Fennel, or Foeniculum vulgare, has a long history of culinary and medicinal use. It grows easily in sunny herb gardens across a variety of climate zones, and every part of it is edible. Since you're unlikely to poison yourself with this commonly eaten herb, it's generally safe to experiment with its claimed tummy-soothing properties. But determining the truth to these claims requires scientific rigor.
Historic Uses
Eating fennel goes back to ancient Roman times, when the herb was cultivated for both seeds and shoots. Its historical medicinal uses have included treating flatulence and colic, easing digestion and stimulating the appetite. Indian restaurants often offer a bowl of fennel seeds for guests as they leave, instead of the mints found in most restaurants.
Clinical Trials
According to Langone Medical Center at New York University, in a double-blind, placebo-controlled study reported in 2003, out of 125 colicky infants, 40 percent of the fennel-treated group showed colic symptom relief, compared to 14 percent of the placebo group. One symptom of colic is inconsolable crying; the fennel-treated group of infants cried about nine hours per week while the placebo group cried for 12 hours per week. The dosage was 12 mg fennel seed oil per kg of body weight. A smaller double-blind, placebo-controlled study involving fennel tea showed similar benefits in 1993.
Some animal and test-tube studies suggest stomach-soothing benefits of fennel such as relaxing smooth muscles, stimulating bile and reducing pain, but these results have not yet been duplicated in double-blind, placebo-controlled studies. Though research so far seems to indicate the efficacy of traditional medicinal uses of fennel, more studies are required to confirm these findings.
Recommended Dosage
The usual dosage of fennel for stomach problems is 1 to 1 1/2 tsp. seeds per day, or 5 to 7 g, in either capsules or tea. A sample tea recipe, provided by the Fern Life Center, calls for 1 tsp. fennel seed, one rose hip, a pinch of cardamom and an optional 1/4 tsp. turbinado sugar steeped in 8 oz. boiling water. This tea is thought to be good for digestion.
Drug Interactions
A placebo-controlled study on rats given fennel demonstrated an impairment of the absorption of the antibiotic ciproflaxacin, or "cipro," according to Wright State University. If you must take fennel during a course of ciproflaxacin antibiotics, allow at least two hours between the herb and the drug. Consult your doctor or pharmacist before taking fennel while on any antibiotic.
Sensitivity
If you have a known sensitivity to celery, carrot or mugwort, you may also be likely to experience sensitivity to fennel. Use caution.
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