Essential Oil - Organic Sweet Fennel

• INCI Name: Foeniculum vulgare oil
• Botanical name: Foeniculum vulgare var. dulce
• Part of the plant extracted: Seeds
• Extraction process: Steam distillation

Cultivation & Origin

A Mediterranean plant, fennel is mainly cultivated in Southern France, Italy, and Spain. It is a winter and spring vegetable: it is consumed between late November and early April in salads, as a side dish for fish or braised. While fennel has found its place in our kitchens, it was already used as a condiment in antiquity and its cultivation began in the Middle Ages, in Tuscany. Fennel also had a special symbolism in Roman times: gladiators who emerged victorious from combat received a fennel wreath as a reward! Organic fennel essential oil is extracted from the seeds of the plant. The yield is quite significant: it takes about 100 kg of seeds to produce 2 kg of essential oil..

Health Properties

Facilitates digestion:

• In addition to its place in cooking, fennel has many properties to improve our daily well-being. Organic fennel essential oil is widely used to restore comfort in cases of digestive problems. Thanks to its antispasmodic action, it facilitates intestinal transit and fights bloating naturally. It is also an effective remedy to calm nausea, and in case of persistent hiccups. This essential oil is also known to stimulate appetite. For this purpose, one to two drops can be placed on a spoonful of honey, to be taken before each meal after medical advice to avoid any risk of contraindication.

Promotes female well-being:

• Thanks to its estrogen-like action, organic fennel essential oil will also be recommended to support women throughout their menstrual cycle, and more particularly in cases of painful periods and during menopause to help regain comfort.
  Organic fennel essential oil is also galactogenic, meaning it promotes breast milk production. It can be combined with other essential oils such as exotic basil, diluted in a vegetable oil, before applying to the chest. Medical advice is strongly recommended for this use to avoid any contraindications.

Helps relieve muscle tension:

• Fennel essential oil also has anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects thanks to the methyl ether phenols it contains. It can thus be recommended for topical use to regain comfort in cases of tension and joint or muscle inflammation. It is often used to soothe contractures, muscle soreness, or fibromyalgia, diluted beforehand in a vegetable oil before applying to the affected areas. Note that this essential oil is photosensitizing: any sun exposure is prohibited before and after application for 12 hours.
  Organic sweet fennel essential oil is also toning and stimulating at low doses, and it also helps regain comfort in cases of respiratory congestion, although other essential oils are more recommended for this use (such as eucalyptus essential oil, for example). It should be noted that it is not recommended for diffusion or inhalation.

Cosmetic Properties

Helps firm the skin and fight cellulite:

• Organic fennel essential oil is mainly used in cosmetics as a slimming active ingredient. Combined with a balanced diet and sufficient physical activity, it has an effective firming effect to help restore a beautiful silhouette and fight against orange peel skin.
  With soothing and anti-inflammatory properties, organic fennel essential oil helps promote the disappearance of redness on the skin and soothes hot flashes.

Usage Tips

Antispasmodic, digestive, diuretic, and toning, the benefits of sweet fennel essential oil for health and well-being are numerous. It is notably an effective support against digestive disorders.
It is also a natural diuretic active ingredient, which helps eliminate toxins and fight against cellulite formation when incorporated into slimming care recipes.

Organic sweet fennel essential oil is also, in aromatherapy, an essential oil recommended for women, due to its ability to support most feminine disorders.

It can be used alone, or in combination with other essential oils with similar and complementary properties. In case of digestive disorders, it can, for example, be combined with ginger, coriander, or tarragon oils.
To fight cellulite more pronouncedly, it can be incorporated into slimming oil recipes with juniper, lemon, or Atlas cedar essential oils to boost its draining properties.