FENNEL

£23.00 – £65.00

Fennel is an ancient cultivated plant that has been used for centuries as a food, spice and medicine. It has been cultivated and used in China, Persia, India and in the countries around the Mediterranean since ancient times. From Greece and Rome, fennel was spread throughout Europe, and today it is grown in temperate regions all over the world. Although fennel seeds are for many people best known as a tasty spice, they also have a function in cooking by curbing intestinal gas production after consuming food that often leads to gas formation. The ancient herbalists Hippocrates and Dioscorides recommended fennel to promote milk production in nursing mothers, an effect that is probably due to the herb having a mild estrogenic effect. Some of the essential oil in the herb is probably transferred to the infant through breast milk, and was thought to help alleviate colic and improve the baby’s digestion.

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SKU: long-sleeve-top Category: Herbs Tags: fennel, Foeniculum vulgare

Description

Foeniculum vulgare

Fennel is a perennial plant (grown as an annual in Norway) that can grow up to 2 m tall. The rootstock is strong, and the roots protrude deep into the soil. The stem is hollow, blue-green or occasionally reddish. The plant has a strong aromatic scent and a slightly bitter taste. Fennel is native to the Middle East, North Africa and southern Europe (mostly in the Mediterranean), but has been cultivated over large parts of the world for centuries and has naturalized in many places.