FALSE UNICORN / Chamaelirium luteum. Product: the Root is used.
FAVA BEAN / Faba Bean - Vicia faba - Bulkier then Lima Beans. Soak in water overnight then discard the water and cook in new water and add Wormwood or Epazote and a small whole Carrot. Actions: Aphrodisiac. Sprouts used also. Constituents: Rich in Lecithin, Used to Treat: Alzheimer's Disease: Impotency: Parkinson's Disease:
FENNEL / Finocchio / Common Fennel - Wild Fennel / Florence Fennel - Sweet Fennel / Italian Fennel - Carosella / Foeniculum vulgare or Antheum Foeniculum. - Carrot Umbelliferae / Apiaceae / Wild Herb. Mediterranean as it likes warm places. Dill is a twin of Fennel as it has similar actions and is a Culinary herb. Main Use: For Intestinal & Stomach Conditions. N.B: Do not use in greater then Culinary amounts if Pregnant or Breast Feeding except on professional advice. Actions: Aromatic, Anti - Spasmodic, gentle and reliable Carminative, Diuretic, Stimulant, Galactagogue, Expectorant & Rubefacient and a gentle and reliable Stomachic that ensures proper Digestion. Herb: Emmenagogue & Expectorant. Oil: Anti - Parasitic especially for Worms - N.B: Small doses only & Carminative. Seeds - Medicinal: Aromatic, Carminative, Digestive, Expectorant, Galactagogue, Slightly Sedative, Stimulant & Stomachic.
Constituents: Anethole Fenchone, Fixed Oil, Protein, Sugar & Starch. Flavour Partners: Chives, Parsley, Society Garlic, Nasturtium Leaves, Shallots, Tarragon & Welsh Onions. Food Partners: Cabbage, Cucumber, Eggs, Green Beans, Salmon, Seafood Sauces, Sour Cream, White Cheese & Zucchini. Used to flavour Liquorice Powder. Excellent for flavouring Fish dishes. Gargle: then swallow to get the benefits. Oil: 1 x Teaspoon of water to 10 drops of Oil or 10 drops on a lump of Sugar. Tea: Pour 1 x cup of boiling water onto 1 - 2 teaspoons of slightly crushed - bruised Seeds and Infuse for 10 minutes and drink 3 times a day. Tincture: Take 2 - 4ml 3 x times a day. Cooking: Leaves: Pleasant sweet Aniseed flavour and add prior to serving. Seed: Dried used in Breads, Cakes, Curries, Pasta, Pickles, Salads, Sausages, Scones & Tomato dishes. Root: is a Vegetable with an Aromatic taste like Aniseed.
Cultivation: A World - wide plant that grows on waste ground in the wild beside the roadside, the Seeds are the medicinal part and are planted in the Spring and will tolerate most soil types. A tall annual hardy short - lived Perennial to 1.8 Metres with dainty foliage of finely cut feathery leaves and flat umbels of abundant yellow fennel flowers that attract beneficial predators, Ladybirds, Hoverflies & Lacewings, as 1 Hoverfly will consume 1200 aphids. Needs generous fertilizer in reasonably moist conditions, with Sun to part Sun. To avoid self - seeding remove the pale, green Seeds, that ripen to a yellow - brown colour in Autumn, at maturity. Sow a few seeds direct in clumps 20 - 30cm apart in late Spring, or early Summer and thin each clump to the strongest seedling. Product: Leaves, Flowers, Oil, Root, Stems & Seed. There are many varieties including the Florence Fennel, which has an edible bulbous leaf - stem. Harvest the Seeds when ripe in the Autumn and dry slightly and store in airtight containers. Grows with a very small Root but long Stems & Leaves and likes a medium to light, well drained, rich soil and Lime if Acid. Slice the raw Bulb thinly and add to Salads or cut in half and roast as a Vegetable. Use the fresh Leaves in Salads, Salad Dressings and Vinegars with Fish, Pork and Seafood or to garnish. Cut down and remove old Stems and harvest the Foliage and Flowers as required and the Seeds when ripe then dry and freeze for a few days to kill any insects. Lift the Roots in the Autumn and dry out.
Used to Treat: Abdominal - Discomfort: to relieve. Amenorrhoea: Angina: Anxiety - Stomach Problems: chew the Seeds to calm. Asthma: contains Alpha - Pinene & Creosol that assists to loosen Bronchial secretions. Bloating: Blood Pressure - High: Body - Odour: Bowel - Disturbances: For the relief of while stimulating Appetite & Digestion. Breast - Enlargement: Breast Feeding: A Tea made from the Seeds used for Nursing Mothers, as it is rich in Minerals and encourages the flow of Milk. Breath - Freshener: Bronchial Tubes: Calming & Soothing. Bronchitis: calms. Colic: For the relief of while Stimulating Appetite & Digestion and good to chew at the end of a meal as it assists to relieve. Conjunctivitis: used Externally as Eye Pads - Eye Wash to treat. Coughs: calms and is good for flavouring these medicines and as a Gargle. Diabetes: A Tea made from the Seeds, as it is rich in Minerals. Diarrhoea: Digestion: Calms. Eyes - Inflammed - Tired: as an Eye Wash to cool by bathing or by lying down and dip in clean to place lukewarm pads over them for 15 minutes. Flatulence: For the relief of while stimulating Appetite & Digestion with a Tea made from the Seeds and drink 30 minutes before meals and good to chew the Seeds at the end of a meal as it helps to relieve. Griping: For the relief of while Stimulating Appetite & Digestion. Fleas: Crush the fronds and rub all over Cats and Dogs and / or put the fronds under their bed. Heart - Burn: Indigestion: Eyelids - Inflamed: used Externally as Eye Pads - Eye Wash. Inhibited Sexual Desire in Women: Intestinal Disturbances: to relieve. Lungs: Calming & Soothing. Mucus: Expectorant to expel. Muscular - Pain: used Externally. Pancreas: especially Specific for the treatment of this Organ, which is significantly implicated with Metabolism. A Tea made from the Seeds Stimulates and improves the Metabolism of Fats & Sugars. Respiratory Conditions: such as Catarrh and Coughing. Rheumatism: used Externally. Snakebite: as an antidote. Toxins: As a Diuretic it encourages Urine Flow & loss of Toxins via the Kidneys. Weight - Loss: A Tea made from the Seeds is used as it is rich in Minerals.
Horses: Works well balancing Horses with poor or voracious appetites and / or food conversion difficulties and / or Digestive Conditions. N.B: Requires Specialist prescribing as it is usually given in association with a Liver herb and often with Lymphatic & Digestive herbs to work properly. For obese Horses the Endocrine System also needs concurrent balancing. Fennel Seeds can also be employed as part of a herbal worming mixture.
FENUGREEK / Foenugreek - Trigonella foenum - graecum. North Africa. Actions: Demulcent, Emollient used in Poultices, Expectorant, Galactagogue, Mucilaginous & Tonic. Constituents: Diosgenin a Hormone used in Oral contraception. Cultivation: A tall graceful plant 2 - 3' / 1metre high with 3 dimensional shaped Seeds used. Used also as a flavouring agent for Culinary use. Not really needed for the Digestive Tract as it is a mild Bitters but is gentle on the Digestive Tract and is more useful as an Expectorant and for Sore Throats - Gargle & Swallow. Used as an ingredient in a Curry, where the powdered Seeds are used. This is a Legume originally used by the Greeks as a conditioning Hay for their Horses. Almost identical in composition to Cod Liver Oil, being high in Vitamins A & D. It is highly nutritious containing Lecithin compounds.
Used to Treat: Acne: used as a Tea sweetened with Honey to taste, to clear minor Infections and Body Imbalances that may cause the Skin to break out. Alzheimer's Disease: the Leaves are among the best sources of Choline & Beta - Carotene an Anti - Oxidant. Boils: as the Seeds can be made into a Paste or Poultice and used Externally. Breast - Enlargement: the spicy Seed contains Phtyoestrogens that are similar to Oestrogen including Diosgenin to encourage a roundness. Breast Feeding: the spicy Seed contains Phtyoestrogens that are similar to Oestrogen including Diosgenin that increases Milk flow in nursing Mothers. Bronchitis: Catarrh: used as a Tea. Cholsterol - High: rich in Mucilage a soothing Fibre and is used to lower Cholesterol. Constipation: the Seeds contain Fluid absorbing Mucilage similar to Psyllium Husks. N.B: Use only 2 teaspoons at a time and drink plenty of water as any more may cause Abdominal distress due to Bulking. Cuts: used Externally. Diabetes: 1/2 of it by weight is a Soluble Fibre - Mucilage and it contains 6 compounds that assist to regulate Blood Sugar levels and also increases Blood levels of HDL - Good Cholesterol while lowering the total Cholesterol to prevent Cardiovascular Disease. Diarrhoea: contains 50% Mucilage, and swells in the Gut relieving not only Diarrhoea but also Constipation the same as Apples. NB: No more then 2 teaspoons at a time as any more may cause Abdominal distress. Digestion: used as a Tea sweetened with Honey to taste, for the consumption of Fatty foods. Digestive System: used as a Tea sweetened with Honey to taste, as a Tonic. Fever: used as a Tea to soothe and sweeten with Honey to taste. Inhibited Sexual Desire in Women: has Oestrogen - like activity, that may increase Breast size and aid in Milk production for Nursing mothers. Oestrogen also assists with Vaginal dryness. Internal Organs: used as a Tea to tone and sweeten with Honey to taste. Liver: used as a Tonic. Lymphatic System: Cleanser & Stimulant. Migraines: combine 1 part this herb with 1 part Thyme and 2 parts Feverfew and divide the mixture into equal parts and put in "00" Capsules and take 2 Capsules 3 times a day with meals to prevent. Mouth - Ulcers: as the Seeds can be made into a Paste. Stomach - Inflammation: as an Infusion to sooth. Sinus Conditions: Skin Conditions: used Externally and as a Tonic. Throats - Sore: Gargle and Swallow. Wounds: as the Seeds can be made into a Paste and used Externally.
Horses: Used as a feed herb for horses to tempt picky eaters and improve general Body condition, as part of a natural diet. The Seeds are very hard and need to be soaked in hot water for a few hours before feeding or fed as a Powder. Use a little at first and if the Horse then finds it acceptable gradually increase to 20gm daily for an average sized horse. (450kg) until the desired result is achieved. N.B: High in Oestrogen so do not feed to Mares who are in good to fat condition or who may have Hormonal Imbalance, as it may produce brazen behaviour. Cod Liver Oil may have the same affect! Can be used as a general feed herb to keep the Lymphatic System toned up provided the previous warning is heeded in regard to Mares. When fed with Garlic can be a very good way to prevent Infections.
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