Fennel seed essential oil is steam distilled from the seeds of the fennel plant (Foeniculum vulgare). Sweet fennel seed oil is distilled form the seeds of F. vulgare var. dulce. Bitter fennel seed oil is made from F. vulgare subsp. piperitum. Both types of fennel seed essential oil have about the same chemical contituents; however, bitter fennel is much lower in ether.
Sweet fennel seed oil commonly contains 60 to 70% (E)-Anethole. This essential oil can be used to treat high blood pressure, bacterial infection, muscle spasms, constipation, indigestion, parasites, edema, irregular menstruation, hormone imbalance, respiratory congestion and arthritis.
It has analgesic, anti-diabetic, anti-fungal, antimicrobial, antioxidant, antiseptic, antispasmodic, anti-toxic, aperient, carminative, depurative, digestive, diuretic, emmenagogue, estrogenic, expectorant, galactogogue, splenic, stimulant stomachic, tonic and vermifuge therapeutic properties.
1. Lower Blood Pressure
Add 1 drop of fennel seed essential oil to 1 1/2 teaspoons of carrier oil. Apply the blend to your chest, back of the neck, throat and shoulders to lower your blood pressure.
You can also add 1 to 2 drops to your diffuser, along with 1/4 to 1/2 cup of distilled water, and practice aromatherapy to lower your blood pressure. Fennel seed essential oil has a spicy, licorice-like fragrance. Run the diffuser for no more than 60 minutes at a time.
2. Improve Heart Health and Blood Circulation
Use fennel seed oil in the same way to improve overall heart health and increase blood circulation. You can use any carrier oil you like with fennel oil.
3. Reduce Anxiety
Practice fennel seed aromatherapy to reduce anxiety. It will quickly calm and soothe feelings of anxiousness. If you suffer from anxiety while you are away from home and can’t run your diffuser, simply take a few deep inhales directly form the essential oil bottle.
Be careful not to get it on your skin, though. Fennel seed essential oil should always be diluted in a carrier oil before applying to the skin.
Important Note: Whatever you choose for an oil, make sure that the oils you purchase are high quality. Remember, you’re breathing this oil into your lungs so essential oil quality is a terrible place to cut corners.
4. Improve Your Mood
Use fennel seed aromatherapy to lift your spirits and alleviate fatigue. If you’re feeling a little down or worn out in the middle of the afternoon and don’t have time for aromatherapy, just take a few quick inhales directly from the fennel seed oil bottle.
5. Relieve Stress and Improve Sleep
Add 1 to 2 drops of fennel oil to your diffuser, along with 1/4 to 1/2 cup of distilled water, and run the diffuser for 30 to 60 minutes before going to bed. Fennel seed oil naturally reduces stress and tension, which helps you fall asleep more easily and stay asleep longer.
*Do not use a fennel seed EO dilution rate over 2%. It can be skin sensitizing.*
6. Alleviate Arthritis
Massage a 1% fennel seed essential oil/carrier oil blend into arthritic joints for relief of pain and inflammation. You can use any type of carrier oil. Most of them have anti-inflammatory properties that will increase the efficacy of the blend.
7. Treat Gout
Use a 1% fennel seed EO/carrier oil blend to treat gout. Its natural analgesic, anti-inflammatory and diuretic properties alleviate the pain and inflammation caused by gout and reduce the uric acid that builds up in the joints.
8. Treat Diabetes
Practice fennel seed aromatherapy and apply a 1% fennel seed oil/carrier oil blend to the skin to help control diabetes. It has been clinically proven to reduce health problems associated with diabetes.
*Consult with your physician before using fennel seed oil if you are currently undergoing treatment, especially for heart problems or diabetes.*
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9. Stimulate Your Metabolism
Practice fennel seed essential oil aromatherapy to boost your metabolism.
10. Control Food Cravings
Use fennel seed EO aromatherapy to help control food cravings. Simply add 1 to 2 drops to your diffuser and run it for 30 to 60 minutes several times a day to enjoy this benefit.
11. Lose Weight
Enjoy about 30 minutes of fennel seed aromatherapy before meals to reduce your appetite. It has been clinically proven to lower the appetite and encourage healthy sleep patterns.
12. Treat Ringworm
Use a 1% fennel seed essential oil/carrier oil blend to get rid of ringworm. Wash the infected area and apply the fennel seed oil blend twice a day.
13. Alleviate Athlete’s Foot
Use the same 1% fennel seed EO/carrier oil blend to get rid of athlete’s foot. It is a very effective inti-fungal oil. Any carrier oil will work; however, babassu oil, coconut oil and jojoba oil have anti-fungal properties that will make the blend even more effective.
14. Prevent or Treat Bacterial Infections
Apply the 1% fennel seed/carrier oil blend to sores and wounds to prevent or treat bacterial infections. Wash and dry the area and apply the oil several times a day.
*Do not use on children or while pregnant or breastfeeding. This oil’s (E)-Anethole content makes it highly estrogenic.*
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15. Treat Candida Yeast Infections
Add 1 drop of fennel seed essential oil to 8 ounces of water. Rinse your mouth with it several times a day to get rid of oral thrush or candida yeast infections. You can keep the bottle in your bathroom and simply add a drop of oil to the water you rinse your mouth out with after you brush your teeth.
16. Improve Digestion
Practice fennel seed essential oil aromatherapy during meals to improve digestion. You can also massage the 1% fennel seed EO/carrier oil blend into the abdomen for enhanced digestion.
17. Get Relief from Flatulence
Massage the 1% fennel seed essential oil/carrier oil blend into the abdomen for relief from gas or flatulence.
18. Alleviate Nausea
Take a few deep inhales of fennel seed essential oil to alleviate nausea. You can run your diffuser with 1 to 2 drops of fennel oil in it or simply inhale the vapors from the bottle.
19. Treat Constipation
Massage the lower abdomen and lower back with a 1% fennel seed oil to stimulate the bowels and alleviate constipation. Apply it at night before bed and, if necessary, in the morning with you first get up.
20. Alleviate Abdominal Cramping
Use the 1% fennel seed/carrier oil blend to alleviate abdominal cramps. Its natural antispasmodic properties will relax the abdominal muscles and stop the painful cramping.
21. Alleviate Edema
Massage a 1/2% to 1% fennel seed EO/carrier oil blend into areas where edema or water weight accumulates, commonly the legs and abdomen. Fennel seed oil has been clinically proven to naturally encourage the reabsorption of excess fluids and increased urination to alleviate the water weight.
*Put a drop of 1% fennel seed oil blend on your skin in an inconspicuous area and wait a few hours to test for sensitivity.*
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22. Improve Pancreas, Kidney and Liver Health
Apply the 1/2% to 1% fennel seed EO/carrier oil blend to the abdomen over the liver and pancreas and on the back over the kidneys to improve their ability to function efficiently. Begin applying the oil to the upper right abdominal area and work your way over to the left. For the kidneys, apply the oil on the back from just above the waist down.
23. Increase Estrogen Levels
Practice fennel seed oil aromatherapy or apply the 1/2% to 1% blend to increase estrogen levels. Massage the oil into your throat and lower abdominal area to encourage healthy production of estrogen and improve overall hormone balance.
24. Reduce Menopause Symptoms
Use the fennel seed oil blend in the same way to reduce menopause symptoms and support estrogen production during perimenopause and menopause.
25. Improve Menstrual Regularity
Massage the 1% fennel seed oil/carrier oil blend into the lower abdomen and throat to encourage a more regular menstrual cycle. It will balance hormone production which naturally regulates your cycle.
26. Boost Your Libido
Practice fennel seed essential oil aromatherapy or apply the 1% blend to your lower abdomen and throat to give your libido a boost. Your sex drive will be increased naturally with the increased hormone balance brought on by fennel oil.
27. Get Relief from PMS
Use fennel seed oil to reduce irritability, cramps, bloating and other PMS symptoms. You can practice fennel seed aromatherapy and apply the 1% blend to your abdomen, lower back and throat for this benefit.
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28. Relieve Back Pain
Gently, massage the 1% fennel seed blend into your back for pain relief. The fennel seed oil will also reduce inflammation and soothe your sore, cramping back muscles, which are often the cause of back pain.
29. Treat Sore, Achy Muscles
Massage sore, achy muscles with the 1% fennel seed oil/carrier oil blend to get relief from pain, inflammation, cramping and general soreness after a hard day’s work. You can use it several times a day, as necessary.
30. Improve Respiratory Health
Practice fennel seed EO aromatherapy to improve overall respiratory health.
31. Alleviate Coughing
Massage the 1% fennel seed blend into the throat or gargle with 1 drop of fennel oil in warm water to alleviate coughing.
32. Treat Bronchitis
Practice fennel seed oil aromatherapy and massage a 1% blend into the chest, throat and back to treat bronchitis.
*Do not blend fennel seed oil with anise or coriander. They also contain (E)-Anethole.*
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33. Get Rid of Intestinal Parasites
Massage the abdomen with a 1% fennel seed essential oil/carrier oil blend to get rid of intestinal parasites.
34. Repel Insects
Apply the 1% fennel seed oil/carrier oil blend to exposed skin to repel insects. (E)-Anethole is a very effective pest and insect repellent. You can also add a few drops of the 1% blend to 1 to 2 cups of water, pour it into a spray bottle and spray the oil on the skin. Be sure to shake well before and during application and avoid getting the spray in your eyes. Fennel seed essential oil is very irritating to mucus membranes.
35. Treat Cystitis or UTI
Massage the 1% fennel seed EO/carrier oil blend into your lower abdomen over the bladder and on your lower back from the waist down to get rid of urinary tract infections or cystitis. Apply the oil twice a day for this benefit.
36. Prevent or Reduce Free Radical Damage
Apply a 1% fennel seed EO/carrier oil blend to the skin to help prevent and reduce free radical damage. It is loaded with antioxidants that eradicate free radicals.
37. Alleviate Cellulite
Massage a 1% fennel seed EO/carrier oil blend into the thighs, abdomen and buttocks to alleviate cellulite.
38. Improve Skin Health
Use a 1% fennel seed EO/carrier oil blend to get rid of acne. Argan and jojoba oils are excellent carrier oils for this benefit. They help regulate the skin’s natural production of sebum, which is the oil that causes acne breakouts. You can apply the blend twice a day after washing your face.
39. Get Rid of Wrinkles
Apply a 1% fennel seed essential oil blend to wrinkles to smooth them out and tone the skin. Argan oil and jojoba oil are both great for this use. They encourage healthy sebum balance in mature skin.
Was this list helpful to you? I had no idea there were so many great therapeutic uses for fennel seed essential oil. The fact that is smells a bit like licorice is icing on the cake for me. If you don’t like the smell of black licorice, you can always add a few drops of geranium, lavender, rose or sandalwood essential oil to offset the fragrance. Those oils have some great benefits of their own. Don’t be afraid to experiment to find an aromatherapy blend that is just right for you.
Please leave a comment to let me know if this list was helpful and tell me about your own personal experiences with fennel seed essential oil. We can all continue to add to the list of outstanding uses for fennel seed oil. Be sure to share, too, so that others can learn about this oil and add their experiences.
References:
1. Organic Facts: 15 Surprising Benefits of Fennel Essential Oil
2. Ayurvedic Oils: Fennel Seed Oil
http://ayurvedicoils.com/tag/health-benefits-of-fennel-seed-oil
3. Gritman Essential Oils: Fennel, Sweet Essential Oil
http://www.gritman.com/fennel-essential-oil-html.html
4. Hopewell Essential Oils: Fennel, Bitter
https://hopewelloils.com/fennel.php
5. WebMD: Fennel