Fennel Materia Medica

Fennel has been used since ancient times. It was one of the herbs used by Hippocrates as well as the ancient Egyptians. In the medieval era, the subtle energies of fennel were thought to be protective against witchcraft spells and evil spirits. Relative to Spiritual PhytoEssencing, two of the most important features of fennel are its historical relationship with the themes of blindness and snakes. These two themes both stand as independent entities but also converge. Through the ages, herbalists have used fennel to treat cataracts, failing sight and blindness.

In herbal medicine, fennel is classified as being stimulant, expectorant, diaphoretic (stimulates perspiration), antispasmodic, antiseptic, vermicidal (kills parasites), galactagogue (stimulates the flow of breast milk), laxative, carminative, stomachic, hepatic, diuretic, emmenagogue.

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