Fennel, Foeniculum vulgare, is a plant that belongs to the umbelifera or apiaceae family and has many medicinal properties. The ancient Greeks used it and Dioscorides, a physician of antiquity, devoted an entire chapter to his treatise on medicinal plants.

Characteristics of the fennel plant

Fennel is a robust plant. Before the stem appears its leaves are of a feathery aspect, of a dark green, they are usually very aromatic and have a more or less triangular shape. Its flowers are tiny, with yellowish petals. Its fruits are small ovoid capsules just 0.5-1 cm long. When it is in full bloom this plant offers a candlestick appearance, its flowering occurs between June and July, and fructifies from August to September, everything will depend on the climate and altitude.

Source

Fennel is present throughout the Iberian Peninsula, except in the Pyrenees, and extends throughout the Mediterranean, can also be found in regions of Asia, and the north and south of America.

Reproduction

The fennel reproduces spontaneously in the dry meadows, margins of roads and sown, in banks and bushes. Its reproduction is unlikely in very cold mountain environments.

Source

Nutritional composition

In its fruits we find: sugars, phytosterols, coumarins and essential oil with anethole, estragole, limonene, fencone, pinene and other volatile components. The essential oil is concentrated mainly in the seed, but is distributed throughout the plant. In its leaves are: sugars, coumarins and essential oil; while in the heart are: fibers, mineral salts such as calcium, potassium, magnesium and phosphorus, as well as vitamins A and B3.
For every 100 g of edible material, fennel contains

Medicinal properties of fennel

The main medicinal properties of fennel are found both in its fruit and in its seed that is deep inside. The fennel:

• It is an excellent digestive, since it stimulates the secretion of gastric juices.

• It is characterized by its diuretic nature, since it promotes the elimination and purification of toxins in the urine.

• It has a carminative effect, since it favors the expulsion of gases, avoiding abdominal swelling and meteorism.

• Combats general discomfort and pains with spasms.

• For those women who have trouble having a regular menstruation, this flat favors it.

• It is anti-inflammatory.

• Power the production of breast milk.

• It favors the expulsion of mucus in the respiratory system and protects the mucous membranes, which makes it a natural mucolytic.

• Helps fight viral and bacterial infection.

Fennel has multiple applications in natural medicine and is a powerful ally of our health. It is marketed in different ways such as oil, syrup, tea, extract, others. Here are some tips from herbalists that I have reviewed:

For the swollen belly

An infusion is prepared, they have gas problems and a heavy belly. The herbalists advise a mixed formula that is prepared by combining fennel seeds with other carminative plants such as green anise, caraway and cilantro, with the reinforcement of the star anise.

Preparation: a tablespoon of the mixture is boiled for 3 minutes per cup of water, expandable to two tablespoons per half liter of water in case of acute gases. It should be sipped, hot, throughout the day.

To purify the urinary tract

The herbalists propose a new formula in which 25 g of fennel and star anise are combined, with quantities of 15 g of horsetail, birch, dandelion, lemon balm and walnut leaves.

Preparation: two tablespoons of the mixture should be boiled for 2 minutes per half liter of water. Let it rest for 10 minutes, strain and drink every time you feel thirsty.