Fennel is a plant that looks very much like dill, but has a bluish color to the stem and leaves. Its essential oil is used in perfumery, and its herbs are a well-known seasoning in cooking. But it is of greatest importance as a remedy that can relieve spasms in the intestines and reduce flatulence. This medicine is used in the form of tea.

Fennel tea and dill water

Among the people, fennel was called "pharmaceutical dill" for its resemblance to this garden herb. But these two plants have and similar properties.

Many people know the healing power of dill water, which is a decoction of the seed of this plant. You can cook it yourself, but it will be more effective to use a pharmacy product. And here comes the problem. The relevance of such a product has fallen significantly, and it can not be found in every pharmacy. But fennel (or, as it is sometimes called, fennel) tea, which is an analogue of dill water, is more widespread.

Such tea can be bought at a pharmacy or store.. It can be crumbly, intended for brewing in a teapot, or packaged in bags. The composition of both of these species is equally useful. Medicinal properties are provided by the components that make up the plant.

Fennel Ingredients

The plant is rich in beneficial ingredients, including:

• trace elements necessary for life;
• vitamins;
• protein;
• glucose;
• carotene.

These components have a healing effect on the body, have a beneficial effect on the processes in the intestines and stomach.

An infusion of fennel herbs improves the functioning of the digestive tract, relieves irritation, fights bloating. Therefore, it can be recommended to all persons suffering from these problems.

For nursing mothers, it is useful because of the ability to increase the amount of breast milk. Moreover, tea can be given even to newborns. Fennel tea for babies are used to achieve the following goals:

• to have a calming effect on the nervous system and improve children's sleep;
• increase the protective functions of the body;
• eliminate intestinal colic.

For the latter case, the tool is used most often. Although colic is not a disease, it is only a temporary difficulty that is quite capable of going away on its own without treatment, the child often cries because of them. To help the baby, you need to find a remedy that can fix the problem. Many have heard about the existence of tea for colic for newborns. And this is just a decoction of fennel.

The tool is very effective, but you need to remember that it alleviates colic and bloating that have already begun. If they are not, you should not give it to your child for prevention.

Contraindications

Unfortunately, not a single, even the most miraculous remedy, is not devoid of contraindications. Fennel was no exception. It is wrong to count it harmless to everyone. Some people may be allergic to this plant. This is especially true for babies.

To test the tolerance of fennel, you can try to use a very small amount of tea with the addition of fennel. If it is supposed to give a remedy to children, for the first time you need to limit yourself to a few drops of decoction, after which, for several hours, or better days, observe their condition. If there is even the slightest rash on the skin, tea will have to be abandoned. If they are not there, then you need to increase the dosage gradually to check if individual intolerance will appear later.

Also, a contraindication for drinking tea with fennel is epilepsy.

Recipes and ways to drink the drink

If there are no contraindications to drinking the drink, it remains only to prepare it correctly. To do this, you can use both the plant itself in fresh or dried form, and ready-made tea from a pharmacy or store. In general, these methods do not differ too much from each other, but still have small nuances.

plant decoction recipes

Healing infusion completely easy to cook on your own. For this, different parts of the plant are used: green stems and leaves, seeds and fennel fruits.

Using ready-made tea leaves

If tea is purchased in a store or pharmacy, then the tea leaves are poured into the teapot, or the bag is placed in a cup. Everything is poured with hot, but not boiling water with a temperature not exceeding 80 degrees. After that, the tea should be infused for several minutes. You can take the remedy when it has cooled down enough so that you can drink it without burning yourself. If it will be taken by a child, then the temperature of the drink should be checked by the parents: a few drops are applied to the wrist. If the hand is not hot, then the baby can already take the medicine.

As for the dosage, an adult can consume up to 3 cups of the drink per day. A newborn should not be given more than one teaspoon. After the first experience, you should definitely take a break and see how the body perceived the new product. If after it nothing hurts, no rashes appear on the skin, then you can slightly increase the dosage.

It is best to increase not the size of portions, but their number. So, if a positive effect is observed from taking the remedy, you can make it a rule to give the child a teaspoon of decoction three times a day before feeding, or add tea directly to the bottle with an artificial mixture.

A further increase in dosage is possible up to no more than 6 teaspoons per day and only after the child reaches the age of several months. But before you start drinking tea, you must carefully read the instructions and consult with the pediatrician observing the child.

Product selection rules

If you decide to buy ready-made tea leaves, you need to choose the right product. A low-quality drink can be caught not only in the supermarket, but also in the pharmacy. Therefore, it is necessary to carefully read the composition of tea indicated on the package. Fennel extract and glucose should be in the first place in it. You should refuse to purchase tea if it contains flavors or dyes, as well as gluten and sucrose.

The easiest way is to buy fennel tea from a good manufacturer who values ​​​​his reputation. In that case, the product will be natural and devoid of harmful impurities.

In addition to these brands, of course, there are others that are quite suitable for use. If you carefully read the composition and instructions, as well as follow all dosages, fennel tea can become an indispensable remedy for intestinal disorders.

Colic haunts many babies in the first months of life. They are associated with the unformed microflora of the gastrointestinal tract. Insufficient food processing leads to increased gas formation. Air bubbles stretch the walls of the intestines, causing severe pain to the crumbs. By 5-6 months, colic disappears. Before that, you can help the baby with the help of massage and carminatives. Fennel for newborns is one of them. We will understand the rules for using this product, and also find out if an allergy can occur to it.

useful plant

Fennel is a herbaceous plant belonging to the umbrella family and a relative of dill. All its parts (root and green shoots) have a spicy anise flavor and can be eaten. The composition of fennel includes vitamins (PP, E, K, A, C), essential oil, glycosides and mineral components.

The plant is very useful for babies, it:

• improves food digestion
• relieves spasm of intestinal smooth muscles
• eliminates gas formation
• calms the nervous system
• strengthens the immune system

For the treatment of colic, seeds, grass, fruits (roots) and essential oil are used. With them you can make a decoction, infusion or tea. Let's figure out how to make these drinks yourself. In addition, fennel baths are recommended for bathing babies with diaper rash and restless behavior.

Drink Recipes

Tea

Children's fennel infusion (tea) is prepared very simply. It is necessary to take the seeds (2-3 g), crush them in a mortar and pour boiling water (200 ml). After 30-60 minutes, the drink should be filtered through a strainer or gauze and add a little boiled water at room temperature to make 200 ml again.

Decoction

A decoction is made from the fruits (roots) of fennel. 5 g of raw materials should be finely chopped, pour 200 ml of boiling water, boil for 2 minutes and leave for 10 minutes. Then the drink needs to be filtered and cooled to a comfortable temperature.

Infusion

Above ground parts of the plant (herb) are also suitable for making an infusion. They can be brewed dry or fresh. 1 spoon of chopped greens should be poured with 100 ml of boiling water, insisted for 1 hour and filtered.

Dill water

Fennel for newborns is most effective in the form of "dill water". Despite its name, this water is made from an essential oil obtained by distilling fennel seeds. In Soviet times, it could be purchased in almost all pharmacies, but now it has become less accessible. Water is produced under various brand names, but is not cheap.

“Dill water” is prepared as follows: 0.05 g of fennel essential oil is dissolved in 1 liter of boiled (cooled) water. You can store this medicine for about 30 days in the refrigerator, shaking and warming up a little before use.

Treatment rules

Fennel is considered a safe food for toddlers as long as it is used in a reasonable dosage. The only possible side effect is an allergy in the form of a rash and itching. Giving children's infusion or decoction is required very carefully.

For problems with the tummy, fennel tea for newborns can be offered starting from the second week of life, after agreeing this with the pediatrician. On the first day, it is allowed to give the crumbs 0.5 teaspoon. If no allergy occurs, the dosage may be increased to 3 teaspoons per day: 1 spoon before each feeding. When the baby is one month old, the amount of infusion can be increased to 6 teaspoons per day.

An allergy to fennel sometimes does not appear immediately, but after 4-5 days of use. During this period, it is better for a nursing mother not to introduce new foods into her diet so that the reaction of the baby can be clearly monitored.

If negative consequences occur, you should immediately stop giving the baby a solution. If the allergy really worries him and does not go away for a long time, you may need to use antihistamines prescribed by your doctor.

Another important point in using fennel drinks is that they are best prepared immediately before use (the exception is “dill water”). The remaining children's tea can be drunk by mom. This will favorably affect lactation and the work of her digestive tract.

Pharmacy preparations

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Infant formulas containing fennel are available in the form of teas, dill water, and solution powders. They are sold in pharmacies.

Fennel tea for newborns is available in the form of granules ("Hipp") and filter bags ("Bebivita"). Instructions for preparing drinks are described on the packages. Usually you need to brew 1 teaspoon or 1 tea bag in a glass of boiling water, leave for 15-20 minutes and cool. The dosage does not differ from the above. It is important to choose products without artificial additives and sugar or its substitutes.

"Dill water", sold in pharmacies, may have a different concentration of essential oil. Its use (quantity and regularity) is determined by the instructions.

The most famous children's drug from fennel is Plantex. The medicine sachet contains dry powder from fennel fruit extract, essential oil, fragrance, lactose and glucose. The instruction informs about this method of preparation: one sachet is dissolved in 100 ml of milk or boiled water and shaken. This children's solution must be divided into 3 doses.

Soothing baths

The use of fennel is not limited to internal use. Adding its infusion to bathing water has a calming effect on the baby's nervous system and has a beneficial effect on the condition of his skin - it relieves irritation and reduces diaper rash.

The bath solution usually includes not only fennel, but also other medicinal herbs. Here are some recipes:

1. For bathing with nervous excitability. You will need fennel grass, chamomile flowers, 1 tablespoon each, marshmallow, wheatgrass and licorice roots, 2 tablespoons each.
2. For bathing with skin problems. Oregano, thyme, and crushed fennel seeds are required, 2 tablespoons each.

Infusions are prepared as follows: raw materials must be poured into a jar, pour a liter of boiling water, stand for several hours, filter and add to the bath.

Fennel tea for newborns is a useful and safe remedy for colic caused by bloating. In addition, the infusion of this plant is suitable for bathing the baby, it will help soothe him and remove diaper rash. But it is necessary to introduce herbal medicine into the diet and carry out water procedures with it with caution, some children are allergic to it.

Some drugs from the “for newborns” category sold in a pharmacy can be used not only in critical situations when the baby becomes ill, but also for preventive purposes. These include fennel tea for newborns, which has a lot of useful properties.

This spicy culture is akin to dill, and is used not only in cooking - it is also present in folk recipes. Adults drink tea with its seeds, trying to get rid of colic in the stomach, or going on a diet for weight loss. But to a greater extent, fennel tea is used for newborns.

Fennel Benefits

The composition of this culture contains such useful components as sugars, carotene, protein, essential oils, prebiotic inulin. There is a large set of microelements and vitamins (the amount of ascorbic acid is especially large). This set has a beneficial effect on many aspects.

• In the intestines, the microflora is normalized.
• Tea quickly relieves baby colic.
• Regular consumption of the drink maintains metabolic processes at the right level.
• It also promotes a good appetite.
• The drink is a good sedative for the nervous system.
• Fennel also helps to strengthen the immunity of a growing baby.

All these properties of a healing drink will affect the body of a newborn if you periodically drink herbal spiced tea as a preventive measure.

Varieties of teas

The "relative" of dill grows in garden beds for many. Housewives collect mature fennel seeds so that they can prepare a healing infusion at any time. But most citizens do not have such an opportunity, so they are forced to buy raw materials for tea. Someone will make a purchase from an herbalist grandmother who sells in the market, others will go to a pharmacy or a store where the spicy culture is sold in a civilized package.

It is these teas that are more preferable for babies, since the raw materials have passed all the necessary processing and have been supplemented with useful components, taking into account the child's body. Among them, 2 of the most popular products can be distinguished.

• Hipp tea - a drink that tastes and smells good, is made from varieties of a culture specially grown for this purpose. As part of this plant, there is much less estragole than in garden varieties, which makes the product more acceptable for newborns. But along with fennel, dextrose is included in the hipp, which is necessary for the baby for normal development.
• Humana Children's Herbal Tea also contains herbal ingredients. Compared to hipp, this product also contains lactose and maltodextrin, which can improve the intestinal microflora. So Humana is also an excellent remedy for dysbacteriosis.

Fennel tea for newborn hipp

You can look at the sale and some other tea composition, similar to hipp. In this case, attention should be paid to the description of the composition - it should not contain any dyes, preservatives, or sucrose. You can store opened packaging at home for no more than 3 months.

When to give fennel tea

Having fennel grains or tea bags on hand, a mother usually uses them to calm a crying baby in order to relieve painful colic in her tummy due to “raging” gas there. Someone tries with a warm drink to help the child cope with the pain caused by the growth of teeth. Tea also helps in cases where the baby is too excited and cannot fall asleep.

Fennel tea will help get rid of insomnia.

Pediatricians also recommend watering babies for the purpose of prevention, without waiting for health problems or insomnia to arise. It is enough to give the newborn tea before feeding, starting with a small dose and gradually increasing it with age.

You can give fennel tea to newborns from the first days of their lives, although some pediatricians recommend waiting a month. You need to start with a few drops. The maximum daily dose over time for the baby should not exceed 50 mg.

How to prepare a healing drink

To give your child delicious tea with fennel, you should not prepare a drink for the future - it must be freshly prepared. Tea is given to the baby only warm (no more than 37 ° C), but it is not recommended to reheat it when it has cooled down.

It is necessary to consider which product is used to prepare a healing drink. If the package contains granules, then it is enough to dilute the required amount with warm water according to the instructions indicated on the container. In the case of bags, they are brewed with boiling water and infused for about 5 minutes.

Those who prefer to use raw materials collected from the garden have their own recipes for making a fennel drink. Pre-seeds must be crushed and stored in a closed container.

We make tea with fennel correctly.

Classic recipe

1 tsp fruits are brewed with glasses of boiling water and infused for half an hour. Then the drink is filtered and cooled to the desired temperature. The baby can be given little by little as the tea itself, or added to breast milk or milk formula. The rest is recommended for mom to drink, as this drink is also useful for her (promotes lactation).

Older kids can add more lemon balm leaves, buckthorn fruits to this drink, if there are no contraindications from a pediatrician. By adding a little honey to tea, you can also use it to treat coughs.

Are there any contraindications?

Despite the fact that a fennel-based drink is quite useful, it is not recommended to abuse it. Before using it as a preventive measure for a newborn, you need to consult a pediatrician. Perhaps the baby has pathologies in which this spicy culture cannot be used (for example, heart problems or a predisposition to epilepsy).

Individual intolerance to the drug, manifested by allergic reactions, may occur. This is observed mainly in cases where seeds are taken from the garden to make tea. Special children's drinks based on fennel extract of the type described above have a soft composition, which is very well perceived by a small organism.

Having noticed the negative reaction of the baby to tea, this drink will have to be abandoned, after consulting with the doctor, which drug can replace the fennel product.

Almost every new mother is faced with such a problem as intestinal colic in her child. This condition is primarily associated with the peculiarities of the gastrointestinal tract of infants and the habituation of their body to self-digestion of food. According to pediatricians, the digestive system of newborn babies is characterized by "sterility" due to the fact that colonies of lacto- and bifidobacteria, which are necessary for proper digestion of food, gradually populate the intestines. And it happens that their place is "taken" by opportunistic microorganisms that prevent the normal processing of food. As a result, the baby develops bloating, intestinal colic, which entails such unpleasant manifestations as crying, anxiety and lack of appetite. In such a situation, naturally, each mother seeks to help her baby in different ways.

Despite the fact that at present the pharmaceutical market is represented by many different medicines that promise to save babies from increased gas formation and intestinal colic, many mothers still prefer to use more natural preparations that do not contain chemical additives and artificial components. These remedies include tea with fennel for newborns, which is also called dill water. We offer to talk about the features of the use of this tool, as well as how to brew fennel for newborns.

Indications for the use of fennel for newborns

The main indication for the use of this remedy is a violation of the function of the digestive system of the baby, namely, bloating and intestinal colic. Fennel tea for newborns effectively eliminates these symptoms and relieves the discomfort they cause. In addition, fennel for newborns has a positive effect on the formation of the baby's immunity, and also improves the functioning of his nervous system. And due to the content of a large amount of vitamin C in it, fennel promotes the absorption of such an important trace element as calcium by the child's body.

At present, on the basis of pharmacy dill, many special medicines are produced for colic in infants (for example, Plantex). At the same time, you can prepare such a healing drink yourself by purchasing fennel seeds at any pharmacy.

How to brew fennel for newborns?

Consider how to make fennel tea for a baby. So, to get this drink, you will need fennel seeds (dill), which must be crushed and pour boiling water at the rate of 2-3 grams per 1 glass of water. After that, the water should be allowed to brew for at least half an hour, and then it must be filtered.

According to fennel reviews for newborn experienced mothers, medicinal tea can also be prepared from fennel essential oil. To do this, dilute 0.05 g of ether in one liter of boiled water. You can store the resulting liquid for up to 1 month.

If it is not possible to buy fennel, mom can always replace it with regular dill. The recipe for such a drink from fresh herbs is quite simple: you need to pour 1 tablespoon of chopped dill with 0.5 cups of boiling water. After that, the water should be allowed to brew for 1 hour, and then strain.

If mom has no time to prepare a fennel drink, she can buy it at the pharmacy already ready-made. It is important to pay attention to the expiration date of such a medicine.

How to give fennel tea to a baby?

According to doctors, fennel can be used from the 2nd week of a baby's life. To do this, 1 teaspoon of tea should be diluted in breast milk or infant formula and offered to the child to drink before feeding. Also, mom can gently pour his peanut cheek with a syringe without a needle. If the baby will take this drink for the first time, then it is better to start with 2 teaspoons a day, gradually increasing its dosage to 5-6 tablespoons.

Parents need to carefully monitor the baby's reaction to this remedy, and in the absence of signs of intolerance, the use of fennel tea for newborns can be continued.

Contraindications to the use of fennel for newborns

In general, fennel tea is a fairly effective and safe remedy, which in most cases is ideal for babies in the first months of life. But it happens that its use does not always give the expected result: tea either does not help the child at all to get rid of the swelling that torments him, or it helps, but not for long. In addition, this tool in some situations can even negatively affect the well-being of the crumbs. So, according to reviews of fennel for newborns, this drug can sometimes cause various allergic manifestations in infants: rash, urticaria, abdominal pain, shortness of breath and even photodermatitis. Although, according to pediatricians, the described adverse reactions are very rare.

In any case, fennel tea has long established itself as an effective remedy for colic and abdominal pain in newborns. In addition, the mother can use it herself, since it improves digestion well, stimulates lactation, and also exhibits a slight sedative effect.

Surely, colic does not last forever. Often, for 3-4 months of a child's life, they stop, and the functioning of his digestive system is successfully improving. Until that time, fennel tea will be an excellent helper in the fight against such an unpleasant phenomenon that haunts neither the baby nor his parents.

Even the strongest and healthiest babies are not immune to digestive problems that lead to colic in the first months of life. Fennel for newborns is a real salvation and safe ambulance. A natural product is able to quickly remove unpleasant symptoms, alleviating the condition of the child. Of course, it will not speed up the formation of all the processes of the digestive tract and the formation of beneficial microflora, but in combination with massage it will quickly calm the baby. You just need to learn how to brew the product and give it to the baby so that there are no allergies or other unpleasant consequences.

The mechanism of action of the product and the expected effect

Fennel is one of the relatives of the most common dill. All its parts, which have a pleasant spicy aroma, are suitable for eating and preparing medicinal decoctions. The product contains numerous vitamins, mineral components, glycosides and essential oils.

The most impressive content of substances necessary for the normalization of the child's condition is noted in the dried seeds, roots and grass of the plant. It is from them that it is best to prepare a decoction, infusion or tea for newborns. At the same time, you can use essential oil, which is added to the bath when bathing babies. This helps to relax the baby and prevent diaper rash.

During the therapy, which is based on children's fennel tea, the following happens:

1. The spasm of the smooth muscles of the intestine is removed, due to which there are pronounced painful sensations.
2. Eliminates excess gas. The gas bubbles burst and are expelled naturally.
3. The process of digestion of food is normalized.

At the same time, the fennel drink relieves stress, calms the nervous system, and strengthens the baby's immune defenses. But, despite such pronounced positive results, it is better to coordinate such treatment with the local pediatrician.

Treatment rules and drink recipes

Although fennel for newborns is considered a safe therapy option, it must be introduced into the diet of a toddler very carefully. In case of an overdose, the infant may develop an allergic reaction in the form of an itchy rash. The product can be given to children from the second week of their life, limiting the first dose to half a teaspoon. The dose is gradually increased, reaching up to 3 teaspoons per day (1 before feeding).

Tip: Fennel is not a preventative, so don't give it to a child who doesn't suffer from colic. In some cases, this may not lead to negative consequences, but one cannot exclude the option of a kind of addiction to the product, due to which the child's digestion will be carried out without problems only if the tea is continued to be consumed.

Brewing the product is very simple, you just need to follow one of the following schemes:

• Tea. We take 2-3 g of fennel seeds, crush them in a mortar until a homogeneous powder is obtained (can be ground in a coffee grinder) and pour a glass of boiling water. We insist the product for 30-60 minutes, after which we filter through a double gauze. Add a little boiled water at room temperature so that you end up with a whole glass again.
• Decoction. 5 g of roots (fruits) of fennel finely chopped and pour a glass of boiling water. Then boil over medium heat for 2 minutes and insist under the lid for another 10 minutes. Next, filter the drink and cool to the desired temperature.
• Infusion. Grind the fennel herb and take in the amount of one tablespoon. Pour it with half a glass of boiling water, insist for an hour, after which we filter it and can give it to the baby.
• Dill water. It is prepared from the essential oil of fennel, despite its name. Translating milliliters into drops, you can seriously confuse with dosages, so it is better to initially purchase the product in finished form and store it in the refrigerator for a month. In general, 0.05 g of essential oil is used to prepare the composition, which is diluted in a liter of cooled boiled water.

It happens that an allergic response from the use of fennel appears only 4-5 days after the start of therapy. Therefore, it is not necessary at this time to introduce new products into the diet of the baby (and the nursing mother), so that there is no confusion with the cause of the reaction.

Common pharmaceutical preparations and their use in an integrated approach

Today, it is not necessary to bother with the preparation of the listed drinks, you can simply purchase ready-made children's tea or powder for preparing a medicinal solution. The greatest popularity and trust of mothers have earned products under the trademarks of Hipp, Humana, Bebivita. Instructions for preparing the compositions are on the packaging itself. Most often, recommendations come down to brewing a teaspoon or a sachet of the product in a glass of boiling water, infusing for 15-20 minutes and cooling to room temperature. The main thing is to give preference to drugs without the addition of sugar or its analogues.

To achieve the maximum effect from the treatment of colic, it is recommended to combine the use of fennel drinks with soothing baths with the addition of the same plant. In this case, the main component can be combined with other medicinal decoctions (chamomile, licorice, marshmallow root, wheatgrass, thyme, oregano). It is not necessary to carry out the manipulation daily, 1-2 times a week will be enough. The main thing is to adhere to the basic technical recommendations. We take a tablespoon of all the selected fees, pour them into one container and pour a liter of boiling water. After a couple of hours, filter the composition and add its liquid part to the water.

All fennel products, except dill water, should be given fresh to the newborn. The drink left after feeding the child can be consumed by the mother. This will allow her to improve her digestion and additionally provide the baby with useful components through breastfeeding.