| General
info
Raw, has a pronounced
and distinct taste close to anise or licorice. In olden times, fennel
has been used both as an appetite suppressant and digestive aid, to
counter witchcraft, as a culinary garnish, and varied medicinal uses.
Botany
A biennial plant with
a thick rootstock.
Stems are stout, erect, smooth, bright green, and very branched, 1 m
or more in height.
Leaves are 2-, 3-, 4-pinnate; with fine filiform segments 2 to 4 cm
long.
Flowers are yellow in terminal umbels.
Fruit consists of two joined ribbed carpels with a pleasant odor.
Seeds are dorsally compressed.
Distribution
Nowhere spontaneous.
Cultivated.
Medicinal
properties
• Considered analgesic,
anti-inflammatory, aromatic, emmenagogue, expectorant, hallucinogenic,
stomachic.
• Warming, carminative, stomachic, antispasmodic, antidepressant,
a weak diuretic, and a mild stimulant, galactagogue.
Constituents
and properties
• Fruit-volatile
oil, 2.9% - 6%, 50 to 60 percent of which is anethol; fixed oil, 8.9%;
pectin, 1.3%; pentosan, 5.12%.
• The oil of fennel includes 50 - 60% nethol, also the chief constituent
of anise oil and 18-22 percent fenchone. (Rodale's Encyclopedia of Herbs)
• Infused fruit considered
carminative.
• Roots considered aperative and purgative.
• Shoots of young plants
considered carminative and respiratory.
• Considered energizing,
tranquilizing and anti-spasmodic.
Parts used
and preparation
Whole plant, roots, seeds,
oil of seed.
Uses
Folkloric
Fainting: Inhale crushed
fruit.
Decoction is gargled as a breath freshener or applied as an eyewash.
Decoction of seeds help regulate menses.
Poultice has been used to relieve breast swelling in nursing mothers.
Infusion of seeds used for stomatitis, abdominal cramps, colic, flatulence.
Infusion of roots given for toothaches and postpartum pains.
Hot infusion of roots given for amenorrhea
Infusion of seeds used for flatulence in babies.
Infusion of root used for urinary disorders.
Oil used for flatulence.
Oil of seeds used for intestinal deworming in 3-4 ml doses.
Paste of seeds or fruit used in cooling drinks for fevers.
Also used for increasing breast milk production, easing childbirth,
soothing cough.
Used to enhance libido.
An ingredient of "gripe water" used for infantile colic.
In Mexico, decoction is
used as galactagogue.
In Antilles, used as a
stimulant.
Culinary
The fruit, seeds and young leaves are used for flavoring sweets and
dishes.
The seeds have an anise-like flavor.
Cosmetic
Infusion of ground seeds as a steam facial.
Mouthwash.
Toothpaste.
Used in skin-care products.
Anticellulite massage oil: In a dark bottle, 8 drops of fennel, 8 drops
of juniper, 10 drops of grapefruit, 5 tsps of sweet almond oil and 5
drops of jojoba oil; massage to affected area daily. (Illustrated
Encyclopedia of Natural Remedies: C. Norman Shealy, MD)
Others
Insect repellent.
Crushed leaves used for dog fleas.
Studies
• Repellent: Mosquito repellent isolated from Foeniculum
vulgare fruit: The
fennel oil and E-9-octadecenoic acide are used as insect repellent components
due to its lack of human toxicity.
• Anti-Infantile
Colic: The effect of fennel (Foeniculum Vulgare) seed
oil emulsion in infantile colic: a randomized, placebo-controlled study:
Fennel seed oil has been shown to reduce intestinal spasms and increase
small intestinal motility – Study on fennel seed emulsion was
superior to placebo in decreasing intensity of infantile colic.
• Bronchodilator Effect: Relaxant
effect of Foeniculum vulgare on isolated Guinea pig tracheal chains:
Study showed bronchodilator
effects of the ethanol extract and essential oil from FV.
• Hepatoprotective:
(1) Investigation of Hepatoprotective Effect of Foeniculum vulgare Fixed
Oil in Rats: The study indicates
that FV fixed oil has a potential hepatoprotective action against induced
liver fibrosis in rats. (2) Study showed Fv essential
oil has a potent hepatoprotective action against carbon tetrachloride-induced
hepatic damage in rats.
• Anti-Dysmenorrhea:
Study results suggest Foeniculum vulgare extract can be effective in
reducing the severity of dysmenorrhea.
• Oculohypotensive
Activity : Aqueous extract of Fv possess
significant oculohypotensive activity, comparable to timolol. Further
studies are warranted before Fv finds its place in the arsenal of antiglaucoma
drugs.
•
Leaf and Seed Comparison:
Results of analysis of leaves and seeds of Fv showed the leaves contained
higher concentrations of fat and flavonoids whereas the seeds were higher
in saponins, protein, amino acids and other organic compounds.
•
Antioxidant:
The antioxidant potential of the herb might explain some of its empirical
uses in folk medicine. The study found the shoots to have the highest
radical-scavengiing activity and lipid-peroxidation capacity in agreement
with the highest phenolic and ascorbic acid contents in this part. The
shoots also showed a high concentration of tocopherols and were the
only part plants found to have flavonoids.
Preparation
of infusion
•
Infusion:
Pour a cup of boiling water into 1-2 tsp of crushed seeds; cover and
infuse for 10 minutes. For flatulence, take a cup, half an hour before
meals.
Availability
Wildcrafted.
Capsules, fennel oil, capsules or teas in the cybermarket.
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