Herbal ABCs: Fennel

herbal ABCs: Fennel // Foeniculum vulgare

Foeniculum is in the Apiaceae family, like carrots and many of our umbell (umbrella-like) shaped herbs belong to.

Fennel has a long history of use in women’s health conditions, even though the mechanism is not always understood. It has been observed to act as a galactagogue to increase milk production for breast feeding moms, but shows mixed results on directly increasing the hormone prolactin ( which would be expected with the milk increase). Animal studies show influences in estrogen, progesterone and prolactin in fertility based studies.

Cooling Foeniculum can be beneficial during perimenopause and menopause phases. Clinical trials with patients reports on Menopause Rating Scale indexes have shown fennel to be beneficial for hormonally influenced hot flashes, sweating, insomnia, heart discomfort, depression, anxiety, exhaustion, low libido, bladder changes, vaginal dryness and joint and muscular pains-- improving quality of life during this time of transition. It also has an emmenagogue effect, useful for ladies who are still getting their periods, helping to encourage balanced flow and bring on stuck periods. [For this reason, only small amounts of fennel seeds should be ingested when pregnant].

Our sweet, humble Fennel also has some GABAnergic activity, which contributes to its antispasmodic and anxiolytic effect, for hot flashes, high blood pressure, insomnia, headaches, chest discomfort, bladder changes and anxiety.

It has been a revered medicine for ages, with rich folklore connections in many cultures. In Greek mythology, as the story goes, Prometheus used a giant fennel stalk to carry the fire from Mount Olympus to Earth.

Fennel is one of those aromatic, essential oil rich, culinary plant allies. It’s volatile oils contribute to the antibacterial and carminative effect to help aid digestion, combat microbial overgrowth in the colon and minimize gas and bloating. It has been classically used for ages in digestive bitter tonics and the famed absinthe.

The latin feniculum traces back to “hay” because it grows so robustly and can be used as a hay crop.
Vulgare- meaning common or of the people.

The aromatic herbal tops and the bulb are great to cook with. Share your favorite fennel recipes in the comments.

The bulb is great to cook with too. Share your favorite fennel recipes in the comments 😋