Fennel Seed (Foeniculum vulgare) is a common cooking spice worldwide, popular with fish and curries. The herb is traditional in Chinese, Arab, Indian and Western cuisines and pharmacopoeias. After meals, fennel seed is used in several cultures to prevent gas and upset stomach.The fennel seed is actually not a seed but the dried, seed-like fruit of the Foeniculum vulgare plant. The main active constituents, which include the terpenoid anethole, are found in the volatile oil. Anethole and other terpenoids may have mild estrogen-like activity, and inhibit spasms in smooth muscles, such as those in the intestinal tract. Recent studies have found fennel to possess diuretic, choleretic (increase in production of bile), pain-reducing, fever-reducing, and antimicrobial actions. Fennel was formerly an official drug in the United States and was listed as being used for indigestion and possibly for stimulating milk flow in women. Whole seeds may be chewed or used in tea. The German Commission E recommends 5–7 grams of seeds daily.Grieve’s classic ‘A Modern Herbal’: On account of its aromatic and carminative properties, Fennel fruit is chiefly used medicinally with purgatives to allay their tendency to griping and for this purpose forms one of the ingredients of the well-known compound Liquorice Powder. Fennel water has properties similar to those of anise and dill water: mixed with sodium bicarbonate and syrup, these waters constitute the domestic ‘Gripe Water,’ used to correct the flatulence of infants. Volatile oil of Fennel has these properties in concentration. Fennel tea, formerly also employed as a carminative, is made by pouring half a pint of boiling water on a teaspoonful of bruised Fennel seeds. Syrup prepared from Fennel juice was formerly given for chronic coughs.
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Alternative Health & Herbs Fennel Seed Powder Foeniculum vulgare – 4 oz