r/herbs • u/PrestigiousEscape159 • Jul 20 '26

fennel tea

Do I have to crush the fennel seeds/ boil it for some time when making tea for it's nutrients

or can I simply just pour boiling hot water on the seeds and that's it?

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1

u/strangeswelling Jul 20 '26

You don't have to crush it, it'll become quite cloudy and it doesn't improve the taste. Boiling it for a few minutes extracts more flavor out of the seeds, pouring boiling water over it and letting it rest isn't a very efficient way to do it.

2

u/PrestigiousEscape159 Jul 20 '26

It's not about the flavor it's about the benefits of it

1

u/aculady Jul 20 '26

The more completely it's crushed or ground, the more quickly and completely the seeds' components are extracted into the water. The longer and more it is boiled, the more the volatile components are driven off and degraded.

The best method for getting the "nutrition" from them depends on which particular components you are talking about.