by Janette Peel

Created on: August 13, 2008

Fennel has a strong and distinctive smell that can help to suppress your appetite and ease digestive disorders.

Warming and stimulating fennel has a long tradition as a digestive tonic. The seeds of the herb are crushed to give a strongly scented, sweet, peppery oil. Fennel has potent properties. Used sparingly, it has an enlivening, energizing and revitalizing effect on the mind and body.

Fennel's main action is on the digestion, where is has a regulating and unblocking' action. It is most effective in relieving nausea, indigestion, constipation and flatulence.

Use fennel to detoxify your body as it acts as a tonic for the kidneys, liver and spleen. It is also a diuretic, promoting the flow of urine and helping to reduce fluid retention in tissues, as such it is especially useful before menstruation. Fennel also regulates periods and stimulates the flow of breast milk in nursing mothers.

Fennel oil is mainly composed of phenolic ethers and ketones with traces of aldehydes and monoterpenes.

Around 15 per cent of fennel oil is made up of the ketone fenchone. Ketones have analgesic (pain-relieving) and digestive properties, but can be hazardous if used over prolonged periods of time or in high doses.

The principle chemicals in fennel oil are anethole and methyl chavicol. These potent compounds are highly antiseptic and stimulate the immune and nervous systems. They are also neurotoxic and potentially carcinogenic. As over 70 per cent of fennel oil is made up of these compounds, the oil should be used sparingly.

Fennel is a versatile herbal tool that regulates and balances your body's systems. Use it in the following blends to balance hormones, ease water retention and aid digestion.

Fennel is a natural source of a plant hormone that mimics the female hormone estrogen.

To treat irregular periods, apply a compress containing the following oils added to a large bowl of water to the abdomen.
2 drops basil
2 drops fennel
And 2 drops Melissa.

As a general tonic for the female reproductive system, massage the stomach and back with:
4 drops cypress
4 drops clary sage
2 drops fennel
And 30ml sweet almond oil.

Promote the flow of breast milk in nursing mothers by massaging the breasts with:
5 drops fennel
And 30ml sweet almond oil.

Stimulate sluggish circulation with fennel to gain relief from the building up of fluids and toxins.

Cypress acts as a tonic to the circulatory system, complimenting fennel's moving' action. Ease puffy, swollen feet and ankles with a massage blend of:

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>