For decades, fennel tea was regarded as a natural remedy for the relief of Abdominal painflatulence or coughing, and to calm the throat. Writing babies. This is why infants and toddlers were often given fennel tea. However, science and paediatrics expressly warn against this: children should not be given fennel tea until they are four years old. none at all Fennel tea. And pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers should also avoid it for the sake of their child. Why?
Because fennel contains estragole. This aromatic natural component is not only found in the essential oil of fennel or in its fruits, which are used for teas, but also in basil, nutmeg, aniseed or lemongrass, for example. This has been known for a long time.
What is also not new is the assumption that estragole Health risks could harbour. For this reason, the Committee for Herbal Medicinal Products (HMPC) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) advised against giving fennel tea to children under the age of four around 20 years ago, just to be on the safe side. Even then, animal studies had already provided evidence that high concentrations of estragole can have both genotoxic (genome-altering) and carcinogenic (cancer-causing) effects. The HMPC therefore categorised fennel tea as too risky for the sensitive organism of infants and small children, especially as there was also a lack of evidence for the positive effect of fennel tea, for example for digestive problems. For adults, on the other hand, the committee considered the risk to be low.
Now lie New toxicological studies on estragole. As a result of very high doses administered, mice often developed liver tumours, for example. The EMA's Committee for Herbal Medicinal Products now believes that such effects cannot be ruled out in humans and therefore carried out a new - more critical - assessment of fennel tea (and also aniseed tea) at the end of 2023 for safety reasons:
- The following still applies: No fennel tea for children under the age of four. This is because there is still insufficient data on safe use for this sensitive age group. According to the Paediatricians on the net the Ema wants to prophylactically prevent babies and small children from ingesting harmful amounts of estragole - especially since, among other things, it is also used in the Complementary food and various children's foods may contain fennel and therefore estragole.
In connection with the estragole concentration, a Austrian overview study encountered another impassability in 2017: She found that the content of this substance in fennel teas varies greatly. Although some fennel teas with only very little estragole (78 µg per litre) were identified on the market, there were also some that exceeded this content almost 60-fold (up to 4633.5 µg per litre)! In infants who were given fennel tea, the daily dose administered varied accordingly between 0.008 µg/kgkgkgkg and day and 20.78 µg/kgkgkgkg and day. Incidentally, the symbol µg stands for micrograms.
However, it is not possible to say which limit value is possibly still unproblematic for the little ones. One thing is certain: Fennel tea is by no means always the same! The EMA therefore advises that children under the age of four should not drink it at all and that children under the age of 11 should only drink it very rarely, sparingly and for short periods of time.
- In addition, pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers in particular are advised to exercise caution when consuming fennel tea or other foods containing estragole (e.g. pesto with lots of basil) and medicinal teas (also: aniseed tea). And that too is more precautionary Health protection for the child. In fact, it is difficult to calculate how much estragole a woman absorbs with a few cups of fennel tea, for example. This depends entirely on the fennel tea (cf. the Austrian study) as well as its preparation (water temperature, amount of water, duration of steeping). This all determines the concentration of the substance dissolved in the tea. Estragole may not harm a full-grown woman - but the (unborn) baby is a lightweight, developing and extremely sensitive. If a harmful amount of estragole reaches the child via the placenta or breast milk, this can have unforeseeable consequences.
My midwife's advice on fennel tea for anxious parents
In view of this news and recommendations, parents are naturally unsettled. "But fennel tea is supposed to be so healthy - how can it suddenly fall into disrepute?" Accordingly, I also receive enquiries via my Online midwife counselling or in my Courses for pregnant women and parents I have already given my baby fennel tea. Will it perhaps harm it?" - "I often drank fennel tea during my pregnancy. Is that bad?" - "I love eating pasta with basil pesto, but I'm also still breastfeeding. Now I'm terribly worried."
I can understand the uncertainty. That is why it is important for me to point this out: All the recommendations of the EMA Committee and also of the paediatricians and midwives, many of whom have endorsed the recommendations, are as a precautionhas been given. This is because there is still far from enough reliable scientific data on the negative effects of estragole on young children. More research still needs to be carried out. This also applies to the question of whether the findings obtained in animal experiments to date can actually be transferred to humans. Nothing is yet known about this either.
So you can rest assured. Nevertheless, I advise you preventive, follow the recommendations of the EMA:
- Give your babies and toddlers up to the age of 4 even none Fennel tea (more). Babies don't need any additional teas anyway: breast milk or the corresponding bottle feeds are completely sufficient! Only when your child is eating mainly solid foods (three times a day) should you offer them more liquids - and then, of course, preferably water!
Even if your child has a tummy ache or flatulence, they should not be given fennel tea. Rather read here on my blog to find out how you can help your little one. And don't give your child fennel tea if he or she is restless and cries a lot, but rather lots of love and attention! It has been proven many times that this recipe is particularly effective (and completely harmless). It also helps Baby massageThe loving evening ritual is also wonderful for relieving baby's tummy ache.
And finally, it's best not to cook or buy porridge for your baby that contains fennel, just to be on the safe side!
- I also recommend that pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers consume teas and foods containing estragole as rarely as possible. Precisely because you don't know anything for sure yet, you'll at least always be on the safe side - and so will your child! Of course it's not nice to give up fennel tea or basil pesto during pregnancy and breastfeeding if it's one of your favourite drinks or favourite foods. But always remember: you're doing it for your baby! And it's only for a certain amount of time.
FOR INFORMATION: Who is the EMA and what does it do?
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) protects and promotes human and animal health by evaluating and monitoring medicinal products within the European Union (EU) and the European Economic Area (EEA).
The EMA's most important tasks include the authorisation and monitoring of medicinal products in the EU. If a company wants to launch a medicinal product on the market, it first needs authorisation. This must be applied for from the EMA; it may then be granted by the European Commission. Once the authorisation has been issued, the medicinal product in question can be sold throughout the EU and the EEA.
The Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products (HMPC) is also part of the EMA. HMPC is the abbreviation for Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products. This committee is responsible for compiling and evaluating scientific findings on herbal substances, preparations and combinations. In this context, the HMPC has repeatedly and currently again dealt with the study situation on estragole. This is how it came to its most recent assessment and recommendation on the consumption of fennel tea, among other things.
