Fennel, the "Sweet Cumin"

A small, green, crescent shaped seed obtained from a bulbless variety of the fennel plant. The seeds, which are used as a spice, are available whole or ground and have a slight licorice flavor.

Fennel is native to southern Europe (especially by the Mediterranean) and southwestern Asia. It comes mainly from India and Egypt and it has a mild anise-like flavor, but is more aromatic and sweeter. Fennel is used as a vegetable and herb in Europe but in Asia only the seeds are used. The flavor is distinctly aniseed, and the seed is like a larger, paler version of cumin seed. The seeds of fennel are sometimes referred to as 'sweet cumin', perhaps because of their similar appearance - certainly not for any flavor similarity.

Fennel is also used as a flavoring in some natural toothpastes. Some people employ it as a diuretic, while others use it to improve the milk supply of breastfeeding mothers.
Many cultures in the Indian subcontinent and the Middle East incorporate fennel seed into their culinary traditions. In the west, fennel seed is a very common ingredient in Italian sausages and northern European rye breads. Essential oil of Fennel is included in European and some national pharmacopoeias. It is traditionally used in drugs to treat chills and stomach problems. Fennel essential oil is used in soaps, and some perfumes. Ancients believed Fennel Seed was particularly helpful in eyesight. It was also believed to increase strength. In ancient Greece, it was considered a symbol of success. In more recent history, the Puritans referred to Fennel as the "meeting seed" as it was a favorite practice to chew the seeds during meetings. Today, Fennel Seed is widely used in India as an after-dinner breath freshener and also to help in digestion. Fennel is also used as a flavouring in some natural toothpastes. Some people employ it as a diuretic, while others use it to improve the milk supply of breastfeeding mothers.

Fennel was relied on more heavily in times gone by. The renowned herbalist Culpeper wrote that the seeds were used in medicines to relieve wheezing and shortness of breath. The seeds are chewed or a tea brewed from them as an aid to cure stomach ache and constipation, regulate menstruation and increase breast milk. They are combined with root extract for a diuretic aid to slimming. Research seems to indicate that fennel can help in cases of liver damage as a result of excessive alcohol consumption. As an aid to cleansing the skin, gentle steaming over water in which fennel seeds and leaves have been boiled is said to be effective.

The cooks of Malaysia, Indonesia and Sri Lanka use fennel as one of the spices, which go to make their complex curries. In India, the seeds are included in the after-dinner chew of betel leaf as a digestive as well as a breath sweetener. Sometimes the seeds are offered as a breath freshener on their own or sugar-coated and colored. In China, fennel may be used in place of aniseed in five-spice powder.

On account of its aromatic and carminative properties, Fennel fruit is chiefly used medicinally with purgatives to allay their tendency to griping and for this purpose forms one of the ingredients of the well-known compound Liquorice Powder. Fennel water has properties similar to those of anise and dill water: mixed with sodium bicarbonate and syrup, these waters constitute the domestic 'Gripe Water,' used to correct the flatulence of infants. Volatile oil of Fennel has these properties in concentration.
Fennel tea, formerly also employed as a carminative, is made by pouring half a pint of boiling water on a teaspoonful of bruised Fennel seeds. Syrup prepared from Fennel juice was formerly given for chronic coughs. Fennel is also largely used for cattle condiments.

It is one of the plants, which said to be disliked by fleas, and powdered Fennel has the effect of driving away fleas from kennels and stables. The plant gives off ozone most readily.

Fennel was well known to the Ancients and was cultivated by the ancient Romans for its aromatic fruits and succulent, edible shoots.