Fennel is a very popular herb among healers of different cultures. It is rich in nutrients like vitamin C, potassium, folate, magnesium, manganese, iron, calcium and molybdenum.

Eating fennel or drinking fennel tea can help if you have an upset stomach. Gripe water which is used to calm colicky infants often contains fennel. Breastfeeding mothers can also help calm their babies’ intestinal spasms by drinking fennel tea. The phytonutrients (such as anethole and terpenoids) from the tea passes over to the infants through breast milk.

Terpenoids in fennel can also help you fight cancer and inflammation.

Phytoestrogens found in fennel have also been found to have a balancing effect on the levels of female hormones. When estrogen levels are low, fennel seem to raise them; when estrogen levels are high, the phytoestrogens in fennel have been found to compete with the excessive estrogen for receptor sites, as such blocking the action and harmful effects of the excessive estrogen.

References
[1] Collins, Elise Marie. An A-Z Guide to Healing Foods: A Shopper’s Companion. San Francisco, California: Conari Press, 2009. Print.

Cindy L. TJOL is trained in Psychology, Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine. She has several years of experience writing on natural health on the internet. Follow her on her blog and read her other articles at Insights On Health.com.