Fennel Seed

Fennel intake decreased significantly the intensity of dysmenorrhea compared to placebo and was similar to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as mefenamic acid.

2021 Journal of Complementary and Integrative Medicine Effect of fennel on primary dysmenorrhea: a systematic review and meta-analysis Hadis Shahrahmani, Masumeh Ghazanfarpour, Nasim Shahrahmani, Fatemeh Abdi, Robert D. E. Sewell and Mahmoud Rafieian-Kopaei

Systematic Review

Meta-analysis of these trials showed that F. vulgare intake decreased significantly the intensity of dysmenorrhea compared to the placebo. However, the effect of Mefenamic acid with F. vulgare was not different from each other.

The F. vulgare alleviates dysmenorrhea. Regarding the same effect of F. vulgare with NSAIDs, it is highly recommend to the women suffered from dysmenorrhea specifically the ones who have high tendency toward herbal medicine.

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For primary dysmenorrhoea, cinnamon/fennel/ginger effectively reduced pain intensity, and cinnamon shortened the duration of pain.

2020 Journal of International Medical Research Efficacy of herbal medicine (cinnamon/fennel/ginger) for primary dysmenorrhea: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials Xu Y, Yang Q, Wang X

Systematic Review Ceylon Cinnamon Ginger Period Pain

Nine studies with 647 patients were selected. Compared with the results in the control group, pain intensity was significantly relieved in the trial group when assessed by the intervention, observation period, and study quality. Pain duration was significantly shorter in the trial group. No publication bias was observed for either outcome.

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Intranasal application of essential oils such as lavender and fennel (Pinetonina™) significantly lowers cortisol levels and improves sleep quality.

2020 European Journal of Integrative Medicine Intranasal use of lavender and fennel decreases salivary cortisol levels and improves quality of sleep: A double-blind randomized clinical trial Polonini H, Mesquita D, Lanine J, Dijkers E, Gkinis S, Raposo NRB, et al.

Randomised Controlled Trial Cortisol Lavender Sleep

The study included 45 participants divided into three groups: one group received a saline nasal spray (Group 1 CTRL), the second group received a 30% concentration of Pinetonina™ in a buffered vehicle as an intranasal spray (Group 2 P30), and the third group received a 50% concentration of the same (Group 3 P50). The sprays were used once daily before bedtime for three months. The study measured salivary cortisol levels both at the beginning and end of the trial and assessed subjects' quality of sleep, anxiety levels, perceived stress, and overall quality of life using self-reported questionnaires.

The study found that the groups using the 30% and 50% Pinetonina™ solutions saw significant reductions in their cortisol levels after the three-month period. The subjects in the 50% Pinetonina™ group also reported a notable improvement in their quality of sleep. However, there were no significant differences among the groups' perceived stress levels and their overall quality of life. Nevertheless, the study concluded that nightly intranasal use of Pinetonina™ could effectively lower cortisol levels and enhance sleep quality.

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Fennel caused a significant increase in mean menstrual bleeding in the first cycle after treatment in the intervention group compared to the control.

2018 Journal of Complementary and Integrative Medicine The effects of fennel on menstrual bleeding: A systematic review and meta-analysis Nafiseh Ghassab Abdollahi, Mojgan Mirghafourvand and Sanaz Mollazadeh

Systematic Review Menstrual Bleeding Women's Health

A total of 7993 articles were identified through searching the databases, of which 7327 were excluded as duplicates and 666 were screened for inclusion. Six hundread and forty six were excluded by title and abstract based on not being relevant to the review and being conducted on animals. Eventually, six articles were included in the study and four articles entered into the meta-analysis. The results from meta-analysis showed that using fennel caused a significant increase in mean menstrual bleeding in the first cycle after treatment in the intervention group compared to the control. However, it had no significant effect on menstrual bleeding in the second cycle after treatment.

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Fennel exhibits antifungal, antibacterial, antioxidant, antithrombotic and hepatoprotective activities.

2016 Arabian Journal of Chemistry Foeniculum vulgare: A comprehensive review of its traditional use, phytochemistry, pharmacology, and safety Manzoor A.Rather, Bilal A.Dar, Shahnawaz N.Sofia, Bilal A.Bhat, Mushtaq A.Qurishi

Review Article Antifungal Antioxidant

Fennel is a medicinal and aromatic plant with a diverse pharmacological spectrum and having considerable importance in particular to food industry. Its aroma active compounds such as anethole (and its polymers like dianethole and photoanethole) estragole, (+)-Fenchone and P-anisaldehyde have been recognised as the biologically active molecules possessing oestrogenic, acaricidal and antithrombotic activities. The phenolic molecules present in fennel have been shown to possess potent antioxidant activity in a number of experiments. These bioactive molecules in fennel can be developed as novel pharmacological lead molecules provided their bioavailability, pharmacokinetics, physiological pathways, and importance to human health are known with sufficient detail.

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