Oops!.  I wrote last week that I hadn't seen anything negative reactions
giving fennel tea to babies, but file cleaning has produced an article
which I had forgotten.

Reported from Rosti, L.et al: Acta Paediatr. 83 (1994), 683:  The authors
reported that 2 BF infants, 15 and 20 days old, presented with vomitting
and uncomfortable ness (?) for the last 24 hours.  They also presented with
hypotonie, no increase in weight, lethargie, unusual crying and feeding
problems.   A CNS infection was suspected but not evident after testing.

One of the mothers reported she suffered from extreme fatigue and weakness.
 Neither mother took any medications.  But both moms were drinking large
amounts of  an herbal tea mixture.This mixture included fennel and anis,
both rich in aetherische oils.  These do go into the mothers milk and kann
cause  symptoms of poisoning such as above. 

After the children were removed briefly from the breast and the mothers
eliminated their intake of this tea (used as a galactogue), all symptoms
ceased in 36 hours.  The children continued to BF for more than 6 months
and all was fine.

Tom Hale was right - be careful!   I think it is important to keep in mind
the amounts - everything in moderation.  Because herbal teas are so big
here, I always recommend to the mothers to drink only 2 cups of a single
tea because of possible medicinal effects.  Linde flower tea is apparently
an exception.

Anne Kaeser, IBCLC
Germany