Fennel
Foeniculum vulgare
Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) is the well known culinary herb and vegetable that was cultivated by the Romans and frequently mentioned in Anglo-Saxon cookery and medical recipes prior to the Norman invasion. The fruit, which is usually referred to as the "seed", is the part used by herbalists for medicinal purposes, and the fresh feathery leaves make a welcome addition to any salad.
Fennel is a member of the Umbelliferae family, and a close relation of both aniseed and caraway. All three of these herbs contain volatile oils, with one in particular, anethole, accounting for the characteristic base flavour that you can detect in all of them. They each have their own unique characteristics, as a result of having these oils in different proportions, and also producing oils that are unique to each plant. But they are very similar in their medicinal actions, being both carminative and expectorant.
Carminative herbs are stomach and intestinal remedies that relieve flatulence and colic while stimulating digestion and appetite. Aside from using fennel seeds in cooking for flavouring, they will also serve the carminative function when included with any 'windy' foods, that some people might be partial to, such as curried lentils and other pulses. A tea made with fennel seed and then cooled is an excellent remedy for colicky infants, and most of them seem to like it too. All in all, it is great to drink fennel seed tea if you are prone to a bit of wind after eating.
As a mild expectorant fennel is regularly included in cough remedies. It seems to work by exerting a reflex action from the gut to the respiratory system, helping to loosen any mucus that might have accumulated in the lungs during or after a cold or infection. To make a fennel tea crush 2 teaspoons of the seed and steep in boiling water for 10 minutes in a pot with a lid.
Of the 3 herbs: fennel, caraway, and aniseed; caraway is the most carminative, and aniseed is the most expectorant, with fennel coming a close second to both. The differences are really marginal, and I would highly recommend growing some fennel if you've got the space, close to you kitchen.
Actions
- Carminative
- Circulatory stimulant
- Anti-inflammatory
- Galactagogue
- Diuretic
- Mild expectorant
Uses
- Flatulence, colic, griping
- promoting production of breast milk
- Eyewash
- Gargle for mucous membrane inflammations
