What is fennel? What are the effects and functions of fennel?

Fennel, also known as fragrant silk vegetable, is both a vegetable and a medicinal herb. So do you know the effects and functions of fennel ?

About Fennel

Fennel is also known as fragrant silk vegetable. Its young leaves are used as vegetables. Its fruits are used as spices and medicine. Its roots, leaves and whole plants can also be used as medicine.

Fennel has a very special aroma and is the best magician for seasoning! It can be cooked with fish to remove the fishy smell! It is also delicious in tomato salad. In addition, it is a perfect combination when fried with eggs. However, fennel is only available in winter because it is not grown in large quantities and is mostly grown at home, so you have to look for it carefully when you need it.

It is edible for all groups of people.

Fennel benefits and effects

Effects of fennel

Both large and small fennel are commonly used seasonings, and are essential for cooking fish, stewing meat, and making stewed foods. Because they can remove the odor from meat and make it fragrant again, they are called "fennel". Large fennel is also called aniseed, and its scientific name is "star anise". The seeds of small fennel are seasonings, and its stems and leaves also have fragrance and are often used as fillings for foods such as buns and dumplings. The main ingredients they contain are fennel oil, which can stimulate gastrointestinal nerves and blood vessels, promote the secretion of digestive juices, increase gastrointestinal motility, and eliminate accumulated gas, so it has the effects of strengthening the stomach and promoting qi; sometimes gastrointestinal motility will decrease after excitement, which helps to relieve spasms and relieve pain.

Fennel also has anti-ulcer, analgesic, sex hormone-like effects, etc. Fennel oil has different degrees of antibacterial effects. It can stimulate gastrointestinal nerves and blood vessels, promote the secretion of saliva and gastric juice, increase appetite, and help digestion. It is suitable for spleen and stomach deficiency and cold. It is used for diet therapy for patients with colic and dysmenorrhea. The method of consumption is: take a little fennel, stir-fry it, decoct it into soup, remove the residue, then add rice, cook it into rice porridge for consumption.

In addition to being an ornamental garden plant, fresh fennel seeds and leaves can be used for bathing to eliminate fatigue and treat cold hands and feet. Fennel leaves, seeds, and tender stems can all be eaten as vegetables or used to make soup. Because of its deodorizing function, it is often cooked with fish or fishy meat to eliminate the fishy smell; Indians also often chew seeds after meals to eliminate bad breath. The Romans also used its digestive properties to add it to desserts after meals or make it into a seasoning. Fennel oil extracted from seeds is often used as a flavoring to remove fishy smells or as a medicine to treat bloating, overeating, etc.

Benefits of Fennel

Fennel is an appetizer, regulates qi and dispels cold, and helps the yang channel. Indications: cold in the middle jiao, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, cold pain in the abdomen; hernia pain, testicular swelling and pain; spleen and stomach qi stagnation, abdominal distension and pain.

Fennel can detoxify, relieve menstrual pain, increase appetite, nourish the kidneys, and relieve coughs. Therefore, it can be used for abdominal pain and drainage. It can also dispel cold and relieve pain, treat stomach cold, abdominal pain and stomach colic, and is good for the digestive system. It can also regulate qi and relieve pain, and regulate the middle and lower qi. Fennel tea can also be used to stop vomiting, treat indigestion, bad breath, eliminate intestinal gas, flatulence, improve intestinal colic, treat constipation, and can be diuretic and detoxify. It is regarded as a good weight loss medicine. It can also increase the secretion of milk in lactating women, so it is also effective in breast enhancement.

The Chinese Pharmacopoeia states that fennel preparations are commonly used stomachic, cold-dispelling, qi-promoting, and analgesic drugs. Anethole can promote the maturation of bone marrow cells and their release into peripheral blood, and has a significant effect of increasing white blood cells, mainly neutrophils, and can be used for leukopenia.

The main components of fennel are protein, fat, dietary fiber, anethole, fenchone, anisaldehyde, etc. Its aroma mainly comes from aromatic substances such as anethole and anisaldehyde. It is a multi-purpose plant that combines medicine, seasoning, food, and cosmetics. Tender stems and leaves are used as vegetables and stuffing. Fennel fruit contains 2.8% fennel oil, 50-60% anethole, 18-20% a-fennelone, 10% methyl pepper powder, a-pinene dipentene, anisaldehyde, camphene, etc. The endosperm contains about 15% fatty oil, and about 85% protein, starch sugars, and mucus. It can be used as a spice and is often used in the cooking of meat, seafood, and pasta such as sesame cakes. It is used as a medicine in traditional Chinese medicine. It is warm in nature and spicy in taste. It belongs to the liver, kidney, spleen, and stomach meridians. It has the functions of warming the liver and kidney, warming the stomach qi, dispersing blockages, dispersing cold and relieving pain, and regulating qi and harmonizing the stomach. It is used for abdominal pain caused by cold hernia, testicular prolapse, dysmenorrhea in women, cold pain in the lower abdomen, abdominal distension and pain, loss of appetite, vomiting and diarrhea, etc.

Fennel drinking precautions

Since eating too much fennel can cause side effects such as damage to eyesight, it is not suitable for short-term and large-scale consumption. The upper limit should be 10 grams per day. It is hot in nature and is more suitable for people with cold constitutions. The amount consumed each time should not be too much. Fennel, also known as fennel, Huaixiang, Guxiang, sweet fennel, and fennel seeds, has a scientific name: Foeniculum Vulgare. The parts used are leaves and seeds. The dosage is: 5-10 grams of fresh fennel, 3-5 grams of dried fennel, and 4-5 grams of fennel seeds. The brewing method is to brew with hot water.