There are hundreds or even thousands of herbs and spices that are used in daily basis for culinary purpose but unknown for its medical properties. The health benefits of bitter fennel fruit as mentioned below are the proof though fennel is well known as spices but not quite well known for its medical properties that are applicable for home remedy and traditional medication.
What Is Bitter Fennel Fruit?
Bitter fennel is flowering plant species also well known as simply fennel, fenkel, wild fennel with scientific name is Foeniculum vulgare, comes from the carrot family. This flowering plant has been well known for its medical properties and parts used in medication or home remedy are the seeds, leaves and roots. The fact is bitter fennel doesn’t have fruit but the seeds are also commonly considered as the fruits. This flowering plant is largely cultivated in Europe from France, Saxony to Russia.
Nutritional Values of Bitter Fennel Fruit
The fruits or the seeds of bitter fennel are commonly used as herbs which are applicable for culinary or medical purpose. The aromatic flavor of the seeds which are similar to anise is the reasons why the seeds of bitter fennel are also commonly used as spices. Bitter fennel fruit contains some essential minerals, amino acids and other organic compounds which the health benefits of bitter fennel fruit will be listed below.
- Natural Solution to Anemia
The only solution to treat anemia is iron. The health benefits of iron will optimize the production of red blood cells and bitter fennel fruit contains enough iron to boost the RBCs and becomes the natural solution to anemia.
- Good for Digestion
What you need for healthy digestion is healthy eating habit. Adding bitter fennel fruit to your daily foods are great to help maintaining healthy digestion. Bitter fennel fruit contains some essential vitamins, minerals, amino acids and even fiber that are good for digestion.
- Treats Flatulence
Flatulence could be suffered by anyone from adults to infant. Bitter fennel fruit contains anti-flatulent agents that could help treating flatulence naturally. Though it is quite safe to be used for children and infant but still parents should be super careful with the dosage.
- Excellent Source of Fiber
When talking about the health benefits of fiber, the list could be endless. However, generally fiber is great to manage the cholesterol level, prevent weight loss, optimize the digestive system and fiber is also great to eliminate all the unnecessary properties inside the intestines.
- Remedy to Constipation
One of the effects when your gut is not working optimally is constipation. Consuming bitter fennel fruits is a natural remedy to constipation due to its fiber content.
- Good for Heart Health
In general, spices like bitter fennel fruit is good for heart health. The minerals content, fibers content and vitamins contained in bitter fennel fruit are contributing for heart health and preventing all the worst conditions that may occur when heart is forced to work too hard.
- Regulates Blood Pressure
As rich of potassium, bitter fennel fruit also could help regulating the blood pressure and preventing the worst effect from the symptoms of high blood pressure.
- Prevents Stroke and Heart Attack
When you could regulate the high blood pressure and conditions like stroke and heart attack could be prevented optimally.
- Prevents Cancer
Based on specific scientific studies, bitter fennel fruit contains antioxidants and organic compounds that could inhibit the growth of tumor and cancerous cells. Further studies also stated that consuming bitter fennel fruit regularly are effective to prevent various cancers such as breast cancer and liver cancer.
- Treats Diarrhea Naturally
There is no easy way of how to prevent diarrhea, especially in children. However, fennel contains anethol and cineole that could act as antibacterial agent that will treat conditions like diarrhea naturally.
- Great for Brain
The reason why bitter fennel fruit great for brain due to its mineral contents. Surely you have known the health benefits of potassium and iron for brain. Amazingly, bitter fennel fruit contains those both minerals in quite high amount.
- May Beneficial for Colic
There is no specific theory that causes colic in baby but bitter fennel fruit contains properties that may be beneficial to treat colic. It has been used traditionally for over centuries because fennel contains polymers and phytoestrogens that have calming effect.
- Immunity Booster
As rich of vitamins c benefits and some potent antioxidants compounds are the reasons why bitter fennel fruit could act as excellent immunity booster as well.
- Regulates Irregular Period in Women
The main reason of irregular period in women is due to hormonal factor. Bitter fennel fruit contains specific compounds that could act as emmenagogue that could help regulating the period. Moreover, fennel also contains some properties that could ease up the symptoms of PMS.
- Treats Respiratory Disorder
The presence of anethol and cineole are the reasons why bitter fennel fruit could treat some respiratory disorders such as congestion and even bronchitis. Those two compounds could act as expectorant to help accelerating the respiratory conditions.
- Milk Booster for Lactating Mother
Though further studies are required whether fennel fruit is effective to boost the production of milk in lactating mother or not but there are a lot of people out there who have claimed that it’s true. Moreover, fennel also contains anti-flatulent properties as well which is good for baby.
- Fennel Fruits Is Diuretic
Consuming bitter fennel could help increasing the production of urine. It is excellent to remove toxins. In other words, consuming fennel regularly could be used as natural body detox.
Cautions of Bitter Fennel Fruit
As mentioned in the list of health benefits of bitter fennel fruit are quite impressive but still there are two sides in every story, while one side is positive and the other side is the opposite.
- Too much is never good. Asides from the impressive compound contained in bitter fennel fruit, this flowering pl ant is also containing anethol which could be harmful if consumed in high dosage.
- The effects of too much anethol are such as irregular heartbeat, difficulty breathing and some neural problems. Though bitter fennel fruit is also applicable to treat colic in infant but parents should be super careful with the dosage.
- The anti-bacteria effect in bitter fennel fruit that could act as effective immunity booster and respiratory disorder in large dosage could be harmful as well.
In other words, consuming bitter fennel fruit in moderate amount is the only way if you want to get all the health benefits of bitter fennel fruit. Asides from that, instead of health benefits, this flowering plant is only harmful to you. The best thing you could do if you want to add this flowering plant to your regular home remedy is discussing it with your doctor first.