Fennel

Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) is a perennial herb. It is hardy in USDA zones 6-11. Fennel is native to Macronesia and from the Mediterranean region to Ethiopia and Western Nepal. It is naturalized in many parts of the world including California and Australia. Fennel normally has green-colored fronds, but a cultivar with bronze-colored fronds (F. vulgare ‘Rubra’) is widely available.

In ancient Rome fennel was a commonly used medicinal herb. According to Pliny it was considered to be the remedy for approximately twenty-two different conditions. Dioscorides also reports several uses including as a diuretic which is beneficial for diseases of the kidney and bladder. When he issued the Capitulare de Villis in about 800 A.D., the Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne required that fennel (feniculum in Carolingian Latin) be grown on all his imperial estates. Le Calendrier de Cordoue (c. 961-976 A.D.) records that fennel (bisbãs in Arabic) was being grown in the gardens of Islamic Iberia.

Fennel is one of the herbs that is mentioned in the early 11th century Anglo-Saxon “Nine Herbs [Healing] Charm.” (The others are mugwort, plantain, chamomile, chervil, dandelion, nettle, watercress, and purslane.) In the Middle Ages fennel was regarded as one of the sacred herbs and a sprig hung in a home warded off the “evil eye”. In the Victorian language of flowers fennel represents “Worthy all praise” and “Strength”. In recent traditional medicine, fennel is carminative and is used for the treatment of chronic coughs.

return to more Herbs Past