FENNEL – THE WONDERFUL EQUALIZER

Short of locating a time machine, to jet to some point in time where mass insanity wasn’t so “mass”, one must find avenues to escape that don’t involve jeopardizing the few brain cells we have left due to the delightful bombardment of insanity we face each day.

And sometimes, looking for gems of sanity and inspiration can be found from ages long ago. 

 

Hildegard of Bingen, a German mystic of the 12^th century, who was also an Abbess, artist, author, composer, pharmacist, poet, preacher and theologian, devoted much of her life to promoting our relationship with the Divine but she was also a gifted healer, primarily using the four-element and four-humor system dating back to the ancient Greeks to practice medicine and learn the art of healing.

 

 

The Four Humors are responsible for the nutrition, growth and metabolism of the organism. They originate in the digestive process. – via greekmedicine.net

The four humors and the elements they serve are:

Blood              – Air

Phlegm           – Water

Yellow bile     – Fire

Black Bile       – Earth

Humors, or vital fluids, are present in the bloodstream. The proper balance and purity of them is essential to good health. The ancient Greeks believed these four humors were responsible for good health, all of which originated in the gut. This leads us to Hildegard’s favorite herb – fennel. 

Hildegard had what she called a  “happy mixture”, consisting of fennel seeds or tea taken three times a day. “Fennel seeds are 100 per cent good for your health”, she notes, supporting healthy skin color, good digestion and a pleasant body odor among a host of other benefits.

We have taken fennel fairly religiously for the past couple of years. Unable to pick our physical temperament pre-birth, some of us were born with a very temperamental stomach. We have tried all sorts of different remedies to quell the sour stomach. From pharmaceutical concoctions prior to our discovery of herbs and natural remedies – to peppermint, chamomile and other herbs – all take a back seat to the benefits fennel has provided us. Granted, we eat as organically as possible and take other wonderful herbs but have seen that every time there has been a period of fennel abstinence, our sour stomach comes back.

And it’s not just stomach issues that fennel regulates: anemia, heart disease, blood pressure, brain functionality, colic and boosting one’s immunity are just a few more of the equalizing benefits of this miraculous herb.

Fennels’ interesting history includes the Romans using it for its savory edible roots.   Medieval types, spooked by witchcraft and the evil of the day, hung it over doors to ward off the spirits roaming about. Longfellow and Milton even wrote of its’ wonderful qualities in poems – in stark contrast to the offerings today of squeamish practitioners of music and art who leave us depressed, running for a vodka tonic to fend off the deadness from their “art”…but that’s for another dispatch.

The most active vitamin in Fennel is vitamin C.  Joint degeneration, inflammation and arthritis are a few of the unpleasant issues fennel can play an active role in treating.   Other important vitamins and minerals in fennel combat high blood pressure. Cholesterol build-up is limited, water is absorbed in the gut and carcinogens eliminated from the colon by this licorice scented herb.

As all herbs, fennel is another wonderful gift from the Divine, promulgated by a wise and masterly mystic hundreds of years ago.  And with all herbs and natural remedies, always good to consult with a Naturalist, Naturopath, Herbalist or some other holistic guru to assess your individual body temperament.

Imagine, if we had such healing mystics as Hildegard among us today, holed up in their cosmic laboratories, communing with the Divine on a daily basis, securing heavenly wisdom about all the wonders of the herbs growing and the ways yet discovered how they can help us?  Oh wait, we do…they’re just not showcased, and in some cases are publicly castrated and outcast as kooks or misfits while those who would have us believe that good health can be obtained through a vat of chemicals and a needle are heralded as angelic swami’s.

Disclaimer:

The content provided here is for informational purposes only and should not be used in place of the advice of a healthcare professional. Always consult a doctor or your trusted health guru if you have health concerns.

(This post was originally published on this site back in November, 2017)

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Tonight’s musical offering

Vivaldi – Concerto for two violins, strings, and basso continuo in A minor RV522 Op. 3 No. 8 “L’estro Armonico” – Performed by Tafelmusik, featuring Jeanne Lamon and Genevieve Gilardeau, violins –  Conducted by Jeanne Lamon

 

Sources:

http://www.st-hildegard.com/en/spelt/spelt-recipes/158-9-fennel-tablets.html

http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/f/fennel01.html#med

Photo credit (front page): See page for author [CC BY 2.5 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons

Photo credit: (Hildegard):By Gerda Arendt (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons

Photo credit:  By Howcheng (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html), CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/) or CC BY-SA 2.5 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons