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Foeniculum vulgare GAERTN. |
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Botanical Name |
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Foeniculum vulgare GAERTN. |
English
Name |
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Fennel or Sweet Fennel |
Synonym(s) |
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Foeniculum officinale (All.) Foeniculum capillaceum Gil. Anethum foeniculum, Linn., Meum foeniculum, Spreng. Foeniculum sativum, Bertol., Foeniculum panmorium, DC., Foeniculum dulce. DC. |
Family |
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Apiaceae |
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General Info
Description |
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It has a thick, perennial root-stock, stout stems, 4 to 5 feet or more in height, erect and cylindrical, bright green and so smooth as to seem polished, much branched bearing leaves cut into the very finest of segments. The bright golden flowers, produced in large, flat terminal umbels, with from thirteen to twenty rays. |
Herb Effects |
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The essential oil is bactericidal, carminative and stimulant; expectorant and antiinflammatory (fruit); laxative and antispasmodic (root); antimicrobial (essential fruit oil); carminative (leaf and fruit); oxytocic and abortifacient (essential seed oil). |
Chemistry
Active Ingredients |
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Anethol (main compound), methyl chavicol, D-alpha-fenchone, D-apinene, D-alpha-phellandrene, camphene, dipentene and foeniculin (P-anol prenyl ether) (fruit oil); flavonoids (seed, leaf and fruit); a nisic acid, anisaldehyde, bergapten, grandivitin. |
Chemistry
of Active Ingredients |
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Pharmacology
Medicinal Use |
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Spleen, kidney and chest diseases, gastrointestinal problems, eye and eyelid inflammations and medicine for cattle (fruit); colic (of infants) and kills hookworm (oil); as an emmenagogue, edema, rheumatism and asthma (essential seed oil). |
Contraindication |
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People with a history of alcoholism, hepatitis, or liver disease avoid this herb. Pregnant or lactating women, as well as anyone with an estrogen-dependent cancer, should avoid fennel in large quantities until the importance of its estrogen-like activity is clarified.
Allergenic cross-reactivity amongst the Apiaceae is the cause of the many positive results obtained with carrot, parsely, anise, fennel and caraway (Wuthrich and Dietschi, 1985). |
Reference |
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Chandel et al., Biodiversity in Medicinal and Aromatic Plants in India.
Bentley and Trimen, Medicinal Plants.
The Himalaya Drug Company.
Stary, The Natural Guide to Medicinal Herbs and Plants. |
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