Names:  Bitter Fennel, Carosella, Common Fennel, Finnochio, Florence Fennel, Garden Fennel, Large Fennel, Phytoestrogen, Sweet Fennel, Wild Fennel. Foeniculum vulgare, synonyms Foeniculum officinale, Foeniculum capillaceum, Anethum foeniculum.  

Family: Apiaceae or Umbilliferae.

Properties:

soothes liver Qi, warms kidney, expels cold – alleviate pain
regulates & harmonize stomach Qi

Dosage: 3 – 9g.

Used For:

Orally, Xiao Hui Xiang/Fennel fruit/seed is used to enhance lactation, promote menstruation, facilitate birth, increase libido, treat indigestion, upper respiratory tract mucous membrane inflammation, cough, bronchitis, loss of appetite, visual problems, and colic in infants.

In Chinese medicine, Xiao Hui Xiang/Fennel fruit/seed is used orally in combination formulas for cholera, backache, and bedwetting. Fennel powder is used topically in Chinese medicine as a poultice for hard-to-heal snake bites.