sad, exhausted (like 10 of swords, nothing left that can be done). 

•My mood is fairly neutral. 

•I felt drying of irritation in the back of my throat.

•Tension in my lower abdomen, which felt muscular rather than digestive or being related to reproductive organs). 

Visions:

•I saw a picture of a camera and heard the shutter sound.

•I was walking along, the forest was on one side, and a plane of short grass on the other. I touched the trees as I walked. It felt like inside the trees/forest, there was a treasure. If I could get in, but something was blocking me. I reached between the trees and saw brightness and treasure. After a while, I was able to climb on top of the trees and then down into the center of the forest. There was a pool of liquid gold. I dipped my hand in and got a handful. Light was going up my arm. I felt like I was being reborn.

Summary and Traditional Use

In Ayurvedic tradition, fennel is considered sattvic and calming to all three doshas. It brings calm without being stimulating or sedating, facilitating clear thinking and meditation.

Fennel is well known for supporting digestion-it is categorized as a stomachic and carminative, stimulating digestion, and relieving indigestion and gas. It is traditionally chewed after meals in India and Italy, and taken as a tea after meals in Greece, Ethiopia, the Middle East, and not uncommonly in France. It provides mild to moderate support for diarrhea and vomiting (including morning sickness). It has antispasmodic properties that impact the uterus (menstrual cramp support) and smooth muscles in the digestive tract. It is considered a reproductive health rejuvenator across the gender spectrum.

It provides gentle respiratory support. It is very helpful in my General Health Tonic tea, which I hear great feedback on, in particular for people at the onset of a cold. 

As a flower essence, it shows its 'golden' properties matching its blossoms. It is considered a very supportive, if not magical, essence for making transitions--whether physical (big moves, puberty, menopause) or energetic, such as shedding strong negativity from others, things you need to transcend, or leave behind. It can be helpful if you are experiencing nausea as you transform energetically. 

Fennel grows well in sunny fields and rocky, disturbed soil. It is invasive along the west coast from California to Washington. It's fun to graze on and makes a great food herb. If you are going through some tough times, or just need to clear out your gut and mind, try some palliative fennel. 

Invitation

Have you worked with fennel? Please describe any dandelion impressions in the comments below. Join the Plant Meditation Club!