Can I use fresh ginger instead of dry ginger?

Fresh ginger makes a different, milder tea. This cup is meant to use dry ginger with fennel, as a short decoction.

When should I drink it?

After an oily or heavy meal, when the belly feels full and gassy. It is not a morning cleanse.

Is a long boil better?

No. Five minutes is the idea. A long, dark kadha is stronger than this kitchen cup needs to be.

Dry ginger and saunf tea for a heavy, gassy feeling

Oily food can leave the belly full of air and dullness. This short dry ginger and fennel tea is a small warm cup, simmered briefly, for that heavy, gassy feeling. It is a kitchen sip, not a long boiled kadha.

A short saunf and sonth cup

Dry ginger, called sonth in the kitchen, is the dried form of ginger and tastes warmer than the fresh root. Fennel seeds, or saunf, are the sweet seeds people already chew after meals. Simmered together for a few minutes they make a pale, fragrant cup.

Ayurveda links a heavy, gassy feeling after fried food with kapha-like sluggishness and vata moving as gas, when agni is not keeping up. This tea may soothe that feeling. It is not a substitute for a doctor if pain, fever or ongoing loose stools appear.

Ingredients

A small piece of dry ginger, or 1/4 teaspoon dry ginger powder
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 and a half cups water

How to prepare

Crush the dry ginger and fennel seeds lightly and add them to the water.
Simmer for about five minutes, then strain into a cup.

How to use

Sip the warm cup after an oily meal, not scalding hot.
One small cup is enough. Do not drink several strong cups in a row.
Skip sugar. If you need a hint of sweetness, a crumb of jaggery is plenty.

Helpful habits

Keep the simmer short so the cup stays mild.
Crush the fennel seeds only lightly. Powder makes the tea cloudy and stronger.

Precautions

Dry ginger is warming. Use less if you already feel burning in the chest.
In hot weather a smaller cup is plenty. This is not a cooling summer drink.
Supportive only, and not a substitute for a doctor when pain is sharp or keeps coming back.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use fresh ginger instead of dry ginger?: Fresh ginger makes a different, milder tea. This cup is meant to use dry ginger with fennel, as a short decoction.
When should I drink it?: After an oily or heavy meal, when the belly feels full and gassy. It is not a morning cleanse.
Is a long boil better?: No. Five minutes is the idea. A long, dark kadha is stronger than this kitchen cup needs to be.