Herbal remedies for stomach ache

This week Mr Green ended up with stomach ache.

He didn’t have any other symptoms, just griping pains; like sharp spasms, lots of rumbling and a feeling of nausea.

He looked pretty pale and was clearly not comfortable, so I shuffled off into my apothecary ( i.e. kitchen), to see what I could find

Herbal tea is a great way to administer some of Mother Nature’s finest medicines. You get great taste, a soothing, warming drink and tempting aromas. Never underestimate the power of the holistic approach to medicine! The feeling, scents and taste all have their healing role to play.

My recipe was simple and has now become known as ‘gripy tummy tea’. Into a measuring jug I put:

1 heaped desertspoon of dried mint (I dried it throughout the summer)
1 chamomile tea bag
12 dried fennel seeds (again harvested from the garden during summer)

I poured on 3/4 pint of boiling water, covered and left to infuse for 10 minutes.

After that, it was strained and drunk.

If you don’t have access to the fresh herbs in your own garden; mint, chamomile and fennel tea bags are easy to get hold of in a health food store and even some large supermarkets. Just substitute a bag of each in the jug in place of the recipe above.

If children don’t like the taste, you can add a teaspoon of honey or some pure fruit juice concentrate. But if you get young toddlers used to herbal teas, they should enjoy them. Little Miss Green regularly picks something in the garden and asks me to make tea from it, because I’ve never spoiled her palate with sickly squash or sweet cordials.

After a couple of cups of the tea and an hour or so had passed, the colour returned to Mr Green and he tucked into a hearty lunch.

What about you? What are your favourite herbs and how do you use them at home to treat minor ailments?