Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare)

Evidence-based guide to Fennel: benefits, dosage, safety and interactions.

Evidence

Moderate: Small RCTs show fennel extract reduces dysmenorrhea pain comparably to mefenamic acid, but trial sizes are limited (~60 participants).

Traditional use and mechanism

Antispasmodic for menstrual cramps; digestive carminative; galactagogue (milk-promoting). Used across Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, and South Asian traditional medicine.

Safety

Safe at culinary amounts. Medicinal / standardised extract doses require caution. Estragole content raises concern with long-term high-dose use (mutagenic in rodent studies at very high doses; not relevant to normal culinary or short-term therapeutic use). EU HMPC monograph confirms traditional use status.