Fennel.Fructus Foeniculi.Foeniculum vulgare Mill.Xiao Hui Xiang.

Chemistry and Pharmacology of Fennel.

Fennel Seed Extract INCI Name Foeniculum Vulgare Extract CAS 84625-39-8 EINECS ELINCS No 283-414-6 Fructus Foeniculi Extract Foeniculum extract bitter fennel seed extract Xiao-hui-xiang Fenchel Fenkel Sweet Fennel Wild Fennel Fennel Adas landi Adas londa Anis Vert Anis Comino Finocchio Forte Kaneer Razbana LAnis La Nuit Raziyane Rezene Shamar Shbint photo picture image 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 Frlich, 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).

Phytochemicals:1,8-cineole, 3-carene, 5-methoxypsoralen, 8-methoxypsoralen, Alanine, Alpha-pinene, Alpha-terpinene, Alpha-terpineol, Alpha-thujene, Alpha-phellandrene, Aluminum, Anisaldehyde, Anisic-acid, Anisic-ketone, Apiole, Arachidates, Arginine, Ascorbic-acid, Aspartic-acid, Avicularin, Benzoic-acid, Bergapten, Beta-phellandrene, Beta-carotene, Beta-sitosterol, Beta-pinene, Boron, Caffeic-acid, Calcium, Camphene, Camphor, Ceryl-alcohol, Choline, Chromium, Cinnamic-acid, Cis-anethole, Cis-ocimene, Citric-acid, Cobalt, Columbianetin Copper, Cynarin, Cystine, D-limonene, Dianethole, Dillapiol, Dipentene, EO, Estragole, Fenchone, Fenchyl-alcohol, Ferulic-acid, Fumaric-acid, Gamma- terpinene, Gamma-tocotrienol, Gentisic-acid, Glutamic-acid, Glycine, Glycollic- acid, Histidine, Imperatorin, Iodine, Isoleucine, Isopimpinellin, Isoquercitrin, Kaempferol, Kaempferol-3-arabinoside, Kaempferol-3-glucuronide, L-limonene, Limonene, Linalool, Linoleic-acid, Magnesium, Malic-acid, Manganese, Marmesin, Methionine, Methyl-chavicol, Myrcene, Myristicin, Nickel,O-coumaric-acid, Oleic-acid, Osthenol, P-cymene, P-hydroxybenzoic-acid, P-coumaric-acid, P-hydroxycinnamic-acid, Palmitic-acid, Pectin, Petroselinic-acid, Phenylalanine, Phosphorus, Photoantheole, Potassium, Proline, Protocatechuic-acid, Psoralen, Quercetin, Quercetin-3-l-arabinoside, Quercetin-3-arabinoside, Quercetin-3-glucuronide, Quinic-acid, Riboflavin, Rutin, Sabinene, Scoparone, Scopoletin, Selenium, Serine, Seselin, Shikimic-acid, Silicon, Sinapic-acid, Stigmasterol, Stigmasterol-palmitate, Syringic-acid, Tartaric-acid, Terpinen-4-ol, Terpinolene,Thiamin, Threonine, Tin, Tocopherol, Trans-ocimene, Trans-anethole Trans-1,8-terpin, Trigonelline, Tryptophan, Tyrosine, Umbelliferone, Urease, Valine, Vanillic-acid, Vanillin, Xanthotoxin, Zinc
Fennel Seed Extract INCI Name Foeniculum Vulgare Extract CAS 84625-39-8 EINECS ELINCS No 283-414-6 Fructus Foeniculi Extract Foeniculum extract bitter fennel seed extract Xiao-hui-xiang Fenchel Fenkel Sweet Fennel Wild Fennel Fennel Adas landi Adas londa Anis Vert Anis Comino Finocchio Forte Kaneer Razbana LAnis La Nuit Raziyane Rezene Shamar Shbint photo picture image

Main Constituents:

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,alpha-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.

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, ��-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.

Reference:

1.Fennel.Fructus Foeniculi.Foeniculum vulgare Mill.Xiao Hui Xiang.

last edit date:3rd,Mar.2010.

Available Product

Name:Fennel Seed Extract
Serie No:R042.
Specifications:10:1.20:1TLC.
INCI Name:FOENICULUM VULGARE EXTRACT
EINECS/ELINCS No.:283-414-6
CAS:84625-39-8
Chem/IUPAC Name:Foeniculum Vulgare Extract is an extract of the fruit of the fennel,Foeniculum vulgare,Umbelliferae

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