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Saunf: Do we really need fennel seeds after a meal?

September 2019

Authors:

Military hospital Kirkee

It is customary in India to offer fennel seeds after a meal. Eating saunf after meals is considered a healthy practice, primarily because of its ability to keep the digestive system healthy. Foeniculum vulgare Mill commonly called fennel has been used in traditional medicine for a wide range of ailments related to digestive, endocrine, reproductive, and respiratory systems and has presence of numerous valuable compounds, such as flavonoids, phenolic compounds, fatty acids, and amino acids. It is also used as a galactagogue agent for lactating mothers and remains to be the most widely used herbal plant used for treatment of more than forty types of disorders. Fennel maybe consumed daily, in the raw form as salads and snacks, stewed, boiled, grilled, or baked in several dishes and even used in the preparation of herbal teas or spirits. Consumption of fennel seeds lead to increase in breast size and are extensively used as galactagogues for improving the milk flow of breastfeeding mothers. Sugar coated and uncoated fennel seeds are used in Mouth freshener. Fennel tea may aid healthy digestion and is used for various digestive problems including heartburn, bloating, loss of appetite, and colic in infants. It has anxiolytic action and is used as an anti-stress agent and is believed to enhance memory and intelligence. Fennel seeds may be used in treating bronchial and bronchopulmonary afflictions and have an anti-spasmodic action and chewing the seeds can help to relieve hunger pangs. It possesses significant oculohypotensive activity and has been proved to be effective in reducing the severity of dysmenorrhea. Saunf has powerful anti-aging properties that protects our skin from premature wrinkles and lines and is effective in treatment of moderate hirsutism.

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Journal of Medical Surgical Nursing Practice and Research

e-ISSN: 2582-1512

Volume 2, Issue 1

Saunf: Do we really need fennel seeds after a

meal?

Gurmeet Singh Sarla*

Senior Registrar, 159 General Hospital, India

INFO

*Corresponding Author:

E-mail Id: rijak1@gmail.com

DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.3415288

Cite as: Gurmeet Singh Sarla. (2019).

Saunf: Do we really need fennel seeds

after a meal?. Journal of Medical

Surgical Nursing Practice and

Research (e-issn: 2582-1512), 2(1),

5–8.

http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3415288

ABSTRACT

It is customary in India to offer fennel seeds after a

meal. Eating saunf after meals is considered a healthy

practice, primarily because of its ability to keep the

digestive system healthy. Foeniculum vulgare Mill

commonly called fennel has been used in traditional

medicine for a wide range of ailments related to

digestive, endocrine, reproductive, and respiratory

systems and has presence of numerous valuable

compounds, such as flavonoids, phenolic compounds,

fatty acids, and amino acids. It is also used as a

galactagogue agent for lactating mothers and remains

to be the most widely used herbal plant used for

treatment of more than forty types of disorders. Fennel

maybe consumed daily, in the raw form as salads and

snacks, stewed, boiled, grilled, or baked in several

dishes and even used in the preparation of herbal teas

or spirits. Consumption of fennel seeds lead

to increase in breast size and are extensively used as

galactagogues for improving the milk flow of

breastfeeding mothers. Sugar coated and uncoated

fennel seeds are used in Mouth freshener. Fennel tea

may aid healthy digestion and is used for various

digestive problems including heartburn, bloating, loss

of appetite, and colic in infants. It has anxiolytic action

and is used as an anti-stress agent and is believed to

enhance memory and intelligence. Fennel seeds may

be used in treating bronchial and bronchopulmonary

afflictions and have an anti-spasmodic action and

chewing the seeds can help to relieve hunger pangs. It

possesses significant oculohypotensive activity and has

been proved to be effective in reducing the severity of

dysmenorrhea. Saunf has powerful anti-aging

properties that protects our skin from premature

wrinkles and lines and is effective in treatment of

moderate hirsutism.

Keywords: Fennel, foeniculum vulgare mill, saunf

Journal of Medical Surgical Nursing Practice and Research

e-ISSN: 2582-1512

Volume 2, Issue 1

INTRODUCTION

It is customary in India to offer fennel

seeds after a meal. Eating saunf after

meals is considered a healthy practice,

primarily because of its ability to keep the

digestive system healthy. Fennel seed tea

can help with digestion woes. Foeniculum

vulgare Mill commonly called fennel has

been used in traditional medicine for a

wide range of ailments related to digestive,

endocrine, reproductive, and respiratory

systems and has presence of numerous

valuable compounds, such as flavonoids,

phenolic compounds, fatty acids, and

amino acids. It is also used as a

galactagogue agent for lactating mothers.

Foeniculum vulgare remains to be the

most widely used herbal plant and has

been used for treatment of more than forty

types of disorders.

Preparations: Fennel maybe consumed

daily, in the raw form as salads and

snacks, stewed, boiled, grilled, or baked in

several dishes and even used in the

preparation of herbal teas or spirits. Fennel

is used in various traditional systems of

medicine like in the Ayurveda, Unani,

Siddha, in the Indian, and Iranian

traditional systems of alternative and

balancing medicine [1].

Health Benefits

Breast

Fennel seeds are typically known to

naturally increase the amount of fluids

inside the breast tissue. They not only add

firmness to breasts, but also lead

to increase in breast size. F. vulgare, are

extensively used as galactagogues for

improving the milk flow of breastfeeding

mothers [2].

Mouth Freshener

Fennel seeds have been used as an

ingredient for removing any foul smell of

the mouth [3]. Sugar coated and uncoated

fennel seeds are used in Mouth freshener.

Tea

Fennel tea has long been enjoyed for its

flavour, though many choose to drink it for

its purported health benefits. Fennel tea

may aid healthy digestion. It is native to

the Mediterranean, but is now found

throughout the world.

Spice

Dried fennel seeds are often used in

cooking as an anise-flavored

spice. Fennel is used for various digestive

problems including heartburn, bloating,

loss of appetite, and colic in infants.

Effects on Nervous system: Anxiety is the

unpleasant feeling of fear and concern.

Fennel is a drug used for the treatment of

anxiety. Naga Kishore et al studied the

anxiolytic activity of ethanolic extract

of F. vulgare [4]. Drugs and food of

natural origin play a significant role in

public healthcare systems and are being

investigated as remedies for a number of

stress-related disorders and it has been

found that the extract of plant of F.

vulgare acts as an anti-stress agent

[5]. There are a number of plants, whose

consumption is believed to enhance

memory and intelligence. F. vulgaris is an

ayurvedic mixture possessing multiple

neuropharmacological activities and it has

been found out that F. vulgare extract

possesses memory-enhancing properties

[5]. F. vulgare has been employed in

treatment of cognitive disorders such as

dementia and Alzheimer's disease as a

nootropic and anticholinesterase agent [6].

Expectorant Action

F. vulgare seeds stimulate the ciliary

motility of the respiratory apparatus and

are used in treating bronchial and

bronchopulmonary afflictions and in

particularly polluted environments [7]. The

volatile oil of F. vulgare stimulates the

contraction of the smooth muscles of the

trachea, an action that could facilitate the

expectoration of mucus, bacteria, and other

corpuscles extraneous to the respiratory

tracts [8].

Journal of Medical Surgical Nursing Practice and Research

e-ISSN: 2582-1512

Volume 2, Issue 1

Weight Loss

Fennel seeds are responsible for kick-

starting your metabolism. Bae et al.

showed that intake of fennel seeds could

suppress appetite attributing to the content

of trans-anethole, which acted on

amphetamine and helped appetite control

[9]. Fennel is an anti-spasmodic and

chewing the seeds can help to relieve

hunger pangs.

Eye Sight

Fennel seeds help to improve eyesight,

alleviate high eye pressure, dry eyes, tired,

watery eyes and almost all eye related

problems. This proves promising

benefits of fennel seeds as an anti-

glaucoma medication. The aqueous extract

of Foeniculum vulgare possesses

significant oculohypotensive activity,

which was found to be comparable to that

of timolol used for treatment of glaucoma

[10].

Anti-inflammatory Effects

Fennel can help relax the muscles in the

body and contains nutrients that are anti-

inflammatory, antioxidants, and

antispasmodic. Fennel increased red and

white blood cells probably due to the

presence of polyphenols and antioxidant

activity of fennel and reduced negative

effects of free radicals on blood cells [11].

Fennel has been proved to be effective in

reducing the severity of dysmenorrhea

probably because it contains an

antispasmodic and anethol agents which

may be helpful for management of primary

dysmenorrhea [12].

Skin: According to sources at

Livestrong, fennel protects against free

radicals and is equipped with nutrients to

prevent cell damage.

Applying fennel seeds topically will give

your skin a direct source of iron, copper,

potassium, and zinc so you can fight your

aging and complexion needs. The

antioxidant properties of fennel fights off

the free radicals that rob oxygen from the

healthy skin cells and damage the

cells. Saunf has powerful anti-aging

properties that protects our skin from

premature wrinkles and lines. Rasul et al

developed a base and formulation

containing 4% concentrated seed extract

of F. vulgare which showed significant

anti-aging effect related to skin moisture

and transepidermal water loss [13].

Hair: Idiopathic hirsutism is defined as the

growth of androgen-sensitive hair in areas

where these are naturally absent. A study

revealed that fennel gel 3% is effective in

decreasing hair thickness in women with

idiopathic mild to moderate hirsutism [14].

CONCLUSION

Fennel has been used in traditional

medicine for a wide range of ailments

related to digestive, endocrine,

reproductive, and respiratory systems.

Consumption of fennel seeds lead

to increase in breast size and are

extensively used as galactagogues for

improving the milk flow of breastfeeding

mothers. Sugar coated and uncoated fennel

seeds are used in mouth freshener. Fennel

tea may aid healthy digestion and is used

for various digestive problems including

heartburn, bloating, loss of appetite, and

colic in infants. It has anxiolytic action and

is used as an anti-stress agent and is

believed to enhance memory and

intelligence. Fennel seeds may be used in

treating bronchial and broncho-pulmonary

afflictions and have an anti-spasmodic

action and chewing the seeds can help to

relieve hunger pangs. It possesses

significant oculo-hypotensive activity and

has been proved to be effective in reducing

the severity of dysmenorrhea. Saunf has

powerful anti-aging properties that

protects our skin from premature wrinkles

and lines and is effective in treatment of

moderate hirsutism.

REFERENCES

1. Rahimi R, Ardekani MRS (2013),

“Medicinal properties of Foeniculum

Journal of Medical Surgical Nursing Practice and Research

e-ISSN: 2582-1512

Volume 2, Issue 1

vulgare Mill. In traditional Iranian

medicine and modern phytotherapy”,

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2. Guarrera PM, Savo V (2013),

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and cultivated food plants in local and

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review”, Journal of

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Issue 3, pp. 659–680.

3. Kirtikar KR, Basu BD, “Indian

Medicinal Plants”, International Book

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India: Bishen Singh Mahendra Singh

4. Naga Kishore R, Anjaneyulu N, Naga

Ganesh M, Sravya N (2012),

“Evaluation of anxiolytic activity of

ethanolic extract of Foeniculum

vulgare in mice model”, International

Journal of Pharmacy and

Pharmaceutical Sciences, Volume 4,

Issue 3, pp. 584–586.

5. Koppula S, Kumar H (2013),

“Foeniculum vulgare Mill

(Umbelliferae) attenuates stress and

improves memory in wister rats”,

Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical

Research, Volume 12, Issue 4, pp.

553–558.

6. Joshi H, Parle M (2006), “Cholinergic

basis of memory-strengthening effect

of Foeniculum vulgare Linn”, Journal

of Medicinal Food, Volume 9, Issue 3,

pp. 413–417.

7. Mueller-Limmroth W, Froehlich HH

(1980), “Effect of various

phytotherapeutic expectorants on

mucociliary transport”, Fortschritte

der Medizin, Volume 98, Issue 3, pp.

95–101.

8. Reiter M, Brandt W (1985), “Relaxant

effects on tracheal and ileal smooth

muscles of the guinea

pig”, Arzneimittel-Forschung, Volume

35, Issue 1A, pp. 408–414.

9. Bae J, Kim J, Choue R, Lim H (2015),

“Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) and

Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-

graecum) tea drinking suppresses

subjective short-term appetite in

overweight women”, Clin Nutr Res.,

Volume 4, pp. 168–174.

10. Agarwal R, Gupta SK, Agrawal SS,

Srivastava S, Saxena R (Jan-Mar

2008), “Oculohypotensive effects of

foeniculum vulgare in experimental

models of glaucoma”, Indian J Physiol

Pharmacol, Volume 52, Issue 1, pp.

77−83.

11. Mansouri E, Kooti W, Bazvand M et

al. (2015), “The Effect of Hydro-

Alcoholic Extract of Foeniculum

vulgare Mill on Leukocytes and

Hematological Tests in Male

Rats”, Jundishapur J Nat Pharm

Prod., Volume 10, Issue 1, pp. e18396.

12. Bokaie M, Farajkhoda T, Enjezab B,

Khoshbin A, Karimi-Zarchi M (Mar

2014), “Oral fennel (Foeniculum

vulgare) drop effect on primary

dysmenorrhea: Effectiveness of herbal

drug published correction appears in

Iran”, J Nurs Midwifery Res., Volume

19, Issue 2, pp. 216.

13. Zarchi Mojgan, Karimi (2013), Iran J

Nurs Midwifery Res., Volume 18, Issue

2, pp. 128–132.

14. Rasul A, Akhtar N, Khan BA,

Mahmood T, Uz Zaman S, Shoaib

Khan HM (2012), “Formulation

development of a cream containing

fennel extract: in vivo evaluation for

anti-aging effects”, Pharmazie,

Volume 67, Issue 1, pp. 54–58.

15. Akha O, Rabiei K, Kashi Z et al.

(2014), “The effect of fennel

(Foeniculum vulgare) gel 3% in

decreasing hair thickness in idiopathic

mild to moderate hirsutism, A

randomized placebo controlled clinical

trial”, Caspian J Intern Med. Volume

5, Issue 1, pp. 26–29.

Agroclimatic substantiation of common fennel cultivation in the Western Forest-Steppe

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Full-text available

Mar 2023

Common fennel, as a plant with a wide range of uses and a highly profitable crop, is of great interest to researchers and agricultural producers and determines the relevance of the study on the adaptation of the crop in the Western Forest-Steppe zone and the complex of technological factors in its cultivation. The purpose of the study was to identify the influence of active and effective temperatures, sowing time, row spacing width, and seeding rate on the productivity of common fennel. In the course of the study, general scientific, mathematical and statistical methods were used. In the conditions of the Western Forest-Steppe, the authors investigated the sums of active and effective temperatures in dynamics in the context of different weather conditions of the years of research and vegetation phases of common fennel plants. As a result of the conducted studies, the indicators of integral photosynthetic active radiation in the growing, generative, and vegetative periods of plant growth and development were analysed. The yield level of common fennel seeds, when grown on deep low-humus chernozems, was determined, depending on the sowing period and the seeding rate for row spacing under different weather conditions during the years of research. A correlation analysis was performed according to the indicators of the yield of common fennel seeds and total temperatures, which can be attributed to the main uncontrolled factors affecting the yield of agricultural crops in a particular growing zone. The expediency of growing common fennel in the conditions of the Western Forest-Steppe of Ukraine was proved in terms of the sum of active and effective temperatures during the growing season of fennel, which contributed to the generation of a sufficiently high seed yield, and the optimal sowing time, seeding rate, and row spacing for growing crops in specific soil and climatic conditions of the zone were established. The practical value of the study is conditioned by the development of recommendations for production for agricultural enterprises in the conditions of the Western Forest-Steppe on optimising the complex of technological factors in the cultivation of common fennel

Effect of Eating Stevia-coated Fennel Seeds on Salivary pH: A Randomized Controlled Trial

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Sep 2023

Background Sugar-coated fennel seeds may exhibit cariogenic challenge, hence substituting sugar with stevia may be beneficial. Aim The aim of this study was to assess and compare the effect of eating stevia-coated fennel seeds, sucrose-coated fennel seeds, and roasted fennel seeds on salivary pH. Methodology A randomized controlled, Latin square design trial involving 15 female research participants aged 20–23 years were allocated to three intervention groups. Assessment of salivary pH after eating stevia-coated fennel seeds (Group A), sucrose-coated fennel seeds (Group B), and roasted fennel seeds (Group C) was done using salivary pH indicator strips at the baseline and after eating 1.5 g of fennel seeds at 1, 20, and 60 min. IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, version 21 (IBM Corp., Armonk, N. Y., USA) was used for statistical analysis. The significant level was fixed at P < 0.05. The inter- and intragroup comparisons of the mean salivary pH were done using one-way and repeated measures ANOVA, respectively, followed by Tukey’s post hoc test. Results There was a significant increase in salivary pH ( P < 0.01) at all time intervals from the baseline after eating stevia-coated fennel seeds compared to sucrose-coated and roasted fennel seeds. Conclusion Eating stevia-coated fennel seeds showed a significant increase in salivary pH from the baseline compared to sucrose-coated and roasted fennel seeds, and hence, may serve as an anticariogenic mouth freshener.

Study of some pharmacotechnological, physico-chemical and pharmacognostic properties of common fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) fruit

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Aug 2022

The search for new drugs from medicinal plant raw materials is relevant for the practical medicine and pharmacy of our country. For their development, it is advisable to use plant sources that are widely spread in the territory of Ukraine, have a sufficient raw material base and low toxicity. Information about the powerful multifaceted pharmacotherapeutic effect of Foeniculum vulgare, its sufficient raw material base, in Ukraine, and prompted us to study the fruits of this medicinal plant (determination of technological characteristics that would optimize the production process of obtaining medicines based on it). The aim of the work is to study the technological indicators of medicinal plant raw materials – Foeniculum vulgare fruits, whole and crushed, for creating drug based on them, which would improve digestion processes, motor-evacuation function, and the functional state of the gastrointestinal tract. During the research, bibliosemantic, pharmaco-therapeutic, physico-chemical, pharmacognostic and statistical research methods were used. The objects of the research were model samples of Foeniculum vulgare fruits, extractive substances of whole and crushed fruits, degree of grinding, fractional composition, moisture content, coefficients of absorption and swelling in purified water and ethanol 95%, bulk volume and bulk density before and after medicinal plant raw materials shrinkage, total ash, fluidity, angle of natural slope. Considering several technological factors, the optimal ratio of raw materials:extractant (1:4) was studied and calculated to ensure the process of extracting common fennel fruits. The technological properties of the medicinal plant raw material – common fennel fruit were experimentally investigated. The established pharmaco-technological indicators are qualitative parameters of the technology and allow to control and evaluate the technological parameters of medicinal plant raw materials of Foeniculum vulgare fruit, necessary for the process of manufacturing substances (extracts, infusions) and, based on them, medicinal preparations in various dosage forms.

Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) and Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) Tea Drinking Suppresses Subjective Short-term Appetite in Overweight Women

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Jul 2015

Appetite controlling has been an main strategy for regulating food intake and energy balance in obesity treatment. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of drinking tea of the medicinal herbs, fennel and fenugreek, on the subjective appetite in overweight Korean women. The study was conducted using a placebo-controlled, single-blinded, randomized, and 3-way crossover design. Nine healthy women were given fennel tea (FT), fenugreek tea (FGT), or placebo tea (PT). After drinking a given tea, a lunch buffet was provided and then food consumption of subjects was analyzed. Subjective appetite, hunger, fullness, desire to eat, and prospective food consumption were measured at seven independent time point using a visual analog scale (VAS). Mean age of 9 subjects were 49.7 ± 4.5 years and their mean body mass index were 24.6 ± 0.6 kg/m(2). There was no significant difference in food consumption in the lunch buffet after drinking each tea; however, with respect to the subjective appetite scale, FGT decreased hunger, led to less prospective food consumption, and increased feelings of fullness compared with the PT (p < 0.05). Similarly, the consumption of FT resulted in decreased hunger, less prospective food consumption, and increased feelings of fullness compared with the PT (p < 0.05). The area under the curve of VAS graph indicated that FGT resulted in a higher feeling of fullness than the PT (p < 0.05). In conclusion, drinking the FT and FGT were significantly effective aid to suppress subjective appetite among overweight women in South Korea.

The Effect of Hydro-Alcoholic Extract of Foeniculum vulgare Mill on Leukocytes and Hematological Tests in Male Rats

Article

Full-text available

Feb 2015

Medicinal plants have a long history in treating blood disorders, which is one of the most common problems in today's advanced world. Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) is a medicinal plant with a high content of polyphenols and has antioxidant and immunomodulatory properties. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of hydro-alcoholic extract of fennel on some hematological indices in male rats. In this experimental study, thirty male Wistar rats were divided into six groups (five rats in each group). The first group (control) did not receive any dose; the second group (sham) received 1 mL normal saline (extraction solvent); and the experimental groups 1, 2, 3 and 4 respectively received 1 mL hydro alcoholic extract of fennel in four doses of 250, 500, 750 and 1000 mg/kg of body weight every 48 hours for 30 days by gavage. One day after the last gavage following induction of anesthesia and taking blood from the heart of rats, measurement of red and white blood cells, hemoglobin, hematocrit and tests of bleeding and coagulation time (CT) were performed. The data was analyzed by one-way ANOVA test using SPSS15 software. Fennel increased mean RBC (7.54 ± 0.53 × 106) and WBC (5.89 ± 0.78 × 103) values, especially at a dose of 250 mg/mL and CT (2.45 ± 0.20) at a dose of 500mg/mL compared to the control group (P < 0.05). Fennel increased red and white blood cells probably due to the presence of polyphenols and antioxidant activity of fennel and reduced negative effects of free radicals on blood cells.

The effect of fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) gel 3% in decreasing hair thickness in idiopathic mild to moderate hirsutism, A randomized placebo controlled clinical trial

Article

Full-text available

Feb 2014

Background: Hirsutism is a common symptom presenting to primary care endocrinologists, gynecologists, and dermatologists. Management is usually a long and troublesome process. This study was designed to evaluate the effect of fennel topical gel on mild to moderate idiopathic hirsutism. Methods: The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial was carried out from 2009 to 2011, in Sari, Iran. Forty four women with mild to moderate idiopathic hirsutism were randomly divided to case and control groups, each group included 22 cases. The case group received fennel gel 3% and the control group received placebo. The effect of fennel gel 3% was defined as reduction of thickness of facial hair in micrometer by microscope in comparison with placebo. Measurements were performed at zero time and 24 weeks after treatment. This study was registered in the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trial (www.irct.ir) with registration number 138901213672N1. Results: The mean age of patients was 26.9±6.7 and 25.6±4.3 years in case and control groups, respectively. Hair thickness was similar between the two groups before intervention. The hair thickness reduced from 97.9±31.5 to 75.6±26.7 micron in patients receiving fennel gel after 24 weeks (P<0.001). Four patients complained of itching (3 in case group) and 4 patients complained of irritation and itching (3 in case group). However, this difference was not statistically significant. Conclusion: The study indicated that fennel gel 3% is effective in decreasing hair thickness in women with idiopathic mild to moderate hirsutism.

Oral fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) drop effect on primary dysmenorrhea: Effectiveness of herbal drug

Article

Full-text available

Mar 2013
Iran J Nurs Midwifery Res

Primary dysmenorrhea refers to the occurrence of painful menstrual cramps of uterus and is considered as a gynecological complaint. The common treatment for this problem is medical therapy such as mefenamic acid [non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)] and oral contraceptive pills, both of which work by reducing myometrial activity. Fennel contains an antispasmodic and anethol agents and may be helpful for management of primary dysmenorrhea. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of oral fennel drop for treating primary dysmenorrhea. Sixty college students suffering from primary dysmenorrhea were randomly assigned to two groups and followed up for two cycles. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 16. P < 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. Parametric and non-parametric tests were adopted. Comparison of pain intensity in the two groups showed that there was no significant difference in pain relief between the two groups. Comparison of bleeding severity in the study group before and after intervention was demonstrated from the first day to the fifth day (PV on first day, second day, third day, fourth day, and fifth day 0.948, 0.330, 0.508, 0.583, 0.890, respectively). It seems that fennel can be effective in reducing the severity of dysmenorrhea, but it has an unpleasant taste in view of most of the volunteers.

Formulation development of a cream containing fennel extract: In vivo evaluation for anti-aging effects

Article

Full-text available

Jan 2012
PHARMAZIE

This study was aimed to formulate and evaluate anti-aging effects of a topical cream (w/o emulsion) containig extract of Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) versus its base. Formulation containing 4% concentrated extract of Foeniculum vulgare was developed by entrapping in the inner aqueous phase of w/o emulsion and base contained no extract. Both the base and formulation were stored under different storage conditions to predict their stability. The formulation and base were evaluated for effect on skin moisture and transepidermal water loss (TEWL). The base showed insignificant while the formulation showed significant effects on skin moisture and TEWL. The parameter volume and surface evaluation of living skin (SELS) parameters SEr, SEsc, SEsm, SEw were also evaluated and showed a significant (p < or = 0.05) decline. The texture parameter energy showed a significant increase proving that the formulation possesses potential anti-aging effects.

Oculohypotensive effects of Foeniculum vulgare in experimental models of glaucoma

Article

Full-text available

Nov 2007
Indian J Physiol Pharmacol

Evaluation of oculohypotensive activity of single drop application of aqueous extract of Foeniculum vulgare in experimental models of glaucoma. The evaluation of oculohypotensive activity of Foeniculum vulgare was done in rabbits with normal intraocular pressure (IOP) and with experimentally elevated IOP. The experimental increase in IOP was achieved using water loading and steroid induced glaucoma models. The aqueous seed extract of Foeniculum vulgare exhibited 17.49, 21.16 and 22.03% reduction of intraocular pressure (IOP) in normotensive rabbits at 0.3%, 0.6% and 1.2% (w/v) concentrations respectively. The 0.6% concentration was further evaluated in acute and chronic models of glaucoma. A maximum mean difference of 31.20% was observed between vehicle treated and extract treated eyes in water loading model while a maximum mean IOP lowering of 31.29% was observed in steroid induced model of glaucoma. The aqueous extract of Foeniculum vulgare possesses significant oculohypotensive activity, which was found to be comparable to that of timolol. Further investigations into the mechanism of action, possible toxicity and human clinical trials are warranted before the Foeniculum vulgare finds place in the arsenal of antiglaucoma drugs prescribed by physicians.

Medicinal properties of Foeniculum

Jan 2013

R Rahimi
Mrs Ardekani

Rahimi R, Ardekani MRS (2013), "Medicinal properties of Foeniculum

Jan 2013
Iran J Nurs Midwifery Res
128-132

Zarchi Mojgan
Karimi

Zarchi Mojgan, Karimi (2013), Iran J Nurs Midwifery Res., Volume 18, Issue 2, pp. 128-132.

Saunf: Do we really need fennel seeds after a meal?

Abstract

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