Healing Benefits of Fennel

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:

• 5 drops cypress
• 5 drops fennel
• 20ml grapeseed oil.

To relieve painful gout by gently massaging the affected area with:

• 3 drops fennel
• 6 drops juniper
• 6 drops lemon
• 25ml grapeseed oil.

This blend will stimulate circulation and helps to clear away accumulated toxins.

Make use of fennel’s diuretic action to clean your urinary system.

Relieve symptoms of bloatedness due to water retention by massaging the abdomen and lower back with a blend of:

• 3 drops fennel
• 5 drops juniper
• 10 drops lemon
• 2 drops peppermint
• 25ml sweet almond oil.

A massaging blend of the following oils aids lymphatic drainage of the tissues:

* 3 drops clary sage

* 6 drops fennel

* 6 drops geranium

* 2 drops rosemary

* 25ml grapeseed oil.

Aid your body’s ability to detox by adding to your bath water:

• 2 drops fennel
• 3 drops lemon
• 3 drops juniper.

Tone, soothe and regulate the body’s digestive processes with fennel.

For relief from digestive cramps, make a warm compress by soaking a flannel in a bowl of warm water containing:

• 3 drops fennel
• 1 drop peppermint
• 6 drops rosemary
• Apply across the abdomen.

Relieve indigestion with a chest and back massage blend containing:

• 3 drops fennel
• 5 drops orange
• 3 drops sage
• 25ml grapeseed oil.

All three of these essential oils work to calm and balance the digestion, but don’t massage immediately after eating as the massage itself can disrupt digestion.

The folklore of fennel:

Fennel has magical associations with fire; the ancient Greeks believed that knowledge came to man from the gods in the form of a fiery coal held in a fennel stalk.

• The ancient Romans believed that chewing fennel could prevent obesity. Early American Puritans also believed it could stave off hunger.

• In medieval times, fennel was pushed into keyholes to prevent ghosts and spirits from entering the house.

• Tuck sprigs of fennel into horses’ bridles to keep away the flies.