Foeniculum
vulgare.小茴香 Xiǎo huí xiāngCommon fennel seed Family: Umbelliferae FLAVOR: Acrid, pungent, sharp, sweet
CHANNEL: Kidney, Bladder, Stomach, Liver, Spleen FUNCTIONS GROUP: Warm the Interior and
Expel Cold
1. Warm center.
2. Alleviate pain in abdomen.[1,2,3]
3. Regulates Stomach Qi. Promotes digestion. Tonic that stimulates Qi.[1]
Resolves Phlegm.[1] Regulate
Energy circulation.[4] Promotes digestion.[1]
Disperse the depressed Liver energy and regulate the Stomach energy. Strengthen
Stomach.[5] Stop flatulence.[5]
4. Stimulates milk production.[1] INDICATIONS
1. Cold pain in lower abdomen.[4]Cold Intestines- Cold type colic. Indigestion and abdominal pain.[1]
Period pain. Cold pain in lower abdomen.[4]
2. Swelling and pain in testes.Inguinal hernia pain-[1,2,3,5]
(Most hernias are Cold in Nature). Swelling of epididymis. Hydrocele testis.
Orchidoptosis.
3. Stomach Cold with Cold pain. Stomach ache.[4]
Fullness in the epigastrium and abdomen. Vomiting.[4]
Poor appetite.
4. Lumbago.[4] Dry and wet beriberi.[4]
Gastroenteritis.[1]
5. Arthritis.[4] CONTRAINDICATIONS: Chinese herbalists believe that fennel travels
very fast in the body and it can quickly warm up the internal region. Therefore,
fennel can treat cold pain in the body; but since it is warm in nature, fennel
should not be used to treat any hot disease, such as hot diarrhea or pain that
occurs on exposure to hot surroundings (sunburn, burn, or warm temperatures).
Fennel is not recommended for men with excessively strong erection and premature
ejaculation.[5] COMBINATIONS
- Pain in hernia of small intestine- Prepare 40 g apricot seeds; crush 20 g
fresh green onion white heads with roots and bake until dry; prepare 40 g fennel
seed; grind all the ingredients into a powder. Drink 10 g of the powder dissolved
in rice wine each time, twice a day.[4]
- Pain in hernia of small intestine- Fry equal amounts of fennel and litchi
seeds and grind into powder; dissolve 10 g of the powder in rice wine and drink
each timek, twice a day.[4]
- Pain of small intestine- Measure equal amounts fennel and black pepper and
grind them into powder; dissolve 10 g of the powder in rice wine each time time,
twice a day.[4]
- Lumbago, when unable to turn sideways, and extreme fatigue- Cook slices of
pork kidneys with fried fennel and eat at meals.[4]
- Cold stomachache and abdominal pain, use fennel and ginger as seasonings when
preparing meals.[4]
PREPARATIONS:Decoction seeds 3-9 g.[2,3]
Or crushed and mixed with water for drinking.[1] HABITAT: In wild or cultivated. DESCRIPTION: Perennial herb. Whole plant highly aromatic. Stem; erect,
cylindrical. Basal leaves clustered, stem leaves alternate, leaves 3 or 4 times
pinnately compound, parted lobes linear. Flowers appear in the fall, yellow in
a compound umbellate inflorescence. References
[1] Barefoot Doctor's Manual- 1977 Prepared by the Revolutionary Health Committee
of Hunan Province. Original Chinese manual- Victor W. Sidel. Originally published
by Dr Joseph Quin and the Fogarty International centre, Bethdesda (1974). Madrona
Publishers Seattle Washington ISBN 0-914842-52-8
[2] Medicated Diet of Traditional Chinese Medicine - Chief Editor- Hou Jinglun.
Associate Editors- Zhao Xin, Li Weidong, Liu Jianxin, Geng Chun-e, Li Guohua,
Li Shaohua. Geijing. Science & Technology Press 1994. ISBN 7-5304-1735-5/R.
309.
[3] A Complete English Dictionary of Medicinal Terms in Chinese Acupuncture and
Herbalism 1981 - Henry Lu Chinese Foundations of Natural Health- The Academy of
Oriental Heritage, Vancouver, Canada.
[4] Chinese System of Food Cures Prevention and Remedies. 1986Lu,
Henry. Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. New York. USA. Distributed in Australia by
Capricorn Book Co. Pty Ltd. Lane Cove, NSW. ISBN 0-8069-6308-5.
[5] Translation notes from Gary Seiford and Hocu Huhn- NSW College of Natural
Therapies. Sydney Australia. Images
1. plantasonya.com.br
Retrieved 24-June-14
2. claypot.com.my
Retrieved 24-June-14
3. [1]
Inner Path can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects
from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a
plant medicinally.Constituents.
Fruit: Volatile oil- up
to 8%.
Sterols.[6] Sugars.[6] Oil: 2-8% consisting of anethole[1]
approximately 80%, in sweet fennel and 60% in Bitter fennel.[2]
Some varieties are anethole free with up to 80% estragole. These are not suitable
for normal use.[3]
Fenchone[1]~ 10-30%, higher in Bitter
than Sweet Fennel.[3,4,5]
Limonene, anisaldehyde, a- and b-
pinene, a-phellandrene, myrcene, ocimene, a-
and b-terpinene and apiole.[4,5,6]
Flavonoids; mainly rutin, quecetin and kaempferol glycosides.[7,8]
Coumarins; bergapten, imperatorin, zanthotoxin and marmesin.[9] Root: The essential oil from the root contains a substantial
amount of apiole and that from the aerial parts is similar in composition to
the oil from the fruit.[10] References
[1] British Herbal Pharmacopoeia 1983 Published by the British Herbal Medicine
Association ISBN 0 903032 07 4.
[2]Potter's New Cyclopaedia of Botanical Drugs and Preparations
R.C. Wren Revised by Elizabeth M. Williamson and Fred J Evans. First published
in Great Britain in 1988 and reprinted in 1989 and 1994 by the C. W. Daniel
Company Limited. 1 Church Path, Saffron Walden Essex. Published 1988 Printed
and bound by Biddles, Guildford ISBN 085207 1973.
[3] Betts, T. J. (1968) J. Pharm. Pharacol. 20, 615
[4] Karlsen, J. et al. (1969) Planta Med. 17, 281
[5] Rothbacher, H. and Kraus, A. (1970) Pharmazie 25, 566
[6] Encyclopedia of Common Natural Ingredients used in Food Drugs and Cosmetics,
Albert Y. Leung Pub. John Wiley & Sons Inc. (1980) NY
[7] Harbone, J. B. and Williams, C. E. (1972) Phytochem. 11,
1741.
[8] Kunzemann, L. and Hermann, K. (1977) Z. Lebens. Unters Forsch. 164
194
[9] El-Khrisy, E. A. M. et al. (1980) Fitoterapia 51,
273
[10] Stahl, E. (1980) Deutsche Apoth. Ztg. 45, 2324
Research.
The volatatile oil has been shown to increase liver regeneration in partially
hepatectomized rats.[1]
Fennel is antiinflammatory in rats and also slightly oestrogenic.[2] References
[1]Gershbein, L. L (1977) Food Cosmet. Toxicol. 15 (3),
173
[2] Albert- Puleo, M. (1980) J. Ethnopharmacol. 2, 337
Clinical report: for treament of incarcerated hernia of small intestine,
use 10-20 g fennel (less for children) to make tea; drink it hot; if no effects
are shown within 15-30 minutes, repeat once more. Or, use hot water to make fennel
soul (4 to 8 g fennel seed for adults and 2 g for children), and drink the soup;
10 minutes later repeat and drink once more, then lie down of your back with your
legs together and knees half bent for 40 minutes. In general, the incarcerated
hernia should restore itself within half an hour, and the pain should dissapear
or improve, otherwise, surgery is indicated, according to this clinical report.
Among the 26 cases treated from 2 hours to 3 days, 22 cases have recovered and
4 cases have shown no effects (3 cases of incarcerated omentum majus and 1 case
of parietal necrosis). the report also indicates that the treatment results are
better in cases with a shorter history of the disease.[1] References
[1] Chinese System of Food Cures Prevention and Remedies. 1986Lu,
Henry. Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. New York. USA. Distributed in Australia by
Capricorn Book Co. Pty Ltd. Lane Cove, NSW. ISBN 0-8069-6308-5.
Medicinal properties of Foeniculum vulgare Mill. in traditional
Iranian medicine and modern phytotherapy.
Rahimi R, Ardekani MR. Abstract: Foeniculum vulgare Mill. (F. vulgare), commonly known
as Fennel, is a popular medicinal plant with various pharmacological activities
mentioned in traditional Iranian medicine (TIM) and modern phytotherapy such as
antioxidant, cytotoxic, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, bronchodilatory, estrogenic,
diuretic, lithontripic, galactogogue, emmenagogue, antithrombotic, hypotensive,
gastroprotective, hepatoprotective, memory enhancing, and antimutagenic activities.
No serious adverse events were recorded after ingestion of F. vulgare except some
cases of allergic reactions. The estrogenic activity of F. vulgare brings some
side effects such as decrease in protein concentration and acid and alkaline phosphatase
in male genital organs, increase in weight of mammary glands and reproductive
organs in women and premature thelarche in girls. However, no evidence of teratogenicity
was recorded, it is better not to use F. vulgare during pregnancy due to its estrogenic
activity. Because of inhibition of cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4), the pharmacokinetic
parameters of drugs mainly metabolized by this isozyme may be affected by F. vulgare.
In addition, a significant interaction between cyprofloxacin and F. vulgare was
demonstrated. The aim of current paper is to review pharmacological properties,
toxicity and adverse events, and drug interactions of vulgare and brings conclusive
results about the use of this plant in men, women and during pregnancy. Source: Chin J Integr Med. 2013 Jan;19(1):73-9. doi: 10.1007/s11655-013-1327-0.
Epub 2012 Dec 29. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Foeniculum
vulgare. 小
茴 香 Xiǎo huí xiāng
Common fennel seed Family: Umbelliferae
FLAVOR: Acrid, pungent, sharp, sweet
CHANNEL: Kidney, Bladder, Stomach, Liver, Spleen 
HABITAT: In wild or cultivated.