Fennel seed has been known since antiquity as a medicinal and aromatic herb, commonly used to flavor breads, fishes, salads and cheeses. Fennel originates from Mediterranean region, but it can be found around the world today.
Fennel is a multi-purpose garden plant. The use of Fennel goes far beyond the kitchen. The entire plant of fennel is valuable in the medicinal industry; its enlarged base is used as a vegetable; its leaves are used for culinary purposes and its seeds as a spice and for essential oil extraction.
Some people use fennel as a diuretic, and it may be an effective diuretic and a potential drug for treatment of hypertension. From the ancient times, it has been in use for constipation, flatulence, diarrhea and cough.
It shows several pharmacological properties like anti-microbial, anti-pyretic, antispasmodic, anti-thrombotic, apoptotic, anti-viral, anti-inflammatory, anti-mutagenic, anti-nociceptive, cardiovascular, chemo-modulatory, anti-tumor, hepatoprotective, hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic and memory enhancing property.
Fennel seeds are rich in carbohydrates, moisture, and protein and fat. Its mineral contents are calcium, phosphorous, iron, sodium and potassium.
Vitamins content are thiamine, riboflavin, niacin and C. The major fatty acid components of fennel seeds are oleic acid and linoleic acid. Fennel seeds are high in isoleucine and histidine.
The principal constituents of the essential oil extracted are anethole (50–60%) and fenchone (15–20%). The essential oil extracted is mainly composed of (E)-anethole, (Z)-anethole and α-thujone.
Fennel seed
