by Glory Lennon

Created on: August 17, 2008   Last Updated: September 10, 2008

Fennel, botanically Foeniculum Vulgare Dulce, is a flavorful and fragrant perennial herb standing an impressive 6 feet tall. It is a member of the Umbrelliferae family with some of its well known cousins being Carrot, Queen Anne's Lace and Parsley. It is a particular favorite among the larvae of the Anise Swallowtail butterfly and the Mouse Moth and therefore would make a great addition to a butterfly garden. The leaves of this plant are very fine, almost feathery and often used as garnish for fish and as a flavoring for other dishes. The bulbous stalk base can be eaten raw or cooked as a vegetable. Fennel has tiny, greenish-yellow or chartreuse flowers growing in wide flat umbrella-like clusters. The aromatic seeds that come from these flowers are what is mostly used for baking, cooking and for medicinal applications.

Many confuse Fennel with Dill because of their similar leaf shape but the confusion is easily rectified when the leaves are crushed and sniffed. Fennel has a distinctive sweet, Licorice or Anise smell. Fennel is a native of the Mediterranean coastal region and was widely cultivated by Romans and therefore followed civilization wherever they conquered. It has since escaped into the wild and is now found growing along road sides all over Europe, Asia, the United States, southern parts of Canada and even Australia.

Because of the relatively nice flavor of Fennel, folk healers, herbalists and "Eclectic" physicians back in the day used to include the crushed seeds just to make their medicinal concoctions more palatable but they soon realized Fennel in itself had properties to make it worthy as a healing herb.

Fennel then and now is considered a good digestive aid. When added to strong herbal laxatives it helps alleviate the intestinal cramps associated with them. It also helps expel gas and has been used to treat diarrhea as it has been shown to kill some bacteria. It is effective in relieving infant colic. It has also been used in a powdered form at kennels and stables to ward of fleas.

Its antispasmodic properties which relax smooth muscles in the digestive tract also help with uterine contractions. In high doses it has been used to promote menstruation. This mild estrogenic quality must have been the reason for its traditional use in promoting the production of milk in nursing mothers. In older women it can be used to naturally alleviate some of the discomforts of menopause.

While some prescribe the female sex hormone estrogen for treating prostate

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