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Treating the Digestive Tract With Fennel

By: Susannah Singer Though fennel is native to Europe, especially the Mediterranean region, it is today cultivated in many other parts of the world, including Asia, China, and North America. Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) is a tall perennial herb. The leaves, bulb, and stalk of fennel look a lot like white celery and are edible. Its seeds are used as both a spice in cooking and in making herbal medicines. Fennel has a sweet licorice taste, and is widely used in Mediterranean cuisine.

Fennel seed has a fragrant odor and taste. It has been used for centuries and may be found growing wild in many parts of the world, especially dry limestone soils near the sea-coast and upon river-banks. Today it is cultivated in the south of France, Saxony, Galicia, and Russia for medicine, as well as in the far east.

Fennel has a beauty all its own. The thick bright green root-stock and stout stems work together to grow about four to five feet in height. Branched leaves produce bright golden flowers. These blossom in July or August and have thirteen to twenty rays.

Some enjoy cooking the stems in soups or eating them raw in salads. Some say that eating the peeled stalks helps them sleep.

Fennel has been used to treat digestive ailments since the time of the ancient Egyptians. The presence of terpenoid anethole in fennel is given credit for its ability to calm the gastrointestinal tract and relieve cramps. Often it is mixed with peppermint, caraway, and wormwood to treat indigestion, heartburn, and Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).

Fennel has traditionally be used to stimulate menstruation and milk production in nursing mothers, and to treat hormonal imbalance including PMS, menopause, and low libido. One study showed that fennel enhances the effects of estrogen in the system. It is used to relax the uterus, and to promote natural breast enhancement.

Some have found fennel effective in loosening phlegm in the bronchials and in treating a persistent cough. To use fennel in this way, make fennel tea by crushing one or two teaspoons of fennel seeds and mixing them in a cup of boiling water.

Some believe that fennel has some diuretic effect, and may help reduce a problem with water retention. Fennel for some reduces the appetite and is therefore effective in weight loss.

You can purchase fennel in capsules, as an oil, as seeds, in a tincture, or as a liquid seed extract. Of course, you can also grow it yourself. If you do, don't plant it in the vicinity of tomatoes or caraway for this will hinder their production. Use 1 to 1.5 teaspoons of the seeds, 2 to 12 drops of the oil, or .5 teaspoons of the liquid daily.

Isolated cases of allergic and asthmatic reactions to fennel have been reported. It should not be used by small children or over a long period of time by anyone. Also pregnant or lactating women should avoid fennel.

Article Source: http://www.lifeweightloss.com

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