Fennel is one of the best spices to stimulate digestion for the high-pitta physiology, and this Fennel Herbal Memory Nectar is one of the gentlest, safest ways to use it.

Fennel is a dipani herb, which means that it enhances the digestive flame (agni). The problem with dipani herbs is that they are heating to the body.

Heat is necessary to stimulate digestion, but in today's world where pitta imbalance is the most common problem we face, the heating property of digestive stimulants can have adverse effects.

When high pitta people take hot spices they can get burning sensations, excess acidity, detox crisis and irritability, and if there are pitta related diseases already established they will be aggravated.

The Delicate Dance of High Pitta / Low Agni

Stimulating digestion is especially tricky for people with high pitta / low agni, which is very common today. Pitta is the fuel in the body, and agni is the digestive flame. You need both for healthy digestion.

You cannot digest your food with pitta, just as you cannot cook with gas alone. You need the spark of agni to ignite the pitta fuel. Both flame and fuel are needed in balanced amounts.

If there is too much pitta (fuel), the body will protect itself by generating more phlegm (kapha) to prevent the acidic nature of pitta from eating into healthy tissues. This is intelligent self-preservation by the body, but unfortunately the excess protective coating of kapha weakens the digestive flame (agni).

It is very common for people with lots of pitta (excess acid in the body) to have low agni (poor digestive flame). Have you ever seen thin people who need nourishment, yet they insist that they have no appetite, and eat like birds?

It is for situations like this that fennel is an excellent herb to use. If you use ajwain or black pepper to stimulate digestion in someone with high pitta, you can over-stimulate the digestion, creating an out-of-control flame that heats up the body too much.

Using strong digestive herbs for a person with high pitta / low agni can be compared to lighting a gas stove after the gas has been turned on for several minutes. The sudden burst of flame can seriously burn you.

The pitta physiology needs nourishment (soma), not an over-stimulated digestion. If the digestion is stimulated too much, any remaining reserves of soma in the body will be consumed. 

Over-stimulation of digestion may also result in a vicious cycle of creating too much hunger and then over-eating, which in turn results in sluggish digestion.  This again causes one to use hot spices, creating too much hunger again and continuing the cycle. 

The swing from one extreme to the other is neither comfortable nor healthy. What is needed is a gentle way to stimulate digestion without overheating the body.

Fennel Is The Least Heating Digestive Spice

Unlike black pepper, ajwain, ginger or fenugreek, fennel's heating property is balanced by a sweetness (madhur rasa) not found in other spices. This makes it perfect for high pitta / low agni. Fennel stimulates digestion but does not let agni get out of control, unless you take it in large quantities.

Fennel Herbal Memory Nectar Is The Safest Way To Use Fennel For High Pitta

Fennel is a mild spice, compared to pepper or ginger, but it is still a spice. If the body is very sensitive to heat, as in the case of high pitta, then even fennel can overheat the body. The ancient text, Bhava Prakash, says that fennel is pittakrit (can increase pitta) if used in large quantities.

Vaidya Mishra's Fennel Herbal Memory Nectar contains only the subtlest physical molecules of fennel (sukshma bhag) along with its special vibrational qualities (prabhavas). This means that the vibration of fennel which stimulates digestion is present in the Herbal Memory Nectar without the physical properties of the spice which heat the body.

The use of this product, in conjunction with good diet, will gradually strengthen digestion without creating heat in the body.

Other Uses Of Fennel

According to the ancient texts, fennel is not just good for digestion (dipani), it is especially helpful in colic pain (visheshadyo nishulanut). It is also estrogenic, and is helpful in case of constipation (baddhavit), and fights krimi (pathogenic microbes) by restoring balance to the gut.

Learn in detail about the many uses of fennel in Ayurveda from the Sanskrit text, Bhava Prakash, with Vaidya Mishra. For only 99¢, you can download and listen many times to Vaidya Mishra's lecture on fennel. Understanding important herbs like fennel helps you to become self-sufficient in Ayurveda.

You can download the 14 minute audio lecture in MP3 form along with a PDF of the Sanskrit verses of fennel here: Fennel - Learn About A Great Spice For High Pitta Low Agni.

Ingredients

“Total Fennel” (Vaidya Mishra’s proprietary herbal blend) with Sweet orange and Grapefruit in a kosher, vegetable, glycerine base

Size

1 fl. oz.

Directions

Place one or two drops in one to two liters of neutral pH spring water and sip throughout the day.

Use under the guidance of a Shaka Vansya Ayurveda practitioner.  As with all herbs, please consult your physician before using.

Fennel In Our Herbal Products

Fennel Transdermal Cream

• Is absorbed through the skin.
• Does not contain much of the heating properties of fennel so it is safe to use with high pitta physiologies.
• Can be used when a person's channels are severely blocked and chewing fennel seeds would be too aggravating.
• Can easy be targeted to the stomach for colic or to other areas as directed by a Shaka Vansya Ayurveda practitioner.
• Gives sustained delivery of fennel over several hours.

Organic Fennel Seeds

• Can be chewed or taken in a tea infusion.
• Should be toasted if high pitta is a problem to reduce the heating quality.
• Gives the strongest effect of digestion stimulation and colic removal.
• Please consult with your Shaka Vansya Ayurveda practitioner before using.

The Following Products Contain Fennel as an Ingredient

• Pitta Masala
• Pitta Tea
• Mum's Kid - Super Spice Mix
• Mum's Kid - Super Spice Gift Basket
• Madhur (Sweet) Masala
• DD's Mum's Super Spice
• Spicy Mum's Super Spice
• Shroto-Shudhi Cooking Masala
• Shroto-Shudhi Tea
• Pre-Biotic Support Herbal Memory Nectar
• Celebration Nectar
• Kamini Transdermal Cream
• Kamini Herbal Memory Nectar
• Triphala For High Pitta Tablets
• Triphala Herbal Memory Nectar
• Kalunji Herbal Memory Nectar
• Prakrit Herbal Memory Nectar
• Moringa (Drumstick Leaf) Herbal Memory Nectar
• Estro-Balance Herbal Memory Nectar
• Pro-Apana Herbal Memory Nectar
• Liver Assist Herbal Memory Nectar
• Flash Freeze Herbal Memory Nectar
• Shakti For Her Herbal Memory Nectar
• Cream For Her
• Maha Saraswati Ghee
• Bal Saraswati Ghee
• Winter Soap
• Shatavari Herbal Memory Nectar

Disclaimer

This product and statements have not been evaluated by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and are not intended to be used to diagnose, treat or cure any disease. All of the information above is intended to be used for educational purposes only and may not be used to replace or complement medical advice.