Fennel acts as an excellent digestive aid to relieve abdominal cramps, gas and bloating. The fresh stems of fennel can be eaten much like celery, the seeds add a lovely anise flavor to fish and other dishes. If you expect to eat a vegetable that you have trouble digesting, like cabbage, try adding fennel seeds to your recipe. 335
Fennel seeds (as well as anise) contain creosol and alpha-pinene, chemicals that help to loosen congestion and make coughs more productive. Fennel also calms the dry, hacking cough of bronchitis. 1662
The Greek name for fennel was marathon was derived from "maraino", to grow thin, reflecting the widely held belief that fennel affected weight loss, a belief that was echoed by William Coles, in "Nature's Paradise" (1650)
both the seeds, leaves and root of Garden Fennel are much used in drinks and broths for those that are grown fat, to abate their unwieldiness and cause them to grow more gaunt and lank.
Fennel's ancient reputation as a weight loss aid still holds up today. Drinking a cup of fennel seed tea 15 minutes before eating a heavy meal seems to take the edge off your appetite. Fennel also tunes up digestion, helping to turn food into energy instead of fat.
Women who are going through menopause or are experiencing menstrual problems may benefit from the estrogenic properties of fennel. It has a balancing effect on the female reproductive system and increases the flow of body energy. Extracts of fennel have estrogenic properties that may benefit women going through the hormonal imbalances caused by menopause.
