Botanical Name: Anethum graveolens | Family: Umbelliferae

Common name(s): Dill

GROWING

• Annual; herbaceous | 2-3 feet tall  | Feathery leaves, yellow umbel flowers, seeds in late summer
• Full sun | Well-drained, moderately rich soil | Regular watering, allowing soil to dry between waterings

HARVESTING

Harvest seeds in late summer, leaves throughout the growing season.

PREPARATION / DOSAGE

Infusion: Gently crush seeds just before use. Pour 1 cup of water over 1-2 tsp seeds and/or leaves and let infuse for 10-15 minutes. Drink a cup 1/2 hour before meals for flatulence. For children, give a teaspoon of the tea.

Tincture: 1-2ml, 3x/day

MEDICAL

Constituents: Essential oil, fatty acids, some acids

Actions: Aromatic, antispasmodic, calmative, carminative, diuretic,  emmenagogue, galactagogue, stomachic

Uses: Bad breath (chew the seeds); colic (herb of choice for children); flatulence; colds, flus, and coughs (using the root); increasing milk production

CHARACTERISTICS

• Spicy, warm

SOURCES 

• The Way of Herbs, Michael Tierra
• Holistic Herbal, David Hoffman
• Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine, Andrew Chevallier
• Herbgardening.com
• photo credit: John and Anni Dill via photopin (license)

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I learned, sometime in the past, that you shouldn’t grow dill and fennel near each other because they will cross-breed. So I keep my dill up on the porch in a pot and my fennel in the garden.