Fennel Uses and Plant Monograph
Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) is an ancient herb from the southern Mediterranean region with many traditional uses from all over the world. The plant has been naturalized and cultivated in the Northern, Eastern, and Western hemispheres, specifically in Asia, North America, and Europe where the climate is warm and dry. Fennel has a long history of use in European, Arabic, and Indian medicine. It has grown in popularity worldwide and findings based on traditional uses and scientific evaluation demonstrate its popularity as the most widely used plant in herbal remedies.1
Fennel has been used for more than forty types of ailments.2 The seed of fennel is the most popular part of the plant, used in both herbal medicine and culinary recipes — from pickles to desserts — for its sweet and moistening flavor. As a member of the carrot family (Apiaceae), fennel’s tender leaves, stalks, and bulb can be eaten as a vegetable. All parts of the plant are aromatic and smell similar to anise (Pimpinella anisum).
Fennel’s sweet legacy can be found in its many flavorful culinary uses and medicinal benefits for a wide range of ailments related to digestive, respiratory, and urinary systems.3 With a licorice-like taste, it is a sweet addition to any dish or herbal formula.
Fennel Uses and Plant Profile Summary
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Botanical Name: Foeniculum vulgare
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Other Common Names: sweet fennel, marathon (Greek), finocchio (Italian), saunf (Sanskrit), alshamr (Arabic)
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Family: Apiaceae (Umbelliferae)
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Parts Used: seeds, bulb, stalk, leaves
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Energetics: warming, drying, moistening (slightly oily)
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Taste: sweet, pungent
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Plant Properties: antacid, antiemetic (nausea reducing), anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antipyretic (reduces fever), antispasmodic, antithrombotic (reduces blood clots), antitussive, antiviral, bronchodilator, carminative, demulcent, depurative, diaphoretic, digestive, diuretic, emmenagogue, expectorant, galactagogue, hepatoprotective, hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic, memory enhancing
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Plant Uses: Digestive issues (stomachache, slow or week digestion, constipation, diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome, flatulence, gastritis, irritable colon, colic), improves detoxification, arthritis, jaundice, kidney stones, bedwetting, respiratory ailments (bronchitis, asthma), memory, migraine, insomnia, fever, sinus issues, conjunctivitis, morning sickness due to pregnancy, increased lactation, gout, leucorrhoea (vaginal discharge), liver pain, mouth ulcer4
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Plant Preparations: spice, tea, tincture, syrup, powder, electuary, oxymel, infused oil, essential oil
Fennel for Digestive Support
Fennel’s most common use in herbal medicine is support for the digestive system. Its aromatic volatile oils relax the gastrointestinal tract to reduce muscular pain and discomfort in the smooth muscle of the gastrointestinal tract. Flatulence, hiccups, intestinal spasms, and irritable bowel syndrome can benefit from the antispasmodic and carminative properties of fennel.5
Fennel can strengthen digestive weakness in children and the elderly, as well as support slow digestion that leads to constipation, halitosis (bad breath), and abdominal bloating.6 As an antacid, fennel neutralizes excess acids in the stomach and intestines.7 Diluted oil of fennel can be massaged on the abdomen to ease constipation.8 A tea of fennel seed is an easy and effective way to ease digestive issues. Fennel also helps support those with an excess appetite and can aid in weight loss and obesity. Fennel can be combined with many herbs and can help sweeten bitter or unsavory flavor combinations.
In a randomized, placebo-controlled study, ten participants with chronic constipation received an herbal compound containing fennel, anise (Pimpinella anisum), black elderberry (Sambucus nigra), and senna (Senna alexandrina) over a 5-day period.9 Participants were x-rayed to determine colon transit time; those taking the herbal compound had a transit time of 15.7 hours, while those on the placebo had a transit time of 42.3 hours. The results indicated that the herbal compound had a significant laxative effect and greatly improved digestion. The researchers noted that fennel was included in the compound to minimize intestinal cramping often caused by senna.10
In Ayurveda, fennel is considered one of the best herbs for strengthening agni without aggravating pitta.11 Agni is a person’s digestive fire and their capacity to convert food into energy;12 it is also considered the force of intelligence within each cell in the body. Pitta is a category (or dosha) that controls heat, metabolism, digestion, and transformation in the mind and body. Pitta controls the digestive agni of the body. According to Ayurveda, an imbalanced dosha leads to poor health and disease. Fennel can help keep the dosha balanced without adding additional heat to the body.
In addition to improving digestion, fennel seeds can also improve bad breath, which is related to the health of the digestive system. Since ancient times, fennel seeds have been used as an ingredient for removing any foul smell of the mouth.13 Today, in India and Pakistan, for example, fennel seeds are roasted, often with anise seeds, coconut, and sesame seeds, and consumed after a meal as a digestive aid and as mouth freshener. This combination is called mukhwas.14 Fennel flavoring is used in toothpaste, mouthwash, and breath lozenges. Chewing on a few seeds is also effective.
Fennel for the Respiratory System
“Its relief of pain and release of mucus in stubborn cases of bronchitis are sufficiently well-known.”
- Friedrich Husemann & Otto Wolff15
“[Fennel] is good for shortness of breath [and] stoppages of the lungs.”
- Chalid Ottway16
With strong antispasmodic and expectorant properties coupled with a moistening action, fennel is an important ally for respiratory health. The herb can help alleviate a dry, hacking cough often experienced with bronchitis and can help move phlegm out for a more productive cough.17 Fennel can also help relieve hoarseness, asthma, congestion, and shortness of breath.18
Fennel can also support the symptoms of emphysema, which is a serious lung condition that causes shortness of breath due to damaged alveoli (lung sacs) most commonly caused by smoking cigarettes over an extended period of time. Most people with emphysema also have chronic bronchitis, which is inflammation of the bronchial tubes. This inflammation leads to a persistent cough. These two conditions, emphysema and chronic bronchitis, make up chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Due to irreversible damage to the alveoli, no medical or herbal treatment can cure emphysema. Fennel, in this case, can help soothe the lungs with its moistening effect and relax the lungs with its diaphoretic action to help with breathing. Due to its serious effect on the lungs, and the body as a whole, emphysema requires regular medical attention.
Fennel for Eye Health
“Above the lowly 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.
It gave new strength, and fearless mood;
And gladiators, fierce and rude,
Mingled it in their daily food;
And he who battled and subdued,
A wreath of fennel wore.”
- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, The Goblet of Life
The ancient Roman physician Pliny the Elder wrote that the juice of the plant improved eyesight.19 Traditionally, fennel can help support several conditions of the eyes. An herbal remedy for conjunctivitis (pink eye), eye inflammation, or eye floaters is to gently wash the eyes with fennel tea or use a dropper to administer the drops of the tea into the eye.20 Caution is advised that no parts of the seeds remain in the tea and that the tea is cooled enough before administering. A soft towel dipped in the tea can also be placed as a compress over the eyes.
As reported in an ethnobotanical study, the Kashaya Pomo Tribe of the Americas used fennel as an eyewash and aid for upset stomach, indigestion, and heartburn.21
Fennel for Kidneys & Bladder Health
“Fennel provokes urine and eases its passage; eases pain and breaks [kidney] stone.”
- Chalid Ottway22
The diuretic and demulcent properties of fennel help support healthy kidney, bladder, and urinary functions. Fennel stimulates urination and can be restorative for incontinence. It can also relieve painful or burning urination by supporting detoxification. In large quantities, fennel can help break up kidney stones.
Fennel can also help decrease instances of bedwetting by children.23 A teaspoon of fennel is recommended taken with raw honey in a glass of warm milk or nut milk on a daily basis for a couple weeks.
Part of fennel’s ability to improve kidney and bladder health lies in its ability to combat infectious disorders of bacterial, fungal, viral, and mycobacterial origin.24 The kidneys clean toxins and waste out of the blood, including nitrogen waste (urea), muscle waste (creatinine), and acids. Fennel helps combat infections while also helping eliminate them from the kidneys and bladder.
Fennel for Colic in Babies
Traditionally, fennel has been given to infants with colic, flatulence, and digestive pain. The Cherokee people of the Americas have used fennel as a carminative for colic.25 In a double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study, an emulsion of fennel seed oil was administered to infants, resulting in the relief of colic symptoms in 65% of the participating infants given fennel, whereas in the placebo group, only 23.7% of infants experienced relief. No side effects were reported.26
Fennel for Improved Lactation
“The green leaves of fennel eaten or the seed drunke made into a Ptisan [barley water], do fill womens brests with milke.”
- Regimen sanitatis Salernitanum27
The leaf, stem, and seeds of fennel have been extensively used as a galactagogue for increasing the quantity and quality of breast milk, as well as the flow of breastfeeding parents.28 Additionally, as it is carried through the breast milk and ingested by the infant, the breast milk eases colic and indigestion in infants. The use of fennel for breastfeeding was noted in De Materia Medica, the ancient 5-volume medical text written in the 1st century CE by Greek physician Pedanius Dioscorides. Today, herbal tea blends with fennel made for breastfeeding parents can be found in many U.S. and European grocery stores.
Fennel as Food & Spice
“And if you want any relish, you have the loaves themselves — for they have been seasoned with fennel and parsley and also with poppy-seed, the spice that brings sleep.”
- Philostratus the Elder, Imagines 2.26, Trans. Arthur Fairbanks
Fennel seeds, tender leaves, stalks, and bulbs are edible and eaten in cuisines around the world. The plant is consumed as a vegetable and used as an ingredient to enhance the flavor of the dish. Fennel is especially common in the Mediterranean diet, where the plant is native. Raw fennel leaves, tender stems, and shoots can be chopped and added raw to salads, stewed in bean dishes, boiled in soups, and grilled with seafood and meats. The seeds can be added as a flavoring agent in baked goods, pickles, ice cream, and alcoholic beverages. The ancient Romans grew fennel for its fragrant fruits and fibrous stems and included it in many culinary recipes, including flavorful breads.29 The sweet scent of fennel, which is due to its essential oil, makes it an excellent flavoring agent in many culinary recipes. The variety of recipes in many countries indicate its versatile and consistent use over centuries of time.30
Fennel is one of the herbs found in Chinese five-spice powder, which includes star anise, cloves, Chinese Cinnamon, Sichuan peppercorns, and fennel seeds. These ingredients represent the five elements of traditional Chinese medicine: wood (sour), fire (bitter), earth (sweet), metal (spicy), and water (salty). Fennel represents the element of earth because of its sweet flavor. Eating fennel seeds also has the benefit of promoting circulation, warming the digestive tract, and alleviating phlegm.
Nutritionally, fennel has one of the highest plant sources of potassium, sodium, phosphorus, and calcium. Fennel is also rich in dietary fiber.31
Other Therapeutic Uses
Fennel may aid in improving mental alertness and relieve migraines. According to Juliette de Bairacli Levy (1997), fennel’s tender leaves improve memory and are a general tonic for the brain.32 In Ayurveda, fennel is considered a rasayana (mixture) as it possesses multiple neuropharmacological properties, including antidepressant activity.33
Crushed fennel seed infused as a tea can help cleanse the blood from poison caused by bites from snakes, scorpions, dogs, and other animals.34
Essential oil extracted from fennel seeds is added to perfumes, soaps, and cosmetics. The leaves produce a light green dye which is used in textiles, wooden materials, as a food colorant, and in cosmetics. The flowers and leaves together produce a yellow and brown colored dye.35
Fennel also had a symbolic use of warding off bad luck. In the Middle Ages, fennel was hung from door frames on Midsummer’s Eve to ward off evil spirits.36 In Italy, bands of fertility witches, known as benandanti, fought battles during the night with fennel stalks, ensuring a good harvest in the season to come.37
Fennel Recipes
Fennel, a versatile herb, shines in these time-honored herbal remedies for wellness. Below are two simple recipes—an Ayurvedic tea for digestion and a soothing syrup for throat comfort—that highlight fennel’s gentle, effective properties.
Wise Water Herbal Tea
Wise water is a traditional herbal tea recipe in Ayurveda for digestive support and detoxification, particularly in cleansing protocols. The tea includes the combination of fennel seeds, which helps normalize digestion and prevent gas and bloating; cumin seeds, which helps improve digestion of nutrients; and coriander seeds, which help eliminate toxins through the kidneys.
Ingredients
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon coriander seeds
- ½ teaspoon fennel seeds
- 4–5 cups water
Directions
- Boil water and steep seeds for at least 20 minutes.
- Strain out the seeds, slightly cool, and store in a thermos to sip warm throughout the day.38
Cough & Sore Throat Syrup39
Fennel, The in combination with the of these demulcent and soothing herbs in this syrup recipe below can can help support a scratchy throat and reduce coughing.
Ingredients
- 4 parts fennel seed
- 2 parts slippery elm bark
- 2 parts valerian
- 2 parts licorice root
- 1 part cinnamon bark
- ½ part ginger
- 1/8 orange peel
- 8 ounces honey
Directions
- Make a decoction with all the herbs (1 ounce of herb per 16 ounces water) over low heat until the mixture a simmers.
- Partially cover and reduce the liquid down to half its original volume.
- When the liquid is reduced to about 1 cup of liquid, strain out the herbs and add honey.
- Heat the mixture over low heat and stir constantly. Do not heat above 110 degrees.
- Let cool completely before bottling. Then pour syrup into bottles and label with date and ingredients.
- Store in the refrigerator for up to six months.40
Constituents
Volatile oils, including anethole, estragole, fenchone, limonene, alpha pinene, beta myrcene, and beta pinene; flavonoids, including rutin, quercetin, and kaempferol glycosides; and coumarins, including bergapten, imperatorin, xanthotoxin, and marmesin.41
Botanically Speaking
Fennel has a surprising connection to ancient Greek history and the sport of running. In Greek, the word for fennel is “marathon” (μάραθον). In 490 BCE, the Athenians fought a battle against the invading Persian army in the village of Marathon, located approximately 26 miles northeast from Athens with breathtaking views of the Aegean Sea. Upon the Athenians’ victory, a man named Pheidippides ran from Marathon to Athens to announce their victory (thus, inspiring the modern-day marathon race). Fennel grew abundantly on the rocky shoreline of the victorious village and became a symbol of victory and longevity throughout ancient Greece.42 The Greek word “marathon” has a literal translation of “a plain with fennel.”
Just like in the ancient Greek village of Marathon, fennel grows best on dry banks of coastal regions. The plant has a scent of freshly-cut hay, which relates to its genus name Foeniculum meaning, “little hay.” Fennel can be confused with anise (Pimpinella anisum), which has a similar earthy and aromatic scent.
Fennel is a tender perennial with sensitivities to cold temperatures, although it may stay alive throughout the winter in warm areas. The plant is characterized by its feathery, dark green leaves, hollow stems, green-yellow flower umbels, and a thick root stock. It can grow up to 6.5 feet / 2 meters tall. Fennel blooms in summer and produces its grooved-shaped seeds (or fruits) in late summer. Harvest the seeds while they are still green, best on a warm, dry afternoon when the flowerheads have matured.
Wild fennel, which shares the same Latin botanical name, has the same herbal properties as cultivated garden varieties. The differences can be noted in its unkempt appearance, often found growing in disturbed areas along roadsides or abandoned lots. The wild variety has a woody, inedible root, but its feathery fronds can be eaten and added to salads or in herbal teas. These seeds are smaller and darker than cultivated fennel. Wild fennel grows prolifically in the hot and dry Mediterranean climate.
Wildcrafters are cautioned to be extra careful when harvesting fennel in the wild due to its similar appearance to poisonous plants also in the Apiaceae family. Beginner wildcrafters are highly encouraged to have a plant identification guidebook to help confirm with absolute certainty that the plant is fennel before harvesting.
Plant Preparations and Dosage Suggestions
- Food: A handful of dried seeds eaten raw after a meal to support digestion and freshen breath.43
- Infusion: ¼ to ½ teaspoonful of dried seeds infused in a cup of boiled water.44
- Tincture: 3ml (1:5 tincture, 60%) 2–3 times per day.45
Special Considerations
Fennel is considered safe as there are no reports of any serious side effects and no toxicity observed in scientific experiments on humans. Fennel has been safely given to pregnant women as a milk stimulant and to pregnant women who have experienced multiple abortions who want to maintain the pregnancy.46
Summary
Fennel has an important role as an herbal remedy and culinary spice throughout history and on many continents. It is especially helpful for digestive issues, respiratory ailments, and kidney and bladder health. It is used by breastfeeding parents and is safe for babies and the elderly. Fennel is a delicious vegetable and an excellent flavoring agent to add to remedies and recipes.
Footnotes
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