Fennel: Nutritional Value & Benefits

Fennel: Nutritional value

Fennel Health Benefits

• Anti-Cancer
• Anti-Inflammatory
• Antioxidant
• Detoxifying
• Good for the Heart
• Helps the Digestive System

Packed with flavour and benefits.

A plant with leaves, flowers and a big, bulb-like, stem. This part is the one we consume as a vegetable, and which is widely referred to as Fennel. Highly aromatic and with a very distinct taste, Fennel can be eaten raw or cooked, or used as seasoning. This lovely vegetable is not only packed with flavour but bursting with nutrition and health benefits, full of disease-preventing antioxidants!

Fennel is a known natural diuretic. It promotes the better functioning of the liver, kidneys and spleen. It contains Phytochemicals, like many other vegetables. These include Rutin, Quercetin and Kaempferol, which work as powerful antioxidants.

Rutin is capable of strengthening the blood capillaries, which improves poor circulation. Quercetin works as an anti-inflammatory agent, inhibiting chronic conditions such as asthma. And finally, Kaempferol has been found to be able to reduce the risk of heart disease. Another compound also present if Fennel, Anethole, is anti-spasmodic. This means it’s able to prevent intestinal spams that people with irritable bowel syndrome often suffer from. It also has carminative properties, which means it is used in the treatment of flatulence, working by encouraging the expulsion of trapped intestinal gas.

We used information researched on Wikipedia for this article, and also found in the great book The Top 100 Healing Foods: 100 Foods to Relieve Common Ailments and Enhance Health and Vitality (The Top 100 Recipes Series), by Paula Bartimeus. It’s available from Amazon and it’s awesome.