Remedy

Rose & Fennel Tea

A delicate floral infusion of edible rose petals and fennel, for an evening that is meant to slow down.

By PranaJiva

Editorial Team

Form
Tea or drink
Preparation
8 minutes
Makes
2 cups
Best time
Afternoon, Evening
Suits
Pitta
Rose & Fennel Herbal Tea

What you need

  • 2 cups Water
  • 1 tsp Dried edible rose petals (food-grade and unsprayed — see the cautions)
  • ½ tsp Fennel seeds (saunf) (lightly crushed)
  • ½ tsp per cup Honey (added only once the cup is warm rather than hot, optional)

How to make it

  1. Crush the fennel seeds lightly.

    1 minute

  2. Bring the water to a gentle boil, add the fennel and simmer.

    3 minutes

  3. Turn off the heat, add the rose petals, cover and steep. The petals should never boil.

    3 minutes

  4. Strain, and stir in the honey once it has cooled to warm if you are using it.

    1 minute

How much, and how often

One cup in the evening, as often as you like it. Whether it relaxes you is a personal matter and not a therapeutic effect.

Best taken: Afternoon, Evening

When to expect a change: The scent is immediate. Nothing here treats anxiety or insomnia, and it should not be used in place of something that does.

Why it works

A ritual, described honestly

Rose carries a particular association in Indian tradition — gentleness, coolness, the sort of thing offered at the end of a hot day rather than the start of one. Gulkand and rose water sit in the same family of preparations. Fennel supplies the sweet anise note underneath and keeps the cup from being only perfume.

What this is, then, is a ritual: a warm, fragrant, caffeine-free cup at a time of day when having one is pleasant. That is worth something, and it is a different claim from a sleep aid. The petals go in off the heat for the same reason the mint does elsewhere in this section — boiled, they give up their scent to the room instead of the cup.

Before you try this

Do not use if

  • You are allergic to rose, fennel or related plants

Take care

  • Use only petals sold as food-grade and unsprayed. Florist roses and decorative potpourri petals are treated with pesticides and fragrance and are not for drinking.
  • Honey goes into a warm cup, never a boiling one, and never to a child under one year old.
  • Ongoing sleeplessness or anxiety deserves proper attention. A pleasant evening ritual is a good thing to have alongside that, not instead of it.
Pregnancy, breastfeeding & children
Ask a qualified clinician before taking concentrated floral infusions regularly in pregnancy or while breastfeeding. Honey must never be given to a child under one year old.
How long is too long
No limit worth stating for an occasional cup. Persistent insomnia or anxiety is the thing to act on, and this is not the action.

This is traditional Ayurvedic guidance shared for general wellbeing. It is not a diagnosis and not a substitute for medical advice. If a symptom is severe, persistent or worsening, or you are pregnant, taking prescribed medicine or managing a diagnosed condition, speak to a qualified doctor before trying it.

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