FENNEL: HISTORY
Posted by adminSweet Fennel Foeniculum vulgare UMBELLIFERAE Florence Fennel Foeniculum duke
Fennel was a much favoured herb in the days of the Roman Empire.
So gladiators fierce and rude Mingled it with their daily food, And he who battled and subdued A wreath of Fennel wore.
Longfellow does not say just how the fennel kept the gladiators fit and trim, but we now know that it has a definite action in predigesting and breaking down oily and fatty foodstuffs in the diet. Indeed, Roman matrons also drank fennel tea, and used it when cooking fatty food, not to perform feats in the arena, but to keep their waistlines trim and their figures supple and healthy. Fennel owes most of its popularity to its slimming qualities.
Another, and also very important property of fennel, is its use in eye afflictions. Together with rue, it is prescribed as an eye strengthener and restorer of failing sight. A strong solution of fennel, using the leaves only, is made by boiling them in water until the water is reduced by half. This lotion is applied to the eyes each day, when it is cool. Repeated use is necessary. Exact quantities are not really critical in herbal preparations. The body uses only what it requires of the herb, and discards the rest. There is no harmful build-up as with some types of synthetic drugs.
Fennel produces such a multitude of seed that it naturalizes very easily in one or two seasons. Wild fennel does degenerate gradually in flavour, but makes up for this by hardier insect-free growth.
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