This article refers to the herb Fennel, Foeniculum vulgare, found wild and also cultivated as an ornamental plant or for its edible leaves and seeds. It does not refer to the related vegetable sometimes called Florence Fennel or Bulb Fennel. Please note, the bulb / stem base of wild fennel is POISONOUS and must not be eaten.
Fennel is native to the Mediterranean area, but widely naturalised in the UK, possibly originally brought here by the Romans as a culinary or medicinal herb. The cultivated form is both decorative and useful in any garden, being attractive to many pollinators and having both culinary and medicinal applications. It flowers from August to October, with seeds ripening from September onwards; so you may find flowers and seeds on the same plant.
Fennel grows best in well drained soil in a sunny position; it can tolerate drought, though it will not thrive in shade. Evergreen, perennial, and frost hardy, it is self-fertile and spreads easily (too easily, in the opinion of some gardeners). There is a suggestion that the volatile oils, that give the whole plant its recognisable aroma, inhibit the growth of nearby plants: but I have not observed this in my own garden.
The tall stems hold thread-like feathery leaves and golden-yellow flat-topped umbels of tiny florets. The variety Bronze Fennel, which we have in the Physic Garden, has the somewhat clumsy botanical name Foeniculum vulgare dulce var. Purpureum, not quite suggesting this tall fragile-looking plant with wispy plumes of bronze-purple foliage contrasting with its sulphur-yellow flowers – a plant admired by gardeners and flower-arrangers alike. In this photo of the Physic Garden we see its delicate fronds and bright heads complementing the strong shapes and colours of other summer plants – Betony, Bee Balm, and Pot Marigold.
Medicinal Uses
Fennel has been used for millennia to treat a range of ailments, especially in the digestive system, from indigestion and heartburn to kidney stones and colic. It has also been prescribed for bronchitis and coughs, as a gargle for sore throats and even as an eyewash for conjunctivitis.
Although it has been given as a remedy for problems around the menopause and menstruation, and to improve the production of milk in nursing women, modern research has found its chemical compounds can act like oestrogen, so it should not be taken during pregnancy, or by women with a history of hormone-sensitive cancers.
The list of fennel’s positive medicinal applications is long, and includes anti-fungal, antibiotic, anti-oxidant, antispasmodic and anti-inflammatory properties. Readers with a scientific mind may find the following link of interest, being a detailed piece of research into international studies of fennel. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4137549/
I quote part of the summary of these research findings: The available scientific research on Foeniculum vulgare has shown that it is an important medicinal plant used in a wide range of ethnomedical treatments, especially for abdominal pains, antiemetic, aperitif, arthritis, cancer, colic in children, conjunctivitis, constipation, depurative, diarrhoea, dieresis, emmenagogue, fever, flatulence, gastralgia, gastritis, insomnia, irritable colon, kidney ailments, as a laxative, leucorrhoea, liver pain, mouth ulcer, and stomach ache. This plant has been in use for a long period of time without any documented serious adverse effects.
The research recommended more studies to explore the plant’s many potential uses in more depth.
Culinary Uses
Every part of the plant has the distinctive scent and taste that is likened to aniseed or liquorice – though fennel is not related to either of those, being a member of the same family as carrots. The fine leaves can be chopped into salads, and work well in fish dishes; and the stems are used to flavour oils and vinegars. The seeds, dried and sometimes ground, are used in many different cuisines in both savoury and sweet applications. The seeds can also be used to make a strong ‘tea’, commonly used as a digestif after a meal.
Myth and Magic
Having such useful culinary and medicinal properties, fennel was unsurprisingly reputed to have magic powers, and in medieval Europe bunches of the herb were hung over doorways, to keep witches away.
In the ancient Greek myth about Prometheus stealing fire from the gods, the stalk of a fennel plant was used to steal the flame and carry it to mankind. Another Greek mythology also says the Thyrsus or wand carried by the god Dionysus was the stalk of a giant fennel plant, and the plant is therefore associated, like the god, with prosperity, hedonism and fertility. (In these legends, it should be noted, the plant referred to is Giant Fennel, Ferula communis, related to our fennel but growing up to 15 feet tall and not just inedible but poisonous).
The ancient Athenians and Persians fought a great battle at Marathon, which in Greek means ‘the place where fennel grows’, and after the battle the Athenians wove fennel stalks into a symbol of victory.
Fennel sprigs have also been used as fly-twitches on horses, and as an antidote to snake bite.
Acknowledgments – thanks to the sites below for much of the information
https://pfaf.org/user/Default.aspx
