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Medicinal Plant Research 2014, Vol.4, No.6, 46
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are darker, contain less oil, and sink at once in water,
but those exhausted by alcohol vapour retain 1.0 to
2.0 % of oil, and are but little alter altered in
appearance; they acquire, however, a peculiar fusel-oil
odour. Recoloured fennel can be detected by rubbing
the fruits between the hands (Greenish, 1999).
Production and Commerce
Fennel is cultivated on large scale in Saxony, Germany,
Spain, Italy, Russia, Rumania, France, India, Japan,
and to lesser extent in a garden herb in this country. It
thrives best in well drained garden soil which has been
limed. It is propagated from fruits sown directly in the
field after preparation of the ground or sowing in seed
beds first and later transferring seedlings to the field.
The seedlings should stand about 15 inches apart in
rows with ample space left between these for
cultivation. The fruits are collected similarly to those
of anise and packed in bags for shipment (Youngken,
1936).
German fennel is shipped largely through Hamburg,
Roumanian Fennel through Hamburg and Trieste,
Italian Fennel through Naples and Siaeca, French
Fennel from Marseilles, Levant from Trieste, and
Indian Fennel through Bambay and London. There is
quite difference between these fennels. The German
large is preferred. It is green in colour. The French,
Italian, Levant, and Indian Fennels are yellow. The
Romanian is small green fruit which is not highly
prized (Youngken, 1936).
Availability
It can be an annual, biennial or perennial plant and is
native to the Mediterranean areas (Piccaglia and
Marotti, 2001). It is grown in the temperate and sub
tropical areas of Pakistan up to an altitude of 2000 m and
cultivated as an annual crop. Principal fennel producing
countries include India, Argentina, China, Indonesia,
Russia, Japan and Pakistan (Volak and Stodola, 1998).
Ethnobotany
According to Shah and Khan (2006) the vernacular
name is sonf, family is Apiaceae, part used is leaves
and seeds and it is used as antidiabetics.
Uses
Fennel (
Foeniculum vulgare
Mill.), Family Apiaceae
is a short-lived aromatic and medicinal herb,
indigenous to Europe and cultivated in India, China
and Egypt. Choi and Hwang stated that fennel had
anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antioxidant activities.
The dried, aromatic fruits are widely employed in
culinary preparations for flavouring bread and pastry,
in candies and in alcoholic liqueurs of French type, as
well as in cosmetic and medicinal preparations
(Farrell, 1985; Hansel et al., 1993). Fennel and its
herbal drug preparations are used for dyspeptic
complaints such as mild, spasmodic gastric-intestinal
complaints, bloating and flatulence. It is also used for
the catarrh of the upper respiratory tract (Czygane et
al., 1989; Maduas, 1976; Merkes, 1980; Forster et al.,
1983; Weib, 1991). The seeds of this plant have been
known as a promoter of menstruation, to alleviate the
symptoms of female climacteric and increase libido
(Albert-Puleo, 1980). It has been reported that fennel
essential oil is used in the pediatric colic and some
respiratory disorders due to its anti-spasmodic effects
(Reynold, 1980). The stem, leaves, and fruit are
commonly used as the dietary herb “xiao hui xiang” in
traditional Chinese medicine to aid digestion. The
leaves are used for flavoring and the fruits are used as
a spice (fennel) (Hui xiang, 2005). Fennel
(
Foeniculum vulgare
Mill.) belonging to the family
Umbelliferae (Apiaceae) is a well-known aromatic
and medicinal herb. It is carminative and commonly
used to flavor liquors, bread, fish, salad, soups,
cheese and in manufacturing of pickles, perfumes,
soaps, cosmetics and cough drops (Tanira et al., 1996;
Beaux et al., 1997; Garcia-Jamenz et al., 2000; Patra
et al., 2002), while Indians and Egyptians knew it as
culinary species (Farooqi et al., 1993).
Vegetative parts of the plant are used as a green salad
while fruits have a pleasant, spicy odour and burning
sweet taste, and have pharmaceutical, perfumery and
food flavouring used. Fennel fruits contain 1%~3%
volatile oils, which have disinfectant and
anti-inflammatory action, primarily on the respiratory
and digestive organs and have an antispasmodic effect
on smooth muscle (Stary and Jirasek, 1975).
Antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of fennel has
also been reported (Ruberto et al., 2000).