Fennel seeds - 小茴香 (Xiao Hui Xiang)
Fennel Fruit
小茴香
Xiao Hui Xiang·Graines de Fenouil
Foeniculi Fructus
- Traced and verified origin
- Dispatched within 24/48h, packed to order
- Kept away from light and moisture
According to the classical texts
散寒止痛 理气和胃
Pinyin
San Han Zhi Tong · Li Qi He Wei
Overview
The fennel seeds (Foeniculum vulgare), not to be confused with Da Hui Xiang, which denotes star anise, are harvested at the end of summer when the umbels have ripened.
Small, ovoid, marked with five parallel ribs, they give off that characteristic sweet aniseed scent.
Used everywhere in Mediterranean and Asian cookery, they also have their place in the orthodox Chinese pharmacopoeia.
Traditional uses
Traditionally used to warm the Water Phase in its Yang dimension and the lower part of the body, within the register of the harmony of the Blood’s rhythms where cold has a part, and to quiet the tensions of the belly under cold stagnation.
Preparation and traditional-use quantity
- Decoction: 3 to 6 g, simmer for 15 minutes
- After-meal infusion: 1 teaspoon, lightly crushed, in a cup of water at a simmer, 10 minutes — a classic after meals
- Salt preparation (Yan Xiao Hui Xiang): the traditional version, which points the action towards the lower region
- Sichuan cooking: added to long-simmered broths or to marinades
Precautions
To be avoided in cases of settled heat or of deeply deficient . Otherwise a mild herb.
