Botanical Name: Foeniculum Vulgare

Origin: France

Saftey Data: Do not use Fennel Essential Oil for treating young children as one of its active principles (melanthine) can be toxic to them, though harmless to adults and older children in normal doses. Fennel Essential Oil must not be used by people with epilepsy.

Fennel Essential Oil is extracted via steam distallation of the crushed seeds.

Like other members of the umbelifferae family, Fennel is an excellent carminative and digestive remedy, and will quickly give relief from nausea, flatulence, indigestion, colic and hiccoughs. The best way to use Fennel for digestive problems is in the form of fennel tea. It has a tonic effect on the smooth muscle of the intestine, which is valuable in colitis, and in some cases of constipation, as it strengthens peristalsis {the rhythmic contractions of the intestinal muscle which move the partially-digested food mass through the intestines). Its action on the intestines is basically normalising.

Another application of fennel that connects with digestion, is its reputation for decreasing the appetite. The seeds used to be carried by Roman soldiers on long marches, to chew when they did not have time to stop to cook a meal, and by devout Christians on fast days. This may possibly be the action that Culpeper and other herbalists had in mind when they recommend the use of fennel by 'those that are grown fat'. It is a good diuretic, which may be welcomed by some obese people if water retention is part of their problem; but nobody should use diuretics without supervision, or for any length of time, as there is a risk of kidney damage if they are abused. It is also important to remember that fluid retention may be a sign of more serious illness and should be investigated.