Treating the Digestive Tract With Fennel

Though native to Europe, especially the Mediterranean region, fennel is today cultivated in many other parts of the world, including North America, Asia, and China. Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) is a perennial plant. The leaves, bulb, and stalk of fennel resemble white celery and are all edible. The seeds are used in herbal medicines and as a spice in cooking. Fennel is widely used in Mediterranean cuisine and has a sweet licorice taste.

Fennel has appeared in European history records for centuries. It grows wild in many parts of the world usually in dry soils upon river-banks or near the sea-coast, particularly on limestone soils. It is cultivated in the south of France, Galicia, Saxony, Russia, India and Persia. The odor of Fennel seed is pleasant and it has a warm, sweet and aromatic taste.

Fennel has a thick bright green root-stock and stout stems. The four to five feet tall plant has a certain beauty about it. The branched leaves bring forth bright golden flowers that blossom in July and early August each having thirteen to twenty rays.

Some claim that eating the peeled stalks relaxes the body for sleep. The tender stems are enjoyed in soups, though are more frequently eaten raw as a salad.

The presence of terpenoid anethole in fennel has made it famous for treating digestive ailments since the time of the ancient Egyptians. It has the ability to calm the gastrointestinal tract and relieve cramps. Often fennel is mixed with wormwood, peppermint, and caraway to treat heartburn, indigestion, and Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).

Fennel has traditionally be used to stimulate menstruation and milk production in nursing mothers, and to treat hormonal imbalance including PMS, menopause, and low libido. One study showed that fennel enhances the effects of estrogen in the system. It is used to relax the uterus, and to promote natural breast enhancement.

Some have found fennel effective in loosening phlegm in the bronchials and in treating a persistent cough. To use fennel in this way, make fennel tea by crushing one or two teaspoons of fennel seeds and mixing them in a cup of boiling water.

Fennel also has a reputation for being an appetite suppressant and thus it is used to promote weight-loss. Some studies have shown that fennel has some diuretic effect, and may help reduce water retention.

Fennel can be purchased as seeds, an oil which was distilled, in a tincture, in capsules, or as a liquid seed extract. You can also grow it yourself easily but just don’t plant it near tomatoes or caraway for this will hinder their production. The normal dose is 2 to 12 drops of the oil, .5 teaspoons of the liquid daily, or 1 to 1.5 teaspoons of the seeds.

Note these cautions. Pregnant or nursing mothers should not take fennel. Neither give it to small children, or take it for extended time yourself. A few cases of asthmatic and allergic reactions have been reported as well.