Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) is found growing along railway lines all over Melbourne. It grows tall, green and fragrant in the spring with delicate filiform leaves and yellow flowers forming the typical umbels of the Apiaceae family. The ancient Egyptians used fennel and it is also mentioned on Linear B tablets, the oldest form of Greek writing.¹ The shepherds of the Mediterranean still feed it to their goats and sheep in order to increase milk, and fennel does the same for breastfeeding women, but it is not to be used during pregnancy.

The most common use of fennel today is as a carminative which is a class of herbs used for indigestion, expelling gas, soothing colic and treating acidity. Culpepper adds that the leaves and seeds not only expel wind, but cure hiccough and nausea. They also ‘open obstructions of liver, spleen and gall’, treat jaundice, gout and cramps, while a decoction of the root is a blood cleanser, helping to restore a healthy complexion to those who have been sick.²

Maude Grieve tells us that fennel is used to prevent the griping of laxatives, just as we use ginger. She says that fennel mixed with sodium bicarbonate and syrup makes a useful ‘gripe water’ for infants.³

Isabel Shipard, in her contemporary Australian herbal, adds some additional uses: fennel will help mobilise fat and shed water to encourage weight loss; a fresh young stem can be given to teething babies to chew just like liquorice; or fennel can be taken as a tea by children with nasal congestion. Furthermore, fennel treats many eye conditions such as tired inflamed eyes, conjunctivitis and cataracts, by using a decoction of leaves as an eye-bath.⁴

Further research reveals that Fennel oil or extract is useful for treating a variety of women’s complaints including ‘dysmenorrhea, premenstrual syndrome, amenorrhea, menopause, lactation, and polycystic ovary syndrome.’^5,6 In treating menopausal symptoms, it relieves flushing, vaginal itching, dryness, dyspareunia, and sleep disturbance.⁷

References:

1.         Lam C. The Traditional Mediterranean Diet: Lessons Learned. J Orthomol Med 2011;26:109–16.

2.         Culpepper N. Culpepper’s Complete Herbal. London: Richard Evans; 1814.

3.         Grieve M. A Modern Herbal. London: Tiger Books International; 1994.

4.         Shipard I. How Can I Use Herbs In My Daily Life? Nambour: David Stewart; 2003.

5.         Lee HW, Ang L, Lee MS, Alimoradi Z, Kim E. Fennel for Reducing Pain in Primary Dysmenorrhea: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Nutrients 2020;12.

6.         Mahboubi M. Foeniculum vulgare as Valuable Plant in Management of Women’s Health. J Menopausal Med 2019;25:1–14.

7.         Khadivzadeh T, Najafi MN, Kargarfard L, Ghazanfarpour M, Dizavandi FR, Khorsand I. Effect of Fennel on the Health Status of Menopausal Women: A Systematic and Meta-analysis. J Menopausal Med 2018;24:67–74.