A stout, strongly scented perennial plant, with erect stems and blue-green leaves. The striated stems are solid when young, becoming hollow with age. The yellow flowers grow in compound, terminal umbels, each with 10-30 stalks. Aniseed-scented, egg-shaped fruits follow the flowers.
Fennel is native to southern Europe and the Mediterranean area. The name comes from the Greek word for "marathon" because the famous battle at Marathon (490 BC) against the Persians was fought on a field of Fennel. Pliny said that snakes casting off their skins ate Fennel to restore their eyesight.
Basic Botanical Info of Fennel(Fructus Foeniculi):
Fennel
Latin: Fructus Foenicuii
Botanical Source:dry fruit seed of Foeniculum vulgare Mill
English Name: Fennel
Plant Family: Umbelliferae
Common Names:Hsiao-hui-hsiang,Large fennel,Shatapushpa (Sanskrit name),Shih-lo (Chinese name),Sweet fennel,Tzu-mo-lo,Wild fennel,Xiao-hue-xiang (Chinese name),Fenchel,Fenkel,Hinojo,Sweet Fennel,Wild Fennel;Fennel,Adas landi, Adas londa, Anis Vert, Anis, Comino, Finocchio Forte, Hinojo, Hsiao Hui Hsiang, Hui Hsiang Chiu, Kaneer Razbana, L'Anis, La Nuit, Raziyane, Rezene, Shamar, Shbint.
Parts Usually Used:Seeds, berries, fruits, roots, and stems.
The leaves or seed, boiled in Barley-water, and drunk, are good for nurses to increase their milk, and make it more wholesome for the child.
Fennel has a distinctive smell rather like Aniseed. The roots are large, thick and white, the leaves'are winged and the small, yellow flowers at the top of the four-foot (1.2 m) stem are in flat umbels.
What Is It? General Description:
Fennel Seed is the oval, green or yellowishbrown dried fruit of Foeniculum vulgare, a member of the parsley family.
Its original Greek genus name was Marathron, from maraino, meaning to grow thin. Its current genus name, Foeniculum, was assigned by the Romans, derived from the Latin word foenum, meaning hay.
Most cooks--even unadventurous ones--can easily identify the yellowish-brown crescents known as fennel seeds. That's because these tiny seeds, which actually represent the dried ripe fruits of the aromatic fennel plant (Foeniculum vulgare), have been handed down through the ages as a spice and food preservative. Their heady and memorable flavor, reminiscent of licorice and anise, is familiar to most people because fennel seeds are routinely used in rye bread.
In addition to keeping fennel as a kitchen staple, people in China, Europe, and other parts of the world continue to use fennel seeds in teas, tinctures, and compresses to relieve myriad ailments, including stomach upset, gas, and coughs. Scientists have even looked into fennel's value as a source for synthetic estrogen. And even though evidence to support these and other uses is spotty, it's clear that fennel seeds do work for certain conditions.
For example, chewing on a few seeds clearly helps vanquish bad breath. (Try them after meals or as needed.) Specially made fennel-flavored syrups appear to help ease coughs, and are widely used for this purpose in Europe. And stomach upset may well find relief with a gentle fennel tea made by simmering 1 to 2 teaspoons of bruised seeds in 8 ounces of water.
Taste and Aroma:Fennel has an aniselike flavor but is more aromatic, sweeter and less pungent.
Sensory quality:
Sweet and aromatic, similar to anise. For other sweet spices, see licorice.
Fennel pollen, also known as ¡°spice of the angels¡±, has a subtle fennel flavour, lacking some of the sweetness but with a distinct note of pine needles (though others might disagree with this association of mine).
Description of Plant(s) and Culture
A tall herb of the umbel family, with feathery leaves and yellow flowers.
A stout, strongly scented perennial plant, with erect stems and blue-green leaves. The striated stems are solid when young, becoming hollow with age. The yellow flowers grow in compound, terminal umbels, each with 10-30 stalks. Aniseed-scented, egg-shaped fruits follow the flowers.
Its light green, feathery foliage and aromatic seeds are used to flavor foods and medicines. Stems reach 4-6 feet and flowers appear July to October. Needs full sun; partial shade in warm climates. Zones 6-9.
Seeds can be planted in autumn to ensure early germination in the spring, otherwise plant seeds in spring in rich, well-drained soil but not clay. Sow lightly in a bed or in drills six inches apart. Keep the bed moist for 2 weeks or until leaves appear. Germination takes place within 2 weeks. Thin to 6 inches apart. Do not overwater after that. Do not plant fennel near dill, coriander, bush beans, or tomatoes. Although it has never been proven, fennel is said to have a damaging effect on bush beans, caraway, tomatoes, and kohlrabi, and is harmed by coriander and wormwood. Plant away from garden; most plants dislike fennel.
Collect seeds in summer and let the plant die back naturally in winter. Harvest seeds when mature and brown, but before they drop; check for aphids. Morning hours for harvest are best to avoid unnecessary seed losses.
Varieties of fennel: F. vulgare Rubrum (bronze fennel) has beautiful, dark reddish bronze foliage. It makes a striking accent in gardens. F. vulgare azoricum (Florence fennel or finacchio; sometimes listed as var. dulce, incorrectly called sweet anise, and sold as anise in supermarkets) has thickened leaf bases that form a bulbous base called the bulb, which is eaten raw or cooked. Finocchio grows like a stalk of celery and is eaten raw or boiled as a vegetable. Florence fennel needs cool weather to develop its bulb, so sow seeds in midsummer for a fall harvest. Plants grown from a spring sowing may bolt in warm summer weather before forming the bulb. Plants benefit from frequent fertilization and watering. Cut off flower heads to encourage development of a thicker base. Once the bulb is about egg size, it can be hilled up with soil to blanch. It will be ready to harvest in a few weeks.
Habitat:
Humid-temperate regions, growing on a wide range of soil types (Parsons and Cuthbertson 1992). It is restricted to areas of moderate rainfall or where irrigation run-off water is available, or to low-lying areas subject to flooding (Parsons and Cuthbertson 1992). It occurs as a weed on roadsides, railway easements, channels and drains, rubbish dumps and neglected areas from which it occasionally encroaches onto more productive land (Parsons and Cuthbertson 1992). Fennel invades dry coastal vegetation, lowland grassland and grassy woodland, riparian vegetation and rock outcrop vegetation (Carr et al 1992).
History,Region of Origin
Fennel is native to southern Europe and the Mediterranean area. The name comes from the Greek word for "marathon" because the famous battle at Marathon (490 BC) against the Persians was fought on a field of Fennel. Pliny said that snakes casting off their skins ate Fennel to restore their eyesight.
Foeniculum is a Roman name, from the Latin word foenum, 'hay' and was corrupted to Fanculum in the Middle Ages, where the common name 'Fenkel' comes from Culpepper states: 'It is a herb of Mercury, and under Virgo, and therefore bears antipathy to Pisces'.
Fennel is a tall perennial herb native to the Mediterranean region, now widely cultivated as an annual or perennial in Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Greece, Turkey, Italy, France, Germany, Egypt, India, and China. Fennel is one of Germany's more important medicinal plant crops. The material of commerce comes mainly from Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, Egypt, and China.
Fennel seeds are popular in both sweet and savory dishes. Fennel seeds are a component of Chinese five-spice. The spice is said to cure everything from hiccups and coughs to earaches, toothaches, and asthma. Fragrant fennel oil is used both to flavor sweets and perfume soaps.
Fennel is a licorice flavored, feathery, aromatic herb. It grows to be several feet tall with umbels of small, yellow flowers that look very similar to a dill plant. This digestive herb relieves heartburn, gas, colic, and an upset stomach. The seeds can be chewed to sweeten breath and help a toothache, and a gargle will relieve a sore throat. Fennel also increases breast milk. To use as a compress, put crushed seeds in hot water for relief of swollen, tender, nursing breasts.
Fennel was well known to the Ancients and was cultivated by the ancient Romans for its aromatic fruits and succulent, edible shoots. Pliny had much faith in its medicinal properties, according no less than twenty-two remedies to it, observing also that serpents eat it 'when they cast their old skins, and they sharpen their sight with the juice by rubbing against the plant.' A very old English rhyming Herbal, preserved at Stockholm, gives the following description of the virtue of the plant:
"Whaune the heddere (adder) is hurt in eye
Ye red fenel is hys prey,
And yif he mowe it fynde
Wonderly he doth hys kynde.
He schall it chow wonderly,
And leyn it to hys eye kindlely,
Ye jows shall sang and hely ye eye
Yat beforn was sicke et feye."
Many of the older herbalists uphold this theory of the peculiarly strengthening effect of this herb on the sight. Longfellow alludes to this virtue in the plant:
"Above the lower plants it towers,
The Fennel with its yellow flowers;
And in an earlier age than ours
Was gifted with the wondrous powers
Lost vision to restore."
In mediaeval times, Fennel was employed, together with St. John's Wort and other herbs, as a preventative of witchcraft and other evil influences, being hung over doors on Midsummer's Eve to warn off evil spirits. It was likewise eaten as a condiment to the salt fish so much consumed by our forefathers during Lent. Like several other umbelliferae, it is carminative.
Though the Romans valued the young shoots as a vegetable, it is not certain whether it was cultivated in northern Europe at that time, but it is frequently mentioned in Anglo-Saxon cookery and medical recipes prior to the Norman Conquest. Fennel shoots, Fennel water and Fennel seed are all mentioned in an ancient record of Spanish agriculture dating A.D. 961. The diffusion of the plant in Central Europe was stimulated by Charlemagne, who enjoined its cultivation on the imperial farms.
It is mentioned in Gerard (1597), and Parkinson (Theatricum Botanicum, 1640) tells us that its culinary use was derived from Italy, for he says:"The leaves, seede and rootes are both for meate and medicine; the Italians especially doe much delight in the use thereof, and therefore transplant and whiten it, to make it more tender to please the taste, which being sweete and somewhat hot helpeth to digest the crude qualitie of fish and other viscous meats. We use it to lay upon fish or to boyle it therewith and with divers other things, as also the seeds in bread and other things."
William Coles, in Nature's Paradise (1650) affirms that - "both the seeds, leaves and root of ourGarden Fennel are much used in drinks and broths for those that are grown fat, to abate their unwieldiness and cause them to grow more gaunt and lank."
The ancient Greek name of the herb, Marathron, from maraino, to grow thin, probably refers to this property. It was said to convey longevity, and to give strength and courage. There are many references to Fennel in poetry. Milton, in Paradise Lost alludes to the aroma of the plant:
"A savoury odour blown,
Grateful to appetite, more pleased my sense
Than smell of sweetest Fennel."
Origin:
The ripe fruit, or seed, of Foeniculum vulgare Mill., a perennial or biennial aromatic herb of the family Apiaceae (Umbelliferae).
According to a Greek myth, knowledge came to man from Olympus in the form of a fiery coal contained in a fennel stalk. Native to southern Europe and Asia Minor, fennel is cultivated in the United States, Great Britain, and temperate Eurasia. All parts of the plant are aromatic and used in flavoring; the blanched shoots are eaten as a vegetable; and the seed is a traditional carminative (an agent expelling gas from the alimentary canal so as to relieve abdominal pain or irritation.)
The cultivated plant is about 1 m tall and has stalks with finely divided leaves composed of many linear or awl-shaped segments. The grayish, compound umbels bear small yellow flowers. It is in leaf all year, in flower from August to October, and the seeds ripen from September to October. The scented flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by insects.
The plant cannot grow in the shade. It requires dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought. The plant can tolerates strong winds but not maritime exposure.
The fruits, or seeds, are greenish brown to yellowish brown oblong ovals about 6 mm long with five prominent longitudinal dorsal ridges. Their aroma and taste are suggestive of anise. The seeds and extracted oil are used for scenting soaps and perfumes and for flavouring candies, liqueurs, medicines, and foods, particularly pastry, sweet pickles, and fish.
Fennel is cultivated everywhere in China. Reaped in autumn when the fruit ripens, it is then dried in the sun for use when raw or after being fried with brine.
History and Modern Use:
Its modern therapeutic uses in Germany and the United States stem from traditional Greek medicine as practiced by Hippocrates and later by Dioscorides. It is still widely used in traditional Arabian medicine as a diuretic, appetizer, and digestive.
Fennel's therapeutic uses have been introduced and integrated into many other systems of traditional medicine, including Chinese TCM. For example, the present Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia recommends it in dried fruit or fluidextract form, for flatulent dyspepsia, anorexia, and flatulent colic in children. Its indications for use in the present Chinese pharmacopoeia include for distending pain in the epigastrium with anorexia, dysmenorrhea with lower abdominal pain and cold sensation, vomiting, and diarrhea.
The modern therapeutic applications for fennel seed and oil are supportable based on their history of use in well-established systems of traditional medicine, phytochemical investigations, and in vitro and in vivo studies in animals.
In Germany, fennel seed is licensed as a standard medicinal tea for dyspepsia. It is also used in cough syrups and honeys (antitussives and expectorants), and stomach and bowel remedies, especially in pediatrics, as aqueous infusion, water (Aqua Foeniculi), drag (lozenge), juice, and syrup. It is often used in combination with aniseed (Leung and Foster, 1996; Wichtl and Bisset, 1994). In the United States, it is also used as a component of galactagogue preparations. Indications for use of fennel oil are similar to those for fennel seed. In Germany and the United States, fennel oil is used as an expectorant component of cough remedies, and also as a carminative component of stomach and bowel remedies in dosage forms including honey and syrup. Traditionally, it is combined with laxative or purgative herbs to counteract or modify their harsh griping effects in the bowels. The Commission E limits the use of fennel seed and fennel oil for up to two weeks and then recommends consulting a physician.
Fennel historically as a galactogogue:
Fennel has been used historically as a galactogogue (to stimulate milk production). It has also been used for gastrointestinal disorders and as an expectorant. The dose of the oil is 0.1-0.6 mL which is equivalent to 100-600 mg of herb. Side effects include allergic reactions and dermatitis. There are no known contraindications for fennel oil.
Fennel and Witch Battle:
Fennel:Known for its healing properties, stalks of fennel were wielded by the benandanti in their battles against evil witches (Guiley 1989 24).
Traditional Ethnic Uses:
Fennel goes well with fish and is used in Italian sausages and some curry powder mixes.
The Commission E approved the internal use of fennel seed preparations for dyspepsias such as mild, spastic gastrointestinal afflictions, fullness, and flatulence. It is also approved for catarrh of the upper respiratory tract. Fennel syrup and fennel honey are used for catarrh of the upper respiratory tract in children.
In France, fennel seed is allowed the same indications for use as the star anise seed or aniseed. The German Standard License for infusion of fennel seed reports its use against flatulence and cramp-like pains in the gastrointestinal tract, especially in infants and small children, and to dissolve mucus in the respiratory tract. ESCOP lists fennel seed for dyspeptic complaints such as mild, spasmodic gastrointestinal complaints, bloating, and flatulence, for catarrh of the upper respiratory tract, and fennel syrup or fennel honey for catarrh of the upper respiratory tract in children.
In new houses fennel used as protection from fire, accidents and evil
Fennel used as an antidote for poisonous herbs or mushrooms,for serpent and other venomous bites,in ancient fertility rites.
Grown fennel near the home to ward of negativity and evil,to cover cold stone and earth floors,to neutralize vegetable and fungus (mushroom) poisoning
Fennel Seed is also known by the names Finocchio and Carosella. The name Fennel is derived from the Latin, "foenum", meaning "hay" due to the finely divided leaves of the Fennel plant. Ancient Greek athletes ate Fennel Seed so they would gain strength, but not weight. During the Middle Ages, the seeds were chewed to stave off hunger during fasting periods, and also during long church sermons. Eating the leaves has been a traditional tonic for the eyes, brain and enhanced memory. The Fennel plant came originally from Europe, where it is still grown today. Fennel Seeds are also cultivated in many parts of North America, Asia, and Egypt. The major constituents of Fennel, which include the terpenoid anethole, are found in the volatile oil. Anethole and other terpenoids inhibit spasms in smooth muscles, such as those in the intestinal tract, and this is thought to contribute to fennel’s use as a carminative (gas-relieving and gastrointestinal tract cramp-relieving agent). Related compounds to anethole may have mild estrogenic actions, although this has not been proven in humans. Fennel is also thought to possess diuretic (increase in urine production), choleretic (increase in production of bile), pain-reducing, fever-reducing, and anti-microbial actions. The seeds are used as a flavoring agent in many herbal medicines, and to help disperse flatulence. The seeds, and roots, also help to open obstructions of the liver, spleen & gall bladder, and to ease painful swellings, in addition to helping with yellow jaundice, the gout and occasional cramps. Fennel Seed was formerly an official drug in the United States, and was listed for the treatment of indigestion.
Legends, Myths and Stories:
Fennel is one of nine Anglo-Saxon herbs known for secret powers. In ancient days, a bunch of fennel hung over a cottage door on Midsummer's Eve was said to prevent the effects of witchcraft. Today, if witches are not a problem, try nibbling on the herb's seeds, as Roman women did centuries ago, to help depress the appetite. Women in Roman times believed fennel prevented obesity.
The ancients believed eating the fennel herb and seeds imparted courage, strength, and conveyed longevity. In Imperial Roman times the physicians were in high regard of fennel for medicinal purposes.
The ancient Greeks and Anglo-Saxons snitched on their fast days by nibbling a little fennel, which reduced the appetite.
The ancients believed that myopic reptiles ate fennel to improve their vision and so used it themselves for this purpose. It is still prescribed as an eye-wash. Also, for failing eyesight, a tea was made from fennel leaves to be used as a compress on swollen eyes.
Fennel is considered one of the oldest medicinal plants and culinary herbs. It is fairly certain that fennel was in use over 4000 years ago. It is mentioned in the famous Ebers Papyrus, an ancient Egyptian collection of medical writings made around 1500 BC. There it is referred to principally as a remedy for flatulence. Later authors of herbals, such as Pliny (AD 23-79), also describe fennel primarily as an aid to digestion. In the Middle Ages, it was praised for coughs.
Fennel was well known to the ancient Chinese, Hindus, and Egyptians as a harmless medicine and spice. Italians are fond of the seeds as seasoning.
A warm tea of the seeds, slightly sweetened with honey, is a useful carminative for restless babies. A stronger tea, or the oil on a lump of sugar, is soothing for older children or adults.
The seed or the oil is combined with other flavors in the making of liqueurs. Fennel is the principle ingredient of a cordial known as Fenouillette.
In early American times of the 17th century, every garden had its little patch of fennel "for keeping old women awake in church." A sprig of fennel was the theological smelling bottle of the tender sex, not infrequently of the men, who found themselves too strongly tempted to take a nap, would sometimes borrow a sprig of fennel.
Ancient Lore:
The leaves or seed, boiled in Barley-water, and drunk, are good for nurses to increase their milk, and make it more wholesome for the child.
Fennel has a distinctive smell rather like Aniseed. The roots are large, thick and white, the leaves'are winged and the small, yellow flowers at the top of the four-foot (1.2 m) stem are in flat umbels.
Where to find it: Waste places, roadsides and sea cliffs. It is also cultivated in gardens. Flowering time: Early to midsummer.
Astrology: An herb of Mercury under Virgo and bearing antipathy to Pisces.
Medicinal virtues: Fennel is good to break wind, provoke urine, ease the pains of the stone and to help break it. The leaves, or rather the seeds, boiled in water, stays the hiccough and soothes the stomach of sick and feverish persons. The seed boiled in wine is good for those that have eaten poisonous herbs or mushrooms. The seed, or roots, help to open obstructions of the liver, spleen and gall, and ease painful and windy swellings and help the yellow jaundice, the gout and cramps.
The seed helps shortness of the breath and wheezing, by stopping the lungs. The leaves, seeds and roots are much used in drink or broth to make people lean that are too fat.
The distilled water of the whole herb dropped into the eyes cleanses them from mists and films that hinder the sight.
Modern uses: The seeds are mainly used as a flavouring agent in medicines and to disperse flatulence. It is an ingredient of the official compound powder of liquorice. Added to a laxative, it prevents griping. A gripe water can be made by adding eight drops of Oil of Fennel to 1 Pt
(570 ml) of distilled water and shaking. The dose ranges from one to eight teaspoonfuls. Fennel tea, also Fennel FOENICULUM VULGARE for flatulence, is made by pouring 1/2 pt (300 ml) of boiling water on to one teaspoonful of the seeds and allowed to infuse. This tea will also help produce milk for nursing mothers.
Chemistry and Pharmacology:
Fennel seed contains essential oils (4%), of which 50.0% is trans-anethole, 9.2% (+)-fenchone, 2% estragole (methyl chavicol), plus a- and b-pinene, a-phellandrene, limonene, camphene, and others; fixed oil (17?0%), of which 60?5% is petroselinic acid; the flavonoids kaempferol, quercetin, isoquercitrin, and rutin; protein (16?0%); minerals (relatively high in calcium and potassium); sugars; and vitamins (Bruneton, 1995; ESCOP, 1997; Leung and Foster, 1996; Wichtl and Bissett, 1994).
The Commission E reported that fennel seed promotes gastrointestinal motility and in higher concentrations acts as an antispasmodic. In experiments, anethole and fenchone have been shown to have a secretolytic action in the respiratory tract. In the frog, aqueous fennel extracts raise the mucociliary activity of the ciliary epithelium.
The British Herbal Pharmacopoeia reported its action as carminative (BHP, 1996). Aqueous infusion of bitter fennel seed increased the transport velocity of the isolated ciliated epithelium of a frog esophagus by 12% (ESCOP, 1997; Leung and Foster, 1996; M ller-Limmroth and Frˆhlich, 1980). Fennel administered orally increased the spontaneous movement of the unanesthetized rabbit stomach and taken intravenously reduced the inhibition of stomach movement by sodium pentobarbitone (Niiho et al., 1977). A bitter fennel infusion reduced spasms induced by acetylcholine and barium chloride in vitro in isolated guinea pig ileum and inhibited in situ ileum spasms in vivo in cats (ESCOP, 1997).
The content of essential varies strongly (0.6 to 6%); fruits in the center of an umbel are generally greater, greener and stronger in fragrance. Time of harvest and climate are also important.
The essential oil of the most important fennel variety (var. dulce) contains anethole (50 to 80%), limonene (5%), fenchone (5%), estragole (methyl-chavicol), safrole, ¦Á-pinene (0.5%), camphene, ¦Â-pinene, ¦Â-myrcene and p-cymene. In contrast, the uncultivated form (var. vulgare) contains often more essential oil, but since it is characterized by the bitter fenchone (12 to 22%), it is of little value.
Volatile oil:
The best varieties of Fennel yield from 4 to 5 per cent of volatile oil (sp. gr. 0.960 to 0.930), the principal constituents of which are Anethol (50 to 60 per cent) and Fenchone (18 to 22 per cent). Anethol is also the chief constituent of Anise oil.
The essential oil of the most important fennel variety (var. dulce) contains anethole (50 to 80%), limonene (5%), fenchone (5%), estragole (methyl-chavicol), safrole, ¦Á-pinene (0.5%), camphene, beta-pinene, beta-myrcene and p-cymene. In contrast, the uncultivated form (var. vulgare) contains often more essential oil, but since it is characterized by the bitter fenchone (12 to 22%), it is of little value.
Fenchone is a colourless liquid possessing a pungent, camphoraceous odour and taste, and when present gives the disagreeable bitter taste to many of the commercial oils. It probably contributes materially to the medicinal properties of the oil, hence only such varieties of Fennel as contain a good proportion of fenchone are suitable for medicinal use.
There are also present in oil of Fennel, d-pinene, phellandrine, anisic acid and anisic aldehyde. Schimmel mentions limonene as also at times present as a constituent.
There is reason to believe that much of the commercial oil is adulterated with oil from which the anethol or crystalline constituent has been separated. Good oil will contain as much as 60 per cent.
Saxon Fennel yields 4.7 per cent of volatile oil, containing 22 per cent of fenchone.
Russian, Galician and Roumanian, which closely resembles one another, yield 4 to 5 per cent of volatile oil, of which about 18 per cent is fenchone. They have a camphoraceous taste.
French sweet or Roman Fennel yields only 2.1 per cent. of oil, containing much less anethol and with a milder and sweeter taste, probably due to the entire absence of the bitter fenchone.
French bitter Fennel oil differs considerably, anethol being only present in traces. The oil (Essence de Fenouil amer) is distilled from the entire herb, collected in the south of France, where the plant grows without cultivation.
Indian Fennel yields only 0.72 per cent of oil, containing only 6.7 per cent of fenchone.
Sicilian Fennel oil is yielded from F. piperitum.
It was formerly the practice to boil Fennel with all fish, and it was mainly cultivated in kitchen gardens for this purpose. Its leaves are served nowadays with salmon, to correct its oily indigestibility, and are also put into sauce, in the same way as parsley, to be eaten with boiled mackerel.
The seeds are also used for flavouring and the carminative oil that is distilled from them, which has a sweetish aromatic odour and flavour, is employed in the making of cordials and liqueurs, and is also used in perfumery and for scenting soaps. A pound of oil is the usual yield of 500 lb. of the seed.
Medicinal Properties:
Properties: Pungent in flavor, warm in nature, it is related to the liver, kidney, spleen and stomach channels.Stomachic, carminative (relieves gas), pectoral (relieves chest congestion and cough), diuretic, aromatic, antispasmodic, expectorant, mild expectorant, anti-inflammatory, stimulant
Functions: Dispels cold, kills pain, regulates the flow of qi and normalizes the functioning of the spleen and stomach.Fennel helps to take away the appetite. Taken before meals, it can help you eat smaller meals and still feel full. It is often used as a sedative for small children and to treat colic. It improves digestion, and is very helpful with coughs. It is also used for cancer patients after radiation and chemotherapy treatments to help rebuild the digestive system. It is used to enrich and increase the flow of milk for lactating women. Fennel oil is used externally to ease muscle and joint pain. Avoid internal use during pregnancy.
Used plant part:
Fruits (usually mistermed ¡°seeds¡±) . Other than most of their relatives, they retain a green colour after drying. As a rule of thumb, a bright green colour indicates a good quality.
In Italy, there is also small-scale usage of fennel pollen as an expensive and rather extravagant spice. Also known as ¡°Spice of the Angels¡±, fennel pollen is also produced in California as a small-scale exotic crop.
The leaves and stalks of fennel can be eaten as a vegetable. Italian breeds with fleshy stem and leaves to be used as a vegetable are often referred to as ¡°Florence Fennel¡± or ¡°Finocchio¡± in English, but the name finocchio may mean any type of fennel in Italian.
Fennel Common Uses:
An old reliable household remedy, good for flavoring foods and medicines. The tea makes an excellent eye wash. Fennel is a thoroughly tried remedy for gas, acid stomach or dyspepsia, gout, cramps, colic, cystitis, and spasms. Ground fennel sprinkled on food will prevent gas in the stomach and bowels. For colic in children, the herb should be steeped (weak for infants) and given in small doses every half hour until the infant or child is relieved. Nursing mothers will find fennel helpful in stimulating lactation, in a warm tea. Fennel seed, ground and made into a tea is given for snake bites, fever, insect bites, dog bites, hiccoughs, flatulence, backache, toothache, obesity, blood purifier, or food poisoning. Good for jaundice when the liver is obstructed or to improve appetite. Excellent for obesity. Increases the flow of urine and increases menstrual flow. Fennel oil may be rubbed over painful joints to relieve pain or rheumatism, and may be added to gargles for hoarseness and sore throat and cough. The shoots of this herb have a laxative effect and may be consumed raw or as a tisane.
A sweet herb used as an appetite suppressant: Promotes function of the spleen, liver, and kidneys. Relieves colon disorders, and good for the cancer patient after chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
Cattle condiments: Fennel is also largely used for cattle condiments.
Carminative: Fennel tea, formerly also employed as a carminative, is made by pouring half a pint of boiling water on a teaspoonful of bruised Fennel seeds.
Chronic coughs: Syrup prepared from Fennel juice was formerly given for chronic coughs.
Driving away fleas: It is one of the plants which is said to be disliked by fleas, and powdered Fennel has the effect of driving away fleas from kennels and stables. The plant gives off ozone most readily.
Fennel leaves may be cooked in sauce for oily fish, chicken and egg dishes or used in salads: When cooked with salmon or mackerel, it has been claimed to help eliminate oiliness. Eaten fresh, fennel has a licorice-like flavor similar to anise. Chop the leaves and toss them into a salad, or sprinkle over grilled seafood. The seeds add vigorous flavor to breads, sausages, curries, and even apple pie. With a mixture of fennel seed and dill seed season cucumber salad and a variety of lettuce salads.
Fennel Oil: Fennel also yields a yellow or brown dye for wool, and fennel oil is used commercially in perfumes, soaps, and liquors. Sugar-coated seeds are used as after-dinner mints in Indian restaurants.
Fenel flavor: Fennel seeds are used whole or ground to flavor bread, cakes, pastries, soups, stews, sweet pickles, fish and sauerkraut.
Fennel Stalk: The fennel stalk, stripped of its skin and dressed in vinegar and pepper, makes a tasty celery-like salad that is popular in the plant's native Mediterranean area. The Italians call the dish cartucci and claim it calms and aids sleep.
Gentle cleanser and skin toner: Sweet, fragrant fennel seed powder can be used as a gentle cleanser and skin toner. It can help soothe mildly irritated skin. When used in a facial steam or facial mud, fennel allows the pores to open. Mix 2 teaspoons of fennel seed powder with a small amount of buttermilk or heavy cream and lightly heat the mixture. Use the mixture as a gentle milk cleanser. Add fennel seed powder to bath teas, milk baths, soap and body powders.
Medicinal virtues: Fennel is good to break wind, provoke urine, ease the pains of the stone and to help break it. The leaves, or rather the seeds, boiled in water, stays the hiccough and soothes the stomach of sick and feverish persons. The seed boiled in wine is good for those that have eaten poisonous herbs or mushrooms. The seed, or roots, help to open obstructions of the liver, spleen and gall, and ease painful and windy swellings and help the yellow jaundice, the gout and cramps.
The seed helps shortness of the breath and wheezing, by stopping the lungs. The leaves, seeds and roots are much used in drink or broth to make people lean that are too fat.
The distilled water of the whole herb dropped into the eyes cleanses them from mists and films that hinder the sight.
Modern uses: The seeds are mainly used as a flavouring agent in medicines and to disperse flatulence. It is an ingredient of the official compound powder of liquorice. Added to a laxative, it prevents griping. A gripe water can be made by adding eight drops of Oil of Fennel to 1 Pt (570 ml) of distilled water and shaking. The dose ranges from one to eight teaspoonfuls. Fennel tea, also Fennel FOENICULUM VULGARE for flatulence, is made by pouring 1/2 pt (300 ml) of boiling water on to one teaspoonful of the seeds and allowed to infuse. This tea will also help produce milk for nursing mothers.
Salad: The tender stems are employed in soups in Italy, though are more frequently eaten raw as a salad. The Italians eat these peeled stems, which they call 'Cartucci' as a salad, cutting them when the plant is about to bloom and serving with a dressing of vinegar and pepper.
Sleep Aid: John Evelyn, in his Acetaria (1680), held that the peeled stalks, soft and white, of the cultivated garden Fennel, when dressed like celery exercised a pleasant action conducive to sleep.
Healing with Fennel:
To make fennel tea, steep ?teaspoon of crushed fennel seed in a cup of boiling water for 10 minutes. Allow the tea to cool sufficiently if you're giving it to an infant.
1.For a digestive aid: either chew a handful of seeds or try an infusion or tincture. The seeds have a pleasant, licorice-like flavor. Reach for fennel to:
2.Soothe Indigestion: Like many other aromatic herbs, fennel appears to relax the smooth muscle lining of the digestive tract to help expel gas. European research shows it also kills some bacteria, lending support to another of its traditional uses-to treat diarrhea.
3.Stimulate menstruation: One study suggests the herb has a mild estrogenic effect, meaning it acts like the female sex hormone, estrogen. This action may have something to do with its traditional use as a milk and menstruation promoter.
4.Cure colic: In a recent Israeli study, researchers gave an herbal fennel tea to 33 colicky babies and a non-medicinal drink to 35 other colicky infants for seven days. More babies who received fennel tea showed improvement that those who received the placebo drink. Although the study is from conclusive, it can't hurt to try giving fennel tea to a colicky baby. "It' worth a try, because colic is such a complex thing," says Dr. DerMarderosian.
a).Fennel is a safe way to treat baby colic: Various plants have been used to relieve of infantile colic, including catmint (Nepeta cataria), chamomille (Matricaria chamomilla), dill (Anethum graveolens), fennel (Foeniculum vulgare), lemon balm (Melissa officinalis), and others. Among these plants, fennel is the most frequently recommended by herbologists and naturopaths. All of these listed plants are rich in volatile oils, and their beneficial effects are attributed to volatile oils. The highest concentration of the fennel oil, ranging from 2 to 7%, is found in the seeds. Fennel volatile oil is a mixture of at least a dozen of different chemicals. The main ingredients of fennel seed oil are: anethole, 40 to 70%; fenchone, 10 to 30%; and estragole, 2 to 9%. Other components are present in concentrations usually less than 1%. Animal experiments have shown that fennel oil regulates contractility of the small intestine (36, 37, 38). Anethole has a chemical structure similar to a chemical that is naturally present in the body, called dopamine. Dopamine is known to have a relaxing effect on the intestine, and perhaps, explains why fennel has a beneficial effect on infantile colic.
Fennel has a long documented history of use, dating to an ancient Egypt. Even today, many lactating mothers in Asian countries routinely take fennel.
Preparations of fennel seed available on the market today exist as either teas or extracts, and contain variable and unpredictable concentrations of the volatile oil. This variability in oil concentration results from many factors, including soil and climate of the growing region, harvesting methods, manufacturing, and storage conditions. The inconsistency in the concentration of oil makes it difficult to obtain an effective, predictable and reproducible response. That explains why until recently there has only been one clinical study supporting the use of herbs, including fennel for infantile colic.
Fennel has the remarkable qualities of being both effective and very safe. No acute or chronic toxic reactions to fennel, or to fennel products in humans have ever been reported. Laboratory animals given 3000 milligrams of fennel extract per kilogram of weight showed no sign of toxicity). Likewise, fennel seed oil tested in animal experiments has been found to be non-toxic at doses significantly higher, than those used in humans. For example, animals fed a diet containing 1% of anethole, the main component of fennel seed oil, had no toxic effects (40). The recommended daily amount of fennel seed oil for an average colicky 1 month old, who weighs approximately 4 kilograms (9 lbs.), would be 20 to 40 milligrams. Such an infant consumes approximately 600 gram (20 oz) of formula, or milk per day. Therefore, 20 to 40 mg. of fennel seed oil given to an infant daily would be equal to 0.0035 to 0.007% of the total daily food consumption, which is 140 to 280 times less, than in a study quoted.
Besides its antispasmodic qualities, fennel seed oil has antioxidant and antimicrobial activity, probably attributed to anethole, which itself has been shown to have anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and also anticarcinogenic effects (41, 42, 43).
Even though fennel is mentioned as an allergen, the allerginicity of fennel is extremely low, probably much lower than of milk, soy or eggs. In fact, since 1948 there were only two reports of allergic reaction to fennel plant in the English literature. However, all statements of experts regarding the allerginicity of fennel are based on these two reports. It has been shown that fennel allergy is caused by pollen (46), which is always present in unprocessed seeds. Fennel seed oil, which is produced by distillation of fennel seeds, has no pollen particles in it, and therefore, cannot produce allergic reactions.
Undiluted, or 100% fennel seed oil applied to the skin for a long period of time can produce local irritation. However, diluted fennel seed oil is not irritating. In an experiment on human volunteers, application of 4% oil did not produce any reactions.
The Council of Europe included fennel in the list of spices and seasonings in 1973. Fennel seed oil has been on the FDA's GRAS (Generally Recommended As Safe) list of flavoring substances in the United States since 1970's.
5.To treat abdominal pain with cold hernia, swelling with bearing-down and distending pain of one testis, cold pain in the lower abdomen and dysmenorrhea (painful menstruation):
a).Abdominal pain with cold hernia: This herb is often used together with three-nerved spicebush root (Radix Linderae), dried green orange peel, lesser galangal (Rhizoma Alpiniae Officinarum), etc., e.g., Tiantai Wuyao San. It can also be parched until hot and wrapped in cloth for heating the abdomen when warm.
b).Swelling with bearing-down and distending pain of one testis due to the stagnation of liver-qi: This herb can be used together with tangerine seed, hawthorn, etc.
c).Cold pain in the lower abdomen due to affection of the liver channel by pathogenic cold or dysmenorrhea due to deficiency-cold in the chong and ren channels: This herb can be used together with Chinese angelica, chuanxiong (Rhizoma Ligustici Chuanxiong), cassia bark, etc.
6. To treat syndromes of qi stagnation due to deficiency-cold in the spleen and stomach:
a).Distending pain in the abdomen due to stomach-cold and qi stagnation: This herb can be used in combination with lesser galangal (Rhizoma Alpiniae Officinarum), nutgrass flatsedge rhizome (Rhizoma Cyperi), three-nerved spicebush root (Radix Linderae), etc.
b).Distending pain in the abdomen and vomiting with poor appetite due to deficiency-cold in the spleen and stomach: This herb can be used together with largehead atractylodes rhizome (Rhizoma Atractylodis Macrocephalae), dried tangerine peel, ginger, etc.
Quoted References:
The Newly Revised Material Medica: "Various syndromes of flaccidity, cholera and snake bite."
Ri Huazi's Materia Medica: "To treat dry beriberi (a deficiency disease marked by inflammatory or degenerative changes of the nerves, digestive system, and heart and caused by a lack of or inability to assimilate thiamine), impairment of the kidneys caused by overstrain, hernia, cystalgia and pain in the vagina by inducing appetite and digestion."
"Fennel helps to release gas from the stomach and bowels and relieve its associated pain and cramping. It helps to clear phlegm from the lungs. It can act as a stimulant and diuretic which calms the nerves, improves appetite and digestion, and acts as an antispasmodic. It is helpful for nursing mothers as it promotes lactation and calms colic. Fennel helps regulate energy to the spleen, stomach, liver and kidneys and can be used topically for joint inflammation. The dried powder is said to keep fleas away from kennels and stables. Folklore indicates it can be used as a poultice for cancerous wounds and indurations (hardening) of the mammary glands."
"Medicinal Actions and Uses: On account of its aromatic and carminative properties, Fennel fruit is chiefly used medicinally with purgatives to allay their tendency to griping and for this purpose forms one of the ingredients of the well-known Liquorice Powder."
"A sweet herb used as an appetite suppressant and as an eyewash. Promotes function of the spleen, liver and kidneys, and also clears the lungs. Used for acid stomach. It relieves gas, gastrointestinal tract spasms, abdominal pain, and colon disorders. Effective in the treatment of gout, and good for the cancer patient after chemotherapy and radiation."
"Actions: Carminative, circulatory stimulant, anti-inflammatory, promotes milk flow, mild expectorant, diuretic. Soothing for the digestion, the seeds also promote milk flow in breastfeeding. CAUTION: Fennel is a uterine stimulant, so avoid high doses of the herb in pregnancy; small amounts used in cooking are safe."
"Botanical name: Foeniculum vulgare. Pharmaceutical name: Fructus Foeniculi Vulgaris Properties: acrid, warm. Channels entered: Stomach, Liver, Kidney. Functions and clinical use: Regulates Qi and alleviates pain: used to warm and encourage movement in the Live Channel or the Lower Burner as in Cold hemia-like disorders, or any kind of lower a dominal pain from Cold. Warms the Middle Burner and opens the Stomach: used for Cold Stomach patterns wit such symptoms as abdominal pain, indigestion, decreased appetite, and vomiting.
Pharmacological and clinical research:Gastrointestinal effect: the oil of Fructus Foeniculi Vulgaris (Yiao Hui Ciang) regulates the peristaltic functions of the gastrointestinal tract, thereby reducing emptying time and increasing the passage of gas. It also relieves spasms of the intestines. This latter effect is destroyed by local anesthesia and therefore may be caused by a nervous reflex. Antibiotic effect: anethole contributes to the inhibitory effect of streptomycin against tuberculosis in guinea pigs, but has no effect by itself. Treatment of hernias: in one series of 26 patients with incarcerated hernias, preparations of Fructus Foeniculi Vulgaris (Xiao Hui Xiang) given orally reduced the hernias in 22 cases. After the preparation was administered, the patients were asked to lie supine with their knees bent. Usually the hernia and symptoms were reduced within half an hour. If there was no resolution within one and a half hours, surgery was immediately performed. The principal factor that determined the outcome was the duration of the incarceration: the longer the duration, the less effective the treatment. Use in urology: a preparation of Fructus Foeniculi Vulgaris (Xiao Hui Xiang), together with salt and other ingredients taken at bedtime with rice wine, was used in 64 cases of hydrocele of the tunica vaginalls. After six weeks, 59 cases were cured and one was improved."
Formulas or Dosages,safety:
Gather the root in the spring for medicinal purposes:
Infusion: steep 1 tbsp. freshly crushed seeds in 1 cup water for 5 minutes. Sweeten with honey to taste.
Decoction: boil 1/2 tsp. seed in water. Strain. Use as an eye-wash, 3 times per day.
Extract: mix 10 to 20 drops in water. Use warm water and 1 tsp. honey for a soothing drink daily.
Milk decoction: boil 1 tsp. seed in 1/2 cup milk for 5 to 10 minutes. Take for colic.
Tincture: take 10 to 30 drops in water, as required.
Fennel-honey: add 1 to 3 drops fennel oil to 1 tbsp. honey and mix. Take a teaspoon at a time. A natural cough remedy.
General Interaction:
There are no known drug or nutrient interactions commonly associated with fennel seed preparations.
Cautions:
Skin contact with the sap or essential oil is said to cause photo-sensitivity and/or dermatitis in some people. Ingestion of the oil can cause vomiting, seizures and pulmonary edema. It should not be given to pregnant women.
Fennel seeds pose no risk when used as a culinary spice or fragrance. And centuries of use suggest that taking recommended amounts of fennel seeds for healing is safe as well.
While most fennel preparations made from the seeds (teas, syrups, tinctures) pose no apparent health risks, avoid ingesting pure fennel oil because it can cause nausea, breathing problems, and other complications.
Because pure fennel oil contains concentrated levels of a female sex hormone, it's risky for women who are pregnant or breast-feeding, or for those who have a hormone-sensitive condition such as breast cancer.
Contemporary herbalists recommend fennel to aid digestion, and yes, it does help expel gas. It works by relaxing muscles in the digestive and reproductive systems. It's been used traditionally to boost mothers' milk production and promote menstruation.
Studies have shown that fennel is effective in relieving infant colic. However, not all of fennel's uses have been supported by scientific research.
Safety Considerations:
Fennel is included on the Food and Drug Administration's list of herbs generally regarded as safe. But because of its estrogenic effect, pregnant women should avoid medicinal amounts of the herb.Fennel seeds show certain level of mutagenic effects,avoid using large amount orally for long period.
Warning: Don't harvest fennel in the wild; it closely resembles poison hemlock, which can cause death if ingested.
Claims: Information this web site presented is meant for Nutritional Benefit and as an educational starting point only, for use in maintenance and promotion good health in cooperation with a common knowledge base reference...Furthermore,it based solely on the traditional and historic use or legend of a given herb from the garden of Adonis. Although every effort has been made to ensure its accurate, please note that some info may be outdated by more recent scientific developments......
Pharmakon Warning: The order of knowledge is not the transparent order of forms and ideas,as one might be tempted retrospectively to interpret it; it is the antidote....(Dissemination,Plato's Pharmacy,II.The Ingredients:Phantasms,Festivals,and Paints;138cf. Jacques Derrida.).
And as it happens,the technique of imitation,along with the production of the simulacrum,has always been in Plato's eyes manifestly magical,thaumaturgical:......and the same things appear bent and straight to those who view them in water and out,or concave and convex,owing to similar errors of vision about colors, and there is obviously every confusion of this sort in our souls.And so scene painting (skiagraphia) in its exploitation of this weakness of four nature falls nothing short of witchcraft (thaumatopoia), and so do jugglery and many other such contrivances.(Republic X,602c-d;cf.also 607c).
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Serie No.:R042.Basic Data Sheet Download
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seminal trace...Fennel Seed Extract.Fructus Foeniculi Extract.10:1, 20:1.CAS.084625-39-8.Extract from fennel; Fennel extract; Foeniculum extract; Foeniculum vulgare extract.bitter fennel seed extract,bitter fennel extract Large fennel Shatapushpa Sweet fennel Wild fennel Xiao-hui-xiang Fenchel Fenkel Sweet Fennel Wild Fennel FennelAdas landi Adas londa Anis Vert Anis Comino Finocchio Forte Kaneer Razbana LAnis La Nuit Raziyane Rezene Shamar Shbint...
Sensory quality:
a).Fennel is a safe way to treat baby colic: Various plants have been used to relieve of infantile colic, including catmint (Nepeta cataria), chamomille (Matricaria chamomilla), dill (Anethum graveolens), fennel (Foeniculum vulgare), lemon balm (Melissa officinalis), and others. Among these plants, fennel is the most frequently recommended by herbologists and naturopaths. All of these listed plants are rich in volatile oils, and their beneficial effects are attributed to volatile oils. The highest concentration of the fennel oil, ranging from 2 to 7%, is found in the seeds. Fennel volatile oil is a mixture of at least a dozen of different chemicals. The main ingredients of fennel seed oil are: anethole, 40 to 70%; fenchone, 10 to 30%; and estragole, 2 to 9%. Other components are present in concentrations usually less than 1%. Animal experiments have shown that fennel oil regulates contractility of the small intestine (36, 37, 38). Anethole has a chemical structure similar to a chemical that is naturally present in the body, called dopamine. Dopamine is known to have a relaxing effect on the intestine, and perhaps, explains why fennel has a beneficial effect on infantile colic.
Scientific References:
Claims & Warning:
