Fennel oil: effect and application

Fennel is one of the most important medicinal plants – the active ingredients are particularly concentrated in fennel oil. Here you can find out what effects fennel oil has and how you can best use it.

Fennel oil is rich in healthy ingredients

Fennel oil is obtained from the crushed seeds of bitter fennel by distillation: steam dissolves the essential oils from the fennel seeds. The water is collected in a glass and the pure fennel oil floats on top.

The bitter fennel used for this is yellowish to green-brown and has a spicy and bitter taste. The valuable essential oil can be found in the ripe fruits of bitter fennel. It consists about 60 percent off Anethole, next to it is also Fenchon contain. In addition to these oil components, there are also vitamin C, Antioxidants and estragole in fennel.

Effects of fennel oil

The effect of fennel oil is versatile. Especially at the beginning of the cold season, when the Fennel is also in season, it helps against all kinds of physical ailments:

• Cough and Sore throat
• Respiratory problems, especially in the upper respiratory tract
• Eyelid inflammation and swelling
• Stomach cramps, colic, Flatulence, Indigestion
• the combination of essential oils has an expectorant effect
• anti-inflammatory, inhibits bacterial growth
• stimulates milk production in breastfeeding women

In addition to the effects of fennel oil on the body, it is also said to have positive psychological and emotional effects.

Fennel Oil: The External Use

The most important thing in advance: Pure fennel oil is not suitable for children, infants and nursing mothers. In concentrated form, it can lead to shortness of breath and states of agitation. That doesn’t apply to Fennel tea and Fennel honey.

If you feel hypersensitive to fennel, you should also refrain from fennel oil. According to the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) products containing estragole should not be consumed in excessive quantities. They are suspected of being carcinogenic and of changing the genetic make-up. The BfR therefore recommends that you only eat vegetables with estragole in amounts that are normal in households. However, this only applies to fennel oil and, in the case of children, also to fennel tea. Fennel honey is not affected by this.

External application:

You can use fennel oil diluted for the following external applications:

• a full bath for a cold,
• gentle massage of the abdomen with a drop of fennel oil on 30 milliliters Carrier oil and six drops each of peppermint, orange and, depending on your preference cardamom against bloating and stomach cramps,
• indirect, external application as Room fragrancewhich should have a positive effect on mood and psyche.

Internal application of fennel oil

Pure fennel oil is only partially suitable for internal use. Especially teas and extracts of the tuber are recommended here, because they also contain the effective essential oils.

• Inhaling with fennel oil: About seven drops of fennel oil are added to half a liter of water.
• Fennel tea against cramps
• Eye compress with fennel tea,
• sweets and Cold serums often also contain the valuable fennel oil, even if only in small quantities.

Where can I get good fennel oil?

You can get pure fennel oil in the pharmacy and also in some drugstores. Pay attention to organic quality. Fennel essential oil is only suitable for external use.

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