Strongly aniseed and sweet — one of the defining notes of the ZenGest blend. It is grown in Hungary too, which is a rarity in this range.
Where it comes from
Plant part used: seed. Extraction method: steam distillation. Typical origin: Hungary, Croatia.
Steam distillation means that hot steam passing through the plant carries the volatile compounds with it. The steam is cooled, and the water and the oil separate on their own — the oil floats on top.
What it smells like
Aroma notes: sweet, aniseed, warm.
If you are meeting it for the first time, do not sniff straight into the bottle. Hold it a few centimetres from your nose and waft the aroma towards you — that way the stronger oils will not hit you, and you will pick up the finer notes too.
How people use it
- Diluted on the abdomen after eating.
- One drop in tea, where the labelling allows it.
- Stirred into massage oil.
- In the diffuser with peppermint.
Recipes
The ratios are worked out, and one drop is roughly five hundredths of a millilitre. Where a companion oil is listed, feel free to swap it for whatever you have at home — the drop counts stay the same.
Abdominal massage oil
What you get: 30 ml, lasts weeks.
- Measure fractionated coconut oil into a 30 ml bottle.
- Add 9 drops of Fennel — one and a half per cent, deliberately mild.
- After a meal, put some in your palm.
- Massage your abdomen clockwise for five minutes.
The direction is not superstition: it follows the path of the large intestine.
Abdominal roller
What you get: 10 ml, plenty for one cycle.
- Into a 10 ml roll-on bottle, add 6 drops of Fennel.
- Top up with fractionated coconut oil — that is three per cent.
- Roll it onto your lower abdomen and your lower back.
- Put a warm compress on top and lie down for twenty minutes.
The warmth matters at least as much as the oil. The two together are the point.
What to pair it with
These suit the same situations, so they sit well together in a blend:
- ClaryCalm — shared topic: Women’s balance
- Black Pepper — shared topic: Digestive comfort
- Spearmint — shared topic: Digestive comfort
Safety and storage
Avoid during pregnancy, while breastfeeding, and in people with epilepsy.
In dark glass, somewhere cool, tightly closed. Heat, light and air all age it: citrus oils keep for roughly one to two years, woods and resins for years. It does not need to go in the fridge, but the bathroom windowsill is the worst place for it.
Questions
How much should I use?
For adults, daily whole-body use usually works out at around two per cent: that is roughly twelve drops in thirty millilitres of carrier oil. For sensitive skin and for children, considerably less. The dilution helper on the home page works out the number of drops for your bottle.
What should I dilute it with?
Fractionated coconut oil is the easiest, because it stays liquid, has no scent of its own and does not go rancid. Sweet almond, jojoba and grapeseed oil are good choices too. Essential oil does not mix with water, so for a bath always disperse it in something fatty or in salt first.
What should I watch out for with this oil?
Avoid during pregnancy, while breastfeeding, and in people with epilepsy.
How long does it keep?
In dark glass, somewhere cool, tightly closed. Heat, light and air all age it: citrus oils keep for roughly one to two years, woods and resins for years. It does not need to go in the fridge, but the bathroom windowsill is the worst place for it.
