Fennel is a familiar cooking herb in the Mediterranean and is popular in the whole belt from Greece to Egypt. Ancient Romans cultivated fennel for its aromatic seeds and edible shoots. Ancient Egyptians, too, used fennel both in food and as medicine.
In Chinese medicine, fennel is believed to strengthen eyesight, relieve cough, assist digestion, and treat stomach ailments, menstrual, and respiratory disorders. A poultice made from fennel was externally applied as a remedy for snake and scorpion bites. The Chinese believe that fennel brings balance to qi. Fennel was used in traditional Chinese medicine as a laxative to treat colds and liver, kidney, and spleen ailments.
In Ayurveda, fennel is considered good for digestive disorders and a general tonic.
Fennel’s medicinal properties have been consolidated to include antioxidative, cytotoxic, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, bronchodilatory, estrogenic, diuretic, lithotriptic, galactagogue, emmenagogue, anti-thrombotic, hypotensive, gastroprotective, hepatoprotective, memory enhancing, and anti-mutagenic properties (Rahimi et al., 2013).
In my research review of fennel’s medicinal properties, I did come across credible references that support fennel’s property on blood pressure.
My books on herbal medicine:
Holy Herbs, Modern connections to Ancient Plants
Asian herbs and their wondrous health-giving properties
Natural Solutions tri-series on obesity, cancer, and diabetes