The character of this article is fennel essential oil, also known as sweet fennel essential oil, which is a safe and non-toxic essential oil.
When winter comes, have you ever noticed an increase in the amount of food you eat? This is the body’s self-protective mechanism that is activated to protect itself from the cold, but it also tends to quietly put on weight.
Fennel essential oil may help us cope with the digestive problems caused by increased food intake and neglected exercise, and of course, it can also help with weight loss and slimming.
What is fennel essential oil？
Fennel essential oil is best known for its ability to promote a healthy digestive tract. It smells like the root of licorice, but this aroma is created by crushing the seeds of the fennel plant and extracting them through steam distillation.
It provides amazing support for the digestive system and can help you find balance in your diet.If that alone isn’t enough, perhaps the following benefits of fennel essential oil will excite you.
- Fennel is an antiseptic;
- It helps reduce or even eliminate intestinal cramps;
- It prevents feelings of flatulence and bloating;
- It has purifying and detoxifying properties;
- It is also an expectorant;
- It can also help increase breast milk production;
- It is a natural laxative;
- It is even a mouth freshener.
6 Benefits of Fennel Essential Oil
Helps heal wound infections
Researchers have studied 10 essential oils and their effects on bacterial infections, specifically on mammary gland inflammation in animals.
The results of the study showed that a mixture of fennel and cinnamon essential oils had antibacterial activity, so they represent a possible solution in terms of addressing certain strains of bacteria.
Fennel essential oil also helps protect wounds from infection.
In addition to preventing infection, it can also speed up wound healing, so fennel essential oil is a good choice if you want to heal a wound.
Reducing and preventing intestinal spasms
Intestinal spasms should not be ignored. It can be very painful and can cause coughing, hiccups, abdominal cramps or convulsions.
Fennel essential oil has a relaxing effect on the intestinal muscles, so if you are suffering from cramping episodes, perhaps the intestinal relaxing effects of fennel essential oil can really make a difference and relieve intestinal spasms quickly.
A study has shown that the fennel oil lotion helped reduce the intensity of colic in the infants.
Antioxidant and antibacterial properties
Fennel essential oil is a high antioxidant compound with antibacterial properties.
Analysis of the essential oil and extracts of fennel showed that it contains about 23 compounds with an impressive high content of phenolics and bioflavonoids.
It means that fennel essential oil and extracts can fight free radical damage and express antibacterial activity against certain bacteria and pathogenic fungi.
Improves flatulence and constipation
While consuming large amounts of vegetables may cause abdominal cramps and bloating (especially when eaten raw), fennel or fennel essential oil may have the opposite effect.
Fennel essential oil may help cleanse the bowels, relieve constipation, eliminate gas and bloating sensations, and provide quick relief. Surprisingly, it may even help eliminate the formation of additional flatulence.
If you have a chronic bloating problem, fennel essential oil may be effective. You can add 1 or 2 drops of fennel essential oil to your favorite tea and see if it helps.
Dealing with digestive problems
There are many plants known to help with digestion and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) that share common characteristics such as a bitter taste, aromatic odor or stimulating properties. In addition to fennel essential oil, there are ginger, peppermint, anise and chamomile.
Fennel is superior because it is a volatile oil that is rapidly expelled from the body in the form of vapors and therefore provides quick relief, a process that is part of what aids digestion and IBS symptoms.
As mentioned above, fennel essential oil helps relieve flatulence, bloating and constipation, but it also helps eliminate diarrhea.
Specifically, the main volatile chemical component of fennel is known as anethole (fennel brain). Anethole is amazing and is a potential “anti-cancer substance”.
It does this by blocking the activation of the “genetically altered inflammatory trigger molecule (NF-kappaB)” associated with cancer.
You can simply mix 2 drops of fennel oil with a carrier oil and apply to the abdomen for quick relief of digestive problems.
Helps in weight loss
Fennel has a long history of use as a weight loss agent. It is well known that fennel seeds were consumed during Lent and during fasting to prevent hunger and stimulate digestive movement.
Fennel essential oil can help with weight loss because it boosts metabolism while suppressing appetite.
Fennel also helps reduce fat deposits in the blood by harnessing stored energy.
A balanced diet is the best way to lose weight, therefore, adding a small amount of fennel or fennel essential oil to food or tea is recommended.
How to use fennel essential oil?
Now that you know some of the main benefits of fennel essential oil, you can use it in the following ways:
Applying fennel essential oil to your abdomen or the soles of your feet to improve digestive problems. Using it with a carrier oil helps prevent it from evaporating too quickly.
Apply 1 drop of fennel essential oil to your toothbrush when brushing your teeth to help fight cravings for sweets and provide an antibacterial effect on your mouth.
Add 1 to 2 drops of fennel essential oil to a cup of warm water or chamomile tea to prevent stomach upset.
When you want to relax, mix 1 drop of fennel essential oil with 1 to 2 drops of lavender essential oil and carrier oil and apply to the neck and chest, then bring your hands close to your nose and breathe slowly and deeply.
The history of fennel essential oil
Fennel is a perennial plant with yellow flowers that is found throughout the world, although it is native to the Mediterranean.
Some people confuse fennel with anise because of their similar taste. The dried fennel seeds are commonly used in cooking, while the dried, mature seeds and fennel oil are commonly used in pharmaceuticals.
Fennel has a long history of use as food and medicine by the ancient Egyptians, and was even used in ancient China as a medicine for poisonous snake bites.
It was used in ancient times to ward off evil spirits, but the most interesting historical fact relates to the origin of the marathon when Pheidippides (Pheidippides, the Athenian distance runner of the 5th century B.C.) carried fennel leaf stalks on his 150-mile run to Sparta.
In 490 B.C., when his mission was to rally soldiers for a battle with Persia at Marathon (a town near Athens) (there is also a theory that it was to report news of a victory). Interestingly, the battle was apparently fought “in the land of fennel”.
The fennel plant itself, including fennel essential oil, seeds and extracts, has many uses, such as in baking, ice cream, condiments, salads and teas. It is also added to perfumes, soaps, medicines and cosmetics.
Fennel essential oil is also used in Italian aniseed wine, non-alcoholic beverages and toothpaste.
Considerations for using fennel essential oil
Fennel essential oil can cause allergic reactions, but they are rare. Fennel essential oil is generally considered safe, but pregnant women and infants should avoid its use, as it may affect estrogen levels.
Our advice: Given the good results for common digestive problems in infants and children, it can be diluted in large proportions and used as an emergency, 1:30 or more is recommended, just try to avoid overdosing and frequent use.
Warning: the compound known as trans anethole promotes the secretion of estrogen, which may be detrimental to pregnant women and women with breast, uterine or tumor cancers.
If consumed in excess, it may cause convulsions, hallucinations and mental imbalances. Some recommend that people with epilepsy should avoid fennel essential oil.
Fennel essential oil may cause nausea and vomiting, so use with caution.
Conclusion
Fennel essential oil, distilled from the fennel plant, has been shown to heal wounds, reduce and prevent intestinal cramps, contain antioxidant and antibacterial properties, relieve flatulence and constipation, treat digestive problems, and help reduce weight.