Properties Of Fennel

Fennel is an amazing plant whose aromatic properties and benefits have been appreciated since ancient times. First Rome, and then Egypt, India, and China used it in cooking and medicine. Let’s take a closer look at fennel, its beneficial properties, and its uses!

All about fennel

In appearance, fennel resembles ordinary dill. Not surprisingly, its second name is pharmacy dill.
The plant is widely used not only in cooking. Fennel is so useful that it has found its application in medicine, pharmaceuticals, and aromatherapy and is considered one of the most valuable health products.

Until recently, fennel was completely unknown in Ukraine, but now it is sold in most supermarkets. It has a distinct anise smell and crispy juicy flesh. Fennel is eaten raw, added to salads, or made into a flavorful puree soup. The plant is an excellent honey plant.

Fennel is native to Southern Europe and Asia Minor. It was known and appreciated in ancient China, where it was used for culinary and cosmetic purposes. Its medicinal properties were also described in an ancient papyrus, a medical encyclopedia.

Fennel was credited with mystical powers: the plant was used to drive away evil spirits. According to legend, it was from the stem of a giant fennel that the Wahkans used to summon the god Dionysus. Prometheus also hid the fire stolen from the gods in a fennel stalk.

Types and varieties of fennel, and how to cook it

There are two types of fennel: common and vegetable. The fennel we eat comes from the second type.

Fennel is eaten raw, added to salads, or cooked. It can be fried by cutting it into pieces, preferably in peanut or butter, and served as an independent dish or as a side dish to poultry, meat, or fish.

Fennel’s heads are used to make light vegetable soups, puddings and casseroles, dips and sauces, and baked goods.

The sweet taste of raw or baked fennel sets off fruit and vegetable salads. Fennel will also be useful when harvesting vegetables: cabbage, cucumbers, zucchini, tomatoes, and peppers; when pickling apples, watermelons, melons, and wild berries.

When frying or baking, it is important to follow one rule: fennel should remain slightly crispy. If it is overcooked, it loses its flavor.

The national cuisines of Hungary, Spain, Italy, France, India, and China use dried fennel seeds as a seasoning for many dishes, including pies, bread, curries, poultry, and fish.

Fennel seeds go especially well with fatty foods, as they help the body cope with their digestion.

How to choose and store fennel

When choosing fennel, first of all, look at the greens: they should be fresh, bright green. The stems and head should be firm, smooth, and slightly shiny – without dents, damage, and brown “wrinkles”.

Fennel stays fresh in the refrigerator for about 4 days. However, the sooner you eat it, the better: the fennel flavor gradually evaporates.

The benefits of fennel

Fennel contains many vitamins that are beneficial for health, namely: C, A, B 1, B 2, B 3, B 5, B 6, and B 9. It also contains dietary fiber, ash, sodium, chromium, magnesium, calcium, iron, potassium, and selenium.

Low-calorie content and high protein content have made this plant a popular component of dietary nutrition and an effective tool in the fight for slimness.

Fennel is widely used in cooking, medicine (folk and scientific), and aromatherapy. Moreover, all parts of the plant have found their application: seeds, roots, leaves, and fruits. Preparations with fennel extract are used for the treatment and prevention of diseases because it effectively fights against problems of the genitourinary system in men and women. The fruits of the plant are widely used in the fight against fungal diseases.

Main beneficial properties:

• antibacterial effect;
• wound healing;
• removal of the inflammatory process;
• boosting immunity;
• cancer prevention;
• improvement of the gastrointestinal tract;
• strengthening of the nervous system and blood vessels;
• normalization of metabolic processes in the body;
• support and stabilization of heart function.

Useful properties of fennel for children

Babies can be given fennel tea from the age of 4 months. It is necessary for children with intestinal pain, increased gas formation, cramps, and intestinal and stomach diseases. The so-called dill water, which is given to newborns to relieve them of “colic” and gas, is actually not made from dill at all, but from fennel – from oil pressed from seeds. An infusion of seeds can be prepared at home by simply brewing them with boiling water.

Fennel has a beneficial effect on the child’s nervous system and strengthens the immune system.

The high content of calcium and potassium has a good effect on bone growth, boosts immunity, and strengthens the heart and blood vessels.

Contraindications and possible harm of fennel

Fennel has almost no contraindications. The only exception is individual intolerance. Pregnant women, people with epilepsy, and those who often suffer from diarrhea are advised to use it in small doses. Large amounts of fennel can cause bleeding. For this reason, pregnant women should use foods, spices, oils, and teas with fennel in minimal amounts.

About fennel seeds

Fennel seeds are most effective when brewing decoctions. Such an infusion is often used in folk medicine: for conjunctivitis, insomnia, skin abscesses, coughs, and abdominal pain. The seeds of the plant stimulate milk production in a nursing mother, relieve inflammation, have wound healing properties, and are a powerful antioxidant, prevent premature aging, and reduce the likelihood of cancer. The seeds of this plant are often used as a laxative.

The seeds are effective in losing weight: the high protein content provides energy, and the mineral complex with vitamins stimulates metabolism and reduces hunger.

Tea with fennel seeds is especially beneficial: it helps to reduce fat mass, improves liver function, regulates metabolic processes in cells, and normalizes blood sugar levels.

Fennel root is also useful

In India, the root of this plant is used as a laxative. Due to its high content of dietary fiber, fennel root lowers blood cholesterol, normalizes blood pressure and minimizes the likelihood of a heart attack, is effective in fighting intestinal cancer, and removes toxins and harmful substances from the body. The dry root of this plant is often used to make confectionery and bread.

Fennel is a very useful and valuable plant that improves human health at any age, as you have already seen for yourself. But do not forget about the contraindications and recommendations for its use, as they say, “everything in moderation”.

Be healthy and take care of yourself!