What is saunf?
Saunf or fennel seeds come from fennel plants, a crunchy white bulb with green feathery leaves. The seeds have a strong liquorice- like flavour and are known to have health benefits both scientifically and from remedies passed down through generations.
If you’re Indian and just had a baby, chances are there is a mum, auntie or grandma telling you that you should give your little one some saunf in boiled water whenever there is a slight problem.
My daughter was a few months old when she had developed colic and it was suggested to try adding it when boiling water for her milk. I was less than enthused with the idea – mainly because I didn’t understand what it was. No one has mentioned it in any of the classes or books I had read. Yet I could not go a day without someone mentioning this to me. I gave in and now I give it to my daughter regularly in boiled water.
Widely used in Indian households from adding to tea and delicious recipes to freshening the breath after a meal. But they are more than just a natural tic-tac.
Benefits of fennel seeds
- Nutrients – fennel seeds are known to have many nutritional properties, including vitamin c and fibre.
- Antibacterial properties – components in the seeds may help reduce bacteria that cause gassiness with upset stomachs.
- Anti-inflammatory properties– the seeds can be used to reduce inflammation, swelling or irritation in the intestines and soothe the muscles.
When I use saunf:
- Constipation: One of the main reasons I started to use saunf was to help ease my daughter’s constipation. Once we had started weaning, she started to have trouble doing a number 2, which is natural. I added a pinch to boiling water and used that to make up her milk. I also added sogee (known as sultana). It really helped!
- Colic and burping problems: Sometimes we would have issues with my daughter not burping after a feed. From around 3 months and trialling Infocol, I added saunf to my daughter’s milk which helped her to burp!
- Adding flavour to tea: In our household, saunf is used in tea to add flavour. It and also helps with stomach upsets or when I generally feel under the weather. For a great tasting tea, add fennel seeds, cardamon and 1 clove to a pan of water and boil. Then add tea bags and milk. Once hot and steamy, drain into cups and enjoy! Add sugar to sweeten if required.
Find out what other spices I use in my toddlers’ diet and their health benefits with my free guide.
Doctor’s advice – I think it is important to ask for a doctor’s advice when we are unsure. Having asked my doctor whether saunf is good to add to the diet I always receive the same advice – it has not been tested so they cannot say. This has been passed down through generations. So, my instinct was to give it a try, but you may not have the same instinct. Which is okay, every child is different!