Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare L.) is a seasonal herb belonging to the Apiaceae family.

The fennel plant originated in the southern Mediterranean region and is spread across all northern, eastern and western hemispheres, particularly in Asia, North America and Europe.

The Romans cultivated it for its seeds and Charlemagne encouraged its cultivation in Central Europe.

Due to its aroma, taste and antimicrobial properties, fennel is used in cosmetic and food industry.

It has been used in traditional medicine for a wide range of disorders related to digestive, endocrine, reproductive and respiratory systems, such as Ayurvedic medicine, Unani, Siddha.

Thanks to the aroma, taste and antimicrobial properties, fennel is used in cosmetics and the food industry.

Fennel is one of the highest plant sources of potassium, sodium, phosphorus and calcium (1).

Fatty acids. About twenty-one fatty acids have been identified and quantified by fennel (2).

From the fennel is obtained an essential oil that is used against pathogens (3).

This study explains the antiperglycemic activity of fennel extract in investigations undertaken in laboratory animals (4).

Fennel studies

References______________________________________________________________________

(1) Shamkant B. Badgujar, Vainav V. Patel, and Atmaram H. Bandivdekar Foeniculum vulgare Mill: A Review of Its Botany, Phytochemistry, Pharmacology, Contemporary Application, and Toxicology
Biomed Res Int. 2014; 2014: 842674.  doi:  10.1155/2014/842674

(2) Roby MHH, Sarhan MA, Selim KA, Khalel KI. Antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of essential oil and extracts of fennel (Foeniculum vulgare L.) and chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla L.) Industrial Crops and Products. 2013;44:437–445.

(3) Kwiatkowski P, Pruss A, Masiuk H, Mnichowska-Polanowska M, Kaczmarek M, Giedrys-Kalemba S, Dołęgowska B, Zielińska-Bliźniewska H, Olszewski J, Sienkiewicz M. The effect of fennel essential oil and trans-anethole on antibacterial activity of mupirocin against Staphylococcus aureus isolated from asymptomatic carriers.    Postepy Dermatol Alergol. 2019 Jun;36(3):308-314. doi: 10.5114/ada.2018.76425

(4) El-Ouady F, Lahrach N, Ajebli M, El Haidani A, Eddouks M.  Antihyperglycemic effect of the aqueous extract of Foeniculum vulgare in normal and streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.   Cardiovasc Hematol Disord Drug Targets. 2019 Jun 12. doi: 10.2174/1871525717666190612121516