Fennel is a spicy-aromatic plant, a species of the genus Fennel, family - Umbelliferae. Another popular name is dill pharmacy and Volosh. Its popularity was great in ancient Greece and among the Romans, who believed that the smell of fennel makes a person strong, can ward off evil spirits and kill fleas, and also freshen the air.
Fennel fruits have a sweet taste and a pleasant smell. Seeds are small, oval, greenish-brown in color. Puritans very often chewed them during meetings, calling fennel "seed of meetings."
Fennel description
Fennel is a perennial herbaceous plant. Height - from 90 to 200 cm. In appearance it resembles dill, and in taste and aroma it is similar to anise, only sweeter.
Stem of fennel straight, branched with a blue bloom. The leaves are pinnate with filiform lobules. Flowers are placed at the very top, similar to complex flat umbrellas. The flowering time of the plant falls on July-August. It starts bearing fruitlate summer.
The fruit is a naked, almost cylindrical bipartite caryopsis, which breaks up into two semi-fruits, the length of which is 4-10 mm, the width is 3 mm. The color of fennel seeds is greenish-brown. The smell is specific, strong.
What is rich in fennel?
Synonymous - dill pharmacy. The fruit contains a large amount of essential oil (3-6%), in which up to 60% anethole and proteins. Fatty oil consists of petroselinic (60%), oleic (22%) and other acids.
Fennel grass is rich in glycosides, it contains ascorbic acid, carotene, minerals and B vitamins.
Fennel fruits: useful properties and contraindications
Thanks to elements such as magnesium, potassium, calcium, iron and others, the plant has a variety of beneficial properties. It can act as a diuretic. Grass, fennel fruits are able to carry out a disinfectant and antispasmodic function. These properties during treatment manifest themselves so gently that dill preparations are prescribed even for infants with flatulence. The dose for the youngest children should be prescribed by a doctor.
Fennel fruit is a good expectorant. They tend to have a beneficial effect on the nervous system, calming it during severe overexertion and aggressive behavior. Reviews about this gift of nature from traditional healers, doctors and ordinary people are only positive, but subject to the correct use of the plant.
Use in official medicine
Official medicine often usesproducts that contain fennel. This includes tinctures and medicinal teas, which have proven themselves on the good side in the following cases:
- in the treatment of respiratory diseases;
- to normalize digestion;
- for the treatment of heart and vascular diseases;
- to improve the taste of other medicines.
Grass, fennel fruits are antibacterial. "Dill water" has long been known to women, they gave it to babies with spastic colitis and flatulence. Such water is able to increase the secretion of the glands and regulate the motor function of the intestine.
Official medicine includes fennel fruits in anti-asthma collections, the beneficial properties of which are very noticeable in them. From fennel seeds, the drug "Anetin" is obtained, where the entire amount of the useful substances of the plant is used. The drug is widely used in therapy in the treatment of heart failure, spastic colitis.
Features of the use of fennel fruits in traditional medicine
Even Hippocrates and Avicenna recognized the healing properties of dill. Fennel fruits, which have been used in homeopathy and partly in official medicine, are now also highly valued by folk medicine. The power of this plant is claimed in various occasions.
Fennel is good for bloating, during menstrual pain, for inflammatory processes in the eyes, for the treatment of diseases of the liver and biliary tract, as an antispasmodic in the treatment of asthmaticseizures and whooping cough, headaches due to poor digestion.
You can defeat neurasthenia if you steam with a fennel broom or use this plant as an infusion.
Folk recipes for fennel remedies
Most often in the practice of traditional medicine for the preparation of medicinal preparations, fennel fruits are taken, the use of which is very common. The easiest way is to make an infusion at home. These are 2 teaspoons of crushed raw materials, poured with a glass of boiling water and infused for 10 minutes. Strained therapeutic agent is taken in a warm form, 50-100 ml three times a day before meals. It is a very good carminative. A similarly prepared infusion, with only half a liter of water and a tablespoon of fennel, has proven itself well in the treatment of respiratory diseases.
Here are some more traditional medicine recipes. For the treatment of indigestion, a mixture of medicinal plants is prepared: fennel and cumin fruits - 10 g each, peppermint, umbilical flowers and lemon balm leaves - 20 g each, angelica roots - 15 g, wormwood herb - 5 g. All ingredients must be crushed and mixed, then brew one teaspoon of the mixture with a cup of boiling water. Drink three to four cups a day. You need to take until complete recovery.
Recipe for improving lactation in lactating women. Grind:
- fennel fruit;
- worn barley seeds;
- all above-ground part of oats;
- hops (cones);
- galega (flowers);
- fenugreek hay(seeds);
- dill;
- anise;
- cumin.
Everything is taken in equal parts. Two tablespoons of the mixture brew 0.5 liters of boiling water. For an effective effect, you need to drink about 1.5 liters of infusion per day.
Recipe for spasm relief. A teaspoon of a medicinal mixture consisting of fennel seeds, anise, linden and poppy flowers, taken in equal parts, pour a glass of boiling water. Strain after 10 minutes and drink daily with honey.
Fennel for weight loss
It has been used for weight loss since the time of Hippocrates. Especially valuable are the fruits of fennel. This plant has many qualities due to which it is considered indispensable during weight loss. Fennel helps to calm hunger, reduces cravings for sweets, and speeds up metabolism. To overcome increased appetite, you just have to chew on the seeds of the plant - and the desire to retreat from the diet will immediately disappear.
To get rid of extra pounds, tea, which includes fennel (fruit), is very useful. Instructions for preparation and use are as follows. Two teaspoons of nettle and one teaspoon of fennel fruit pour 750 ml of boiling water, hold on low heat for 15 minutes and insist for another 15 minutes under the lid. Drink one glass of this decoction during the day in four doses, drink before meals.
Next recipe. Grind fennel fruits, mint leaves, linden flowers and chamomile, mix. Pour a teaspoon of the medicinal mixture with a glass (200 ml) of boiling water and leave for 20 minutes. Drink the infusion at a time. This should be done throughout the week. This remedy will helpfeel during the diet, calm the nerves and reduce appetite.
It will not be possible to lose weight from taking fennel itself, it can only be an assistant during diets, relieve excessive appetite and wake up a dormant metabolism.
How is fennel used in cooking?
Fennel is valuable not only as a medicine, but also as a spice that can give dishes a unique, special taste and specific aroma. Fennel is valued in cooking all over the world. Pharmaceutical dill is added to soup, salads, snacks, and independent dishes are prepared from it. During harvesting, fennel seeds are dried, ground, then used as a seasoning for fish and meat. They make delicious tea.
Green fennel fruits are also suitable for consumption. They are added to veal, lamb and fish dishes.
Fennel fruit: contraindications
The main contraindication is fennel intolerance and hypersensitivity, when a person can feel dizzy and nauseous just from the smell of the plant.
Excessive consumption of fennel for people with epilepsy is very dangerous. This can lead to death. Pregnant women and nursing mothers should use it only with the permission of a doctor.
