Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare mill), an aromatic plant of Apiaceae (Umbelliferae) family. It is one of the oldest spice plants due to its important and significance in pharmaceutical industry applications. Its fruit which is commonly referred to as seeds, which are ridged, aromatic and oblong of ellipsoid Shaped. It is originally indigneous, belonging to Mediterrean region and has now been cultivated throughout the world and universally known as fennel in more than 100 other names. Its mature fruit and essential oils are widely used as flavoring agent in food products like liqueurs, bread, cheese and also as constituent ingredients in cosmetics and pharmaceutical products. In Mediterrean areas fennel is used as anti-inflammatory, analgesic, diuretic, antispasmodic, eye lotion and antioxidant remedy and integrator. Scientific reports related to morphological characteristics, phytochemical compounds and re-evaluation of the therapeutic importance of this medicinal plant which have been published.
Other names of fennel in different language: Spanish: Hinojo, French: Fenonil, German: Fenchel, Swedish: Fankal, Arabic: Shamar, Dutch: Venkel, Italian: Finocchio, Portuguese: Funcho, Russian: Fyenkhel, Chinese: Hui-Hsiang, Japanese: Uikyo.
Fennel powder is used as a cataplasm for poisonous snake bites. In some investigation fennel was also found to speed up the elimination of poisons. Its fruits are also rich in antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, diuretics, gastro protective, secretomotor, secertolytic and antithrombotic activities. Fennel’s bioactive molecules plays a significant role in human health and it can be used for various drug production.
Published Date: 2025-02-18; Received Date: 2024-09-16
