A herb for growing thin?
Fennel (foeniculum vulgare; fenouil; marathos) is a perennial member of the Umbelliferae, which grows in well-drained soil throughout Europe and the Mediterranean. It has delicate feathery foliage, umbels of tiny yellow flowers on green fleshy stems, and will grow to over two metres in height.
In Roman times the seeds and shoots were eaten to combat halitosis and in the belief that it could control obesity. Pliny attributed twenty cures to fennel, observing that it was used by snakes to improve their vision after shedding the skin. The belief that fennel could improve eyesight continued into recent times:
‘Above the lower plants it towers,
The fennel with its yellow flowers;
And in an earlier age than ours
Was gifted with the wondrous powers,
Lost vision to restore’.
WH Longfellow.
The original Greek name for fennel was ‘maraino’, which means ‘to grow thin’. This was supported by the medieval herbalists, who prescribed it for the fat aristocracy and merchant classes. It was thought to ward off evil spirits and was used to plug any openings in doors or windows on Midsummer’s Eve.
In 812AD, the Holy Roman Emperor believed the herb to be so essential to healthy living that he decreed that it be grown in all Imperial gardens.
The Puritan Model Army of Oliver Cromwell were given fennel to eat at times of fasting to suppress any feelings of hunger and it was also thought to convey longevity and bestow strength and courage.
The main constituents of the plant are anethole, fenchone, flavanoids, coumarins and sterols. Its main applications are carminative, digestive, diuretic, stimulant, anticoagulant, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial and expectorant. It is also thought to have an oestrogenic effect.
Older readers may recall that fennel was one of the main ingredients of ‘gripe water’, which relieved infant colic. An infusion made from the seeds was given to increase milk flow in nursing mothers and combat morning sickness during pregnancy.
The essential oil extracted from fennel is used by aromatherapists to deal with a wide ranging number of ailments such as bruising, cellulites, obesity, rheumatism, asthma, bronchitis, colic, constipation, flatulence, nausea and irregular periods.
Fennel oil is also present in any number of food preparations, alchoholic drinks, soaps, toiletries, masking agents and insecticides.
It is one of the plants that is said to repel fleas so strew some around the kennel or cat basket. In mid-summer, the roads and pathways of Cyprus are covered in fennel (marathos), but do not collect any that grows beside the main roads; fennel, like many aromatics, will absorb the exhaust materials from passing vehicles.
Fennel leaves are used as garnishes on salads and the Italians peel the stems and dress them with oil and vinegar. Sauces made from fennel are used to give flavour to bland course fish such as carp.
The swollen root of the ‘Florentine fennel’, which can be found in our supermarkets from early summer, can be consumed raw and finely sliced in salads, or as I prefer, saut?ed in butter and seasoned with fresh peppercorns and salt; delicious.
Next week Savory
