Fennel seeds(sounf)

             Fennel seeds(sounf)

Commonly eaten spice after meal is Fennel seeds. It is used in many recipes to inhance flavour and aroma of the dish. Fennel seeds (sounf) are sweet, bitter and woody in taste. It is a flowering plant species in the carrot family. It is a hardy, perennial herb with yellow flowers and feathery leaves. . It is an indigenous plant in the Mediterranean regions and also widely cultivated across the world near the coastal and riverbank regions. India is said to be the largest exporter of saunf. It shows antimicrobial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, antimutagenic, antinociceptive, antipyretic, antispasmodic, antithrombotic, apoptotic, cardiovascular, chemomodulatory, antitumor, hepatoprotective, hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic, and memory enhancing property.

It has different names in different languages such as Marathi name(Badi Shep), Hindi name(Sounf), English name(Bitter fennel, common fennel, sweet fennel, wild fennel), Gujarati name(Variyali), Telugu name(Peddajilakurra, sopu), Panjabi name(sounf), Tamil name(Soumbu, Perun siragum, sohikire), Kannada name(Badisopu), Bengali name(Mauri), Malayalam Name(Perum jeerakam), Arabian name(Rajiyanaj), Farsi name(Rajiyan).

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Parts of plant used

Fruits, fruit oil and root

• Fennel is traditionally used for medicinal and culinary purposes. The entire plant is valuable in the medicinal industry; 

         - Fennel plant enlarged base is used as a vegetable.

         - It's leaves are used for culinary purposes and its seeds as a spice and for essential oil extrac-tion. 

         - The flowers and leaves are also used to make yellow and brown dyes. 

         - Fennel pollen is the most potent form of fennel, but it is extremely.

Vitamins and minerals content 

Nutrients found in dried fennel (USDA, USA).

Composition	Quantity (Per 100 g)
Proximates
Moisture	90.21 g
Energy	31 kcal
Protein	1.24 g
Total lipid (fat)	0.2 g
Carbohydrate	7.3 g
Total dietary fiber	3.1 g
Sugars	3.93 g
Minerals
Calcium, Ca	49 mg
Iron, Fe	0.73 mg
Magnesium, Mg	17 mg
Phosphorus, P	50 mg
Potassium, K	414 mg
Sodium, Na	52 mg
Zinc, Zn	0.2 mg
Vitamins
Vitamin C	12 mg
Thiamin B-1	0.01 mg
Riboflavin B-2	0.032 mg
Niacin B-3	0.64 mg
Vitamin B-6	0.047 mg
Folate	27 μg
Vitamin A	48 μg
Vitamin E	0.58 mg
Vitamin K	62.8 μg
Lipids
Fatty acids, total saturated	0.09 g
Fatty acids, total monounsaturated	0.068 g
Fatty acids, total polyunsaturated	0.169 g
Essential amino acids
Leucine	0.63 g
Isoleucine	0.73 g
Phenylalanine	0.45 g
Tryptophane	0.53 g
Nonessential amino acid
Glycine	0.55 g
Proline	0.53 g

• The essential oil extracted is mainly composed of (E)-anethole, (Z)-anethole and α-thujone including this it contains more than 87 volatile compounds.

• The aromatic property of fennel is because of the essence. There are more than 30 types of terpene compounds in the essential oil of fennel, the most important of them are 50 to 80% trans-anethole, 8% fenshon and limonene 5%

• Fruits contained 15–30 % fixed  oil[ contains petroselinic acid (60 %), oleic acid (22 %), linoleic acid (14 %) and palmitic acid (4 %)] and up to 12 % volatile essential  oil. The fruit also contained flavonoids, iodine, kaempferols, umbelliferone and stigmas-terol and  ascorbic acid; traces  of  aluminium, barium, lithium, copper, manganese, silicon and titanium were also found.

• Caffeoylquinic  and  dicaffeoylquinic acids,  flavonoids  and  rosmarinic  acid  among  the  ten  main  antioxidant  phenolic compounds  obtained from  bitter fennel,  using a  simple  high-performance  liquid chromatography (HPLC) technique.

• Bitter fennel contains 50 % trans-anethole, 10–20 % fenchone (which contributes to the bitter flavour).

        - The sweeter variety  has 50–80 % anethole, little  (5 %) or  no fenchone, slightly  higher levels  of limonene  with  estragole,  safrole and  pinene.

Properties and benefits of fennel seeds

Properties

• Qualities – Laghu (light to digest), Snigdha (unctuous, oily)

• Taste – sweet, pungent, bitter

• Taste conversion after digestion – Madhura (sweet)

• Potency – SHEETA (Cold)

• Effect on Tridosha – Balances Vata, Pitta  and Kapha

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Benefits

• Durnama Kshayajit – useful in chronic respiratory conditions leading to emaciation. (as in tuberculosis).

• Kshataksheenahita – useful in people with injuries

• Balya – improves strength and immunity

• Pittasradoshajit – useful in bleeding disorders of Pitta origin

• Agnikrut – improves digestion strength

• Hrudya – good for heart, cardiac tonic

• Shukrapaha, Avrushya – It is not an aphrodisiac

• Yonishoolanut – useful in relieving pain arising from female reproductive system

Useful in

• Krumi – worm infestation

• Baddhavit – constipation

• Anila – Vata disorders

• Daha – burning sensation

• Aruchi – Anorexia, lack of interest in food

• Chardi – vomiting

• Kasa – cough, cold

Uses, benefits and application 

1) Flavonoids content in fennel seeds helps to stimulate saliva, which helps to get rid of problem such as dry mouth. 

2) Antibacterial property and aromatic flavour & smell helps combating bad breath. For this condition you should also take equal quantity of roasted fennel and fenugreek seeds, crush it and add salt according to taste. Eat ¼ – ½ teaspoon of this mixture after each meal.

3) The bulb,  foliage  and seeds of  the fennel  plant are potential  sources of  different nutrients and thus  all  are widely used  both raw and  cooked in side  dishes, salads, pastas,  vegetable preparations, sausages, etc.

4) It is used as pot herb because it is aromatic nature.

5) Roasted fennel  is  consumed as an organoleptic flavour correcter, or as an after  meal digestive.

6) The whole seed, powder and oil are used as adjuncts for flavouring foods, as antioxidants and as  a  preservative in  confectioneries  and beverages.

7) Fennel can help expel wind from the alimen-tary canal, freeing the respiratory system, rendering a calming effect on coughs.

           Intake : Eat some fennel seeds after meal or when you feel above situation.

8) In industry, fennel is used for flavouring and aromatizing, and as an organoleptic flavour corrector, in non-alcoholic beverages, baked goods, condi-ments, ice creams and liqueurs  such as Anisette, and as a  seasoning for  prepared meats such as hot pepperoni and sweet Italian sausages.

9) Fennel oil  mixed with honey can be  taken for coughs and sore throat, and its(fennel seeds) tea  is used as a gargle. 

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10) Eating fennel seeds is very good remedy for nausea.

11) We offer fennel seeds after a meal. Eating saunf(fennel seeds) after meals is considered a healthy practice,  primarily because  of its  ability to  keep the digestive  system  healthy.  

12) Fennel  increased  red  and white  blood  cells  probably  due  to  the presence  of  polyphenols  and  antioxidant activity  of  fennel.

13) Fennel  seeds help  to  improve eyesight, alleviate high eye pressure, dry eyes, tired, watery eyes and  almost  all  eye  related problems. 

14) For cold take tea of Fennel seeds.

            - Add 1/2 tea spoon of sounf and some amount of jaggery and heat it for some time.

15) For a fever, take 1 cup grape juice with ½ tsp fennel powder and ½ tsp cumin powder.

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16) For gas, make a mixture of equal parts of roasted fennel, cumin, & celery seeds. Chew ½ – 1 tsp of this mixture after meals and then swallow with a cup of warm water.

17) For cases of heat stroke, soak a handful of fennel seeds in water overnight. Strain the water and add a pinch of salt before drinking.

18) To promote bowel movements, chew 1 tsp of roasted fennel seeds after meals.

19) To purify your blood and better the digestion, consume a handful of raw fennel seeds in the morning and evening.

               - According to Ayurveda, optimal digestion is fundamental to optimal health! If you don’t digest well, toxins build up and can lead to disease. 

20) According to ayurveda, it actually does not reduce gastric secretions, but it reduces the Tikshna Gunna of pitta (sharpness of gastric acid which causes inflammation in the stomach). Due to this reason it is also very good for condition such as gastritis, indigestion, heartburn, acid reflux. For better results it is also taken with mulethi and amla.

21)  In the respiratory system, fennel even reduces aggravated kapha that congests the lungs.

22) Immense amounts of phytonutrients present in fennel seeds aid in clearing the blocked sinuses and alleviates asthma symptoms. The expectorant properties help to treat respiratory ailments like bronchitis, cough and nasal congestion. 

23) For fresh and toned skin texture take a teaspoon of fennel seeds and boil well, let it cool down and filter. Apply this mixture on the face using cotton balls several times in a day this can enhance the skin glow and keep your skin revitalized. It's high Antioxidant activity help out with this problem.

Note : 1) The leaves of bulb fennel have  a  flavour  similar to  herb fennel.

            2) Florence fennel is a key  ingredient in some Italian and German salads.

            3) Shoots were also found to have high radical-scavenging activity and lipid peroxidation inhibition capacity.

            4) 100 grams of fennel seeds provide almost 40 grams of dietary fiber. A majority of this fiber is metabolically inert insoluble fiber, which helps to increase the bulk of food by absorbing water throughout the digestive system and alleviating any constipation. The fibers, which are found in fennel seeds, remove toxins.

Refrence : 

1)   Journal of Medical Surgical Nursing Practice and Research

 e-ISSN: 2582-1512,  Volume 2, Issue 1  

2)https://www.researchgate.net/publication/241714014_Morphological_and_Chemical_Evaluati n_of_Fennel_Foeniculum_vulgare_Mill_Populations_of_Different_Origin

3) Fennel and fennel seed

S. K. Malhotra, Indian Council  of Agricultural Research

4) NCBI

5) Ayurvedacolleage.com

6) Journal of HerbMed Pharmacology

J HerbMed Pharmacol. 2015; 4(1): 1-9.

7) AYU (An international quarterly journal of research in Ayurveda)

8) PUBMED

9) Bhaprakash Nighantu

10) Wikipedia