Fennel is the herb of quiet strength. Mild, sweet and lightly anise-flavored — it doesn't draw attention like cinnamon or ginger, but when you need it, it's there. Parents reach for it with a crying baby with colic. Women with menstrual pain. People with bloating after a heavy meal. Fennel works quietly and reliably, and it has done so for thousands of years.
The ancient Egyptians used fennel as a digestive aid and protective herb. Greek physicians prescribed it to nursing mothers to stimulate milk production. Roman soldiers chewed fennel seed to suppress hunger on long marches. In the Middle Ages it was one of the nine holy herbs — hung above the door for protection. Today science confirms what herbalists have always known: fennel is an exceptionally versatile herb.
What exactly is fennel?
Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) is a tall, feathery perennial from the carrot family, native to the Mediterranean. Every part of the plant is usable — the bulb, the stalks, the leaves and the seeds —