The Medicinal Beverage (Herbal Water)
Fennel, Lemon Balm, and Anise Infusion for the Stomach
RemedyEvocation☕ 🍯facile10 min
A warm, soothing infusion of fennel and anise seeds and lemon balm leaves, barely sweetened with a touch of honey, sipped slowly to relieve a knotted stomach.
Why this dish? Calvin suffered all his life from stomach ailments and difficult digestion, to the point of eating only one meal a day. Carminative herbal infusions (fennel, anise, lemon balm) were part of the Renaissance domestic pharmacopoeia to soothe these troubles: here is the comforting drink that a man with a fragile stomach would have had after his frugal dinner.
My body has long been a burden to me, and my stomach more rebellious still than the spirits I had to correct. So, come evening, I infuse in boiling water the seed of fennel, that of anise, and lemon balm gathered from the garden, which calm the winds and soften the torments of the belly. I add barely a little honey, for illness is no reason to abandon oneself to sweetness. Drink it hot and in small sips: God gives us the herbs of the earth to support our weaknesses, not for our pleasure.
Ingredients
- •Fennel seeds — a pinch (carminative)
- •Green anise seeds — a pinch (digestive)
- •Lemon balm leaves — a few (soothing)
- •Honey — a touch (sweetener)
- •Spring water — a cup (base)
How it was made : Herbal waters and infusions were as much a part of cuisine as medicine in the 16th century. Fennel and anise were reputed to "chase the winds" and aid digestion; they were found in every physic garden, alongside lemon balm, called "heart herb."