Fennel: Pain relief powerhouse

28th Jun 2024

Whether you're slicing it for salads, simmering it slowly or using the seeds, fennel brings a range of nutrients and beneficial plant compounds that could lower inflammation, pain and menopause symptoms.

Key points

• Health Benefits
• Plant Tales
• 5 ways to enjoy
• Recipes
• Sources

Health Benefits

Fennel is a source of:

• Dietary fibre ~3.1g per 100g
• Key nutrients, such as calcium, potassium, phosphorus and vitamin C.
• Polyphenols, such as quercetin, caffeic acid and gallic acid.
• Anethole, which is the main compound in the essential oil. It shows anti-inflammatory and estrogenic effects.

In human trials, fennel extract was associated with improved:

• Menopausal symptoms: Taking fennel extract helped improve symptoms like hot flashes and sleep issues in menopausal women, according to two reviews of clinical trials.
• Menstrual pain: In patients with painful menstruation, fennel extract effectively reduced pain intensity, and cinnamon shortened pain duration, as shown in a meta-analysis of nine randomised controlled trials.
• Joint pain: In a small trial of 66 patients with knee osteoarthritis, fennel extract improved knee pain intensity more than placebo.

The research is ongoing: The studies used fennel extract in capsules with small sample sizes and methodological concerns, so we’re still not sure how it applies to eating whole fennel.

Plant Tales

From Rome to royalty: Native to the southern Mediterranean, fennel has a storied past. Emperor Charlemagne esteemed it so greatly that he mandated its cultivation on all imperial farms. By the 13th century in England, it held royal status as a spice, served to kings alongside fruit, bread, and pickled fish.

Spice, herb or vegetable? Fennel is actually all three! The bulbous base can be eaten as a vegetable, the feathery fronds are used as an herb, and the aromatic seeds are used as a spice and to produce essential oils. Fennel is part of the Apiaceae family, which also includes cumin, dill, carrot, celery, and anise.

Why does it taste like anise? They both share the aromatic compound ‘anethole’, which gives them their distinct flavour and may even offer anti-cancer benefits.

Traditional uses: Around the world, it has a long history of use in traditional medicine for digestive, endocrine and respiratory health. Herbal practitioners use it to promote menstruation and relieve digestive discomfort, such as nausea, low appetite and pain. In India, the seeds are often chewed as mukhwas after meals to promote digestion and freshen the mouth.

5 ways to enjoy

1. Crunchy salad like Sicilian fennel-orange salad.
2. Soups & stews like the Provençal fish soup Bouillabaisse.
3. Buttery side dish, roasted with garlic, herbs, salt, pepper, and olive oil.
4. Slaw with apples, red onion, and red cabbage.
5. Digestion tea like Indian Saunf Wali Chai.

Recipes

• New Potato and Asparagus Salad with Ranch Dressing
• Charred Leek and Fennel Broth with Haricot Beans (App)
• Green Fisherman’s Stew (App)

Sources

Menopause: Lee et al. 2021 | Khadivzadeh et al. 2018

Menstrual pain: Xu et al. 2020

Joint pain: Alazadeh et al. 2020