Cabbage-Is-My-Friend Tea

If you read this blog much then you'll notice an influx of cabbage over the last week or so. This is partly due to lots of delicious cabbage-y Croatian recipes, and partly due to the fact that we had lots of cabbage left over from all out Croatian cabbage cooking to use up. Now, cabbage is delicious - however, there is a catch and you all know what it is. So, in order to address this problem I have devised this carminative tea of fennel seeds, caraway seeds and fenugreek which is not only delicious but eases the digestion and allows you to eat as much cabbage as you like without stinking out the whole world. Hurray!

Not only is this tea carminative but it's also very good for you in other regards as well - because all these ingredients have fantastic properties which can be beneficial to your health*:

Fennel Seeds:

1) Can be a great source of antioxidants, amino acids, fatty acids, vitamins (including B group), as well as calcium, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, folate, molybdenum and many other useful elements and nutrients.

2) Has been shown to produce anti-spasmodic, pain-reducing and fever-reducing effects

3) Can help stimulate milk flow in breast feeding women

4) Is a natural treatment for problems of digestion - including bloating, flatulence, constipation, IBS, cramping and pain of the abdomen

5) Can help regulate oestrogen in women and alleviate PMS symptoms

6) Can act as an aphrodisiac and increase libido

7) Is an effective weight loss aid

Caraway Seeds:

1) Treat digestive disorders such as diarrhoea, colic, flatulance, cramps and poor appetite.

2) Can help ease cramps during the menstrual cycle and can act as a natural pain reliever for dysmenorrhoea (period pain)

3) Can increase the production of milk in breastfeeding women

4) Can help fight bronchitis and coughing

Fenugreek:

1) Can lessen mood fluctuations and PMS during the menstrual period

2) Can increase libido

3) Improves digestion and metabolism, including treating flatulence, acid reflux, bloating and constipation (acts as a milk laxative)

4) May help regulate blood sugar levels and stimulate production of insulin

5) May help lower high cholesterol levels

6) Eliminates bad breath

What a wonderful lot of properties! Now you see why you should be drinking down this tea even if you haven't had any cabbage recently!

Ingredients

1 tsp fennel seeds

1/2 tsp caraway seeds

1/2 tsp whole fenugreek

To Make

1. Put all ingredients in a tea pot and fill the pot with boiling hot water. Allow to steep for 4-5 minutes.

2. Strain into a mug and drink.

3. Refill the tea pot with more boiling water next time you want a cup of tea - you can use the same set of seeds all day and keep refilling, although you may find you will need to steep for slightly longer times as the day goes on.

*A small disclaimer on this: most of this information was gathered from various reputable websites, however, I did not have the time to trawl through research papers to find supporting evidence to these claims. Therefore you should take it as you would take any information you read on the internet (with a grain of salt). But not literally of course, because I don't think this delicious tea needs any salt added.