Health Benefits
Digestive system
Treats Colic
Blood pressure
Boosts Immunity
Weight Loss
Helps Prevent Cancer
Menstruation, breastfeeding and menopause
Boosts Bone Health
Improves Skin Health
Eye Health
Asthma Symptoms
Digestive system
Fennel is considered very useful to help indigestion, bloating and constipation because of the oils found in these seeds. Fennel seeds contain estragole, fenchone and anethole, which contribute to the plant’s antispasmodic and anti-inflammatory properties. For those with IBS, the volatile oils found in fennel seeds can help kick start digestion by promoting the production of gastric enzymes.
Fennel extract helps treat heartburn due to the presence of phytoestrogen. This inhibits muscle spasms, improves digestion, and prevents acid reflux.For its multitude of gastrointestinal benefits, fennel is sure to help the digestive tract be healthy and happy.
Additionally, fiber acts like a small brush as it moves through the digestive system, clearing the colon of toxins that could potentially cause colon cancer. Fennel itself can act like a laxative, helping with elimination of toxins.
It is also common in certain cultures to chew fennel seeds after meals to help digestion and eliminate bad breath. Some of the oils found in fennel do help stimulate the secretion of digestive juices.
Treats Colic
Fennel is traditionally given to infants in order to calm them down and ward off colic. It helps prevent colic spasms in babies and prevents flatulence.
Note: It is unsafe to give fennel tea to infants below 4 months of age. It is recommended to check with a medical expert before administering any herbal product to babies.
Blood pressure
Fennel can help lower blood pressure and inflammation due to its high potassium content and low sodium content. Potassium works against sodium, helping to fight high blood pressure in the body.
A diet high in potassium can reduce systolic blood pressure by 5.5 points when compared to a high sodium diet. But don’t expect lower blood pressure overnight, it takes about four weeks of consuming a high potassium diet to see a drop in blood pressure.
Boosts Immunity
Fennel extract has powerful antibacterial, antiseptic, and antifungal effects, making it an excellent immune system booster. It is also well known to stave off cold and flu before they can fully manifest into an infection. Drinking fennel is, therefore, a preventative measure and a treatment to keep you on the right side of healthy!
Weight Loss
There are a number of ways in which fennel can help you lose weight. First of all, by promoting urination, it can eliminate water retention and bloating. Secondly, as a metabolism booster, it can help your body burn fat and calories faster, making your exercise efforts more rewarding. Finally, by regulating your appetite and hormones, it can prevent overeating and obesity.
Helps Prevent Cancer
Fennel has been used for centuries in Chinese medicine to help treat inflammatory conditions such as insect bites or sore throat. Fennel’s ability to decrease inflammation led researchers to investigate if fennel’s properties could be applied to other inflammatory diseases, including various forms of cancers.
Fennel contains an oil called anethole that has been shown in some clinical studies to act as a natural cancer remedy, helping to reducing the growth of breast cancer cells.
The seeds also have very powerful free radical scavenging properties that help beat oxidative stress and protects the body from various cancers of the skin, stomach and breasts. Fennel seeds have a very potent chemo modulatory effect too.
Menstruation, breastfeeding and menopause
When it comes to protecting female reproductive health and wellness, few herbs are as important as fennel. The compounds found in fennel have estrogen-like qualities, meaning that they can alleviate many of the painful symptoms of menstruation, while also regulating hormones, increasing libido, and stimulating the production of breast milk in lactating mothers (a good combination of plants is fennel, milk thistle and goat’s rue).
It also helps soothe menopausal symptoms like vaginal itching, dryness, sleeping issues, and vasomotor symptoms like night sweats, flushes and hot flashes. Fennel also helped to improve sexual function and sexual satisfaction.
Boosts Bone Health
Due to the calcium content, fennel can help maintain bone strength and health. One cup of fennel contains about 43 milligrams of calcium, which can be helpful for those who don’t consume enough foods high in calcium and may have a calcium deficiency. Research shows that increasing calcium intake from dietary sources increases your bone mineral density.
But calcium isn’t the only bone-strengthening nutrient found in the bulb. Fennel also contains magnesium, phosphorus and vitamin K, which all play a role in maintaining bone strength.
Improves Skin Health
Fennel is high in vitamin C, a potent antioxidant that helps reduce the free radical damage that can lead to premature aging.
Vitamin C is also necessary for the formation of collagen and a powerful tool in protecting skin’s appearance, making it a good choice to naturally slow aging.
Due to these functions, adequate intakes of vitamin C are critical for reducing the appearance of wrinkles and maintaining healthy skin. The RDA is 60 milligrams per day, but more vitamin C from whole food sources, like fennel, will help to keep your skin healthy from the inside-out.
Eye Health
Macular degeneration is the leading cause of age-related vision loss. Although the exact cause is unknown, antioxidants that help reduce inflammation such as certain flavonoids, vitamin C and zinc, may help improve vision or slow the progress of the disease.
Fennel contains many of these vision-saving nutrients. Due to its high flavonoid, vitamin C and mineral content, it can help reduce oxidative damage and inflammation, and may help prevent macular degeneration.
Asthma Symptoms
Fennel seeds and their phytonutrients help clear sinuses. They make a great aid with bronchitis, congestion and cough as they have expectorant properties.