Recipe: Garden Herbal Tea for an Upset Stomach

For those with food allergies and autoimmune disease, stomach pain and body aches are a common symptom. When looking for healthy solutions to manage symptoms from home, families may want to consider heading to the kitchen.

Pain management can take many forms, including topical, ingested, prescribed and others. There are a few herbs and possible weeds that will grow in the backyard or herb garden to help with pain relief. Not so long ago, making a tisane at home was commonplace. Many would visit grandma for a cup of healing tea, while some may have ventured out to see the wise woman on the edge of town for relief, where she would walk through her yard or garden and harvest a blend of herbs to assist with relief.

A tisane is made from ingredients such as herbs, flowers, fruit, bark and roots. Tisanes do not actually include any tea, as true tea is made from leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. Tisane is a French word for herbal infusion. Popular tisanes found at the grocery store include Rooibos and yerba mate.

Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) can be easily grown as a perennial herb or annual bulb. The bulb fennel is also known as anise fennel because it has a licorice flavor. Planting the bulbs in the spring and fall provides two annual harvests. Use the stem in brewing the tisane. Fennel has been used for many years in the herbal community to assist with gastrointestinal distress, congestion and menstrual cramps.

Anise hyssop (Agastache foeniculum) is a perennial that bursts into bloom from June to late fall and produces a licorice flavor. Native Americans prized anise hyssop for its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory herbal properties which can assist with relieving congestion, reduce fevers and alleviate diarrhea.

Tummy Troubles Tea

Yield: 3 to 4 cups

1 Tbsp fresh ginger, mashed

½ Tbsp lemon zest

1 Tbsp fennel (thinly sliced stem)

1 Tbsp fresh anise hyssop leaves
    or ½ Tbsp dried

Boil water, add tea ingredients and then steep for 3-5 minutes. Strain tisane leaves, pour tea into a mug and serve with local honey. Enjoy warm for additional healing benefits.

Recipe courtesy of Tiffany Hinton, GFMomCertified. For more information, visit GFMomCertified.com. Connect on social media
@gfmomcertified.