Fennel

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Seboregulating
Fennel

BOTANY

Foeniculum vulgare Mill., known as fennel, belongs to the Foeniculum genus in the Apiaceae family.

It is an herbaceous, perennial plant, erect, intense green colored, extremely aromatic that can reach a height of
2 meters. The leaves are long and thin, like a nail at the end, that harden during winter to avoid water loss. The
flowers appear during summer (till autumn) in groups of 20 to 50 small yellow-green colored flowers with a
typical anise smell.

This species is found in temperate areas all over the world, though it is native of southern Europe, especially in
the Mediterranean coast, where it grows spontaneously. It can be found naturally in fields, roads and
abandoned dry meadows.

Fennel is an extract obtained from the fruit of Foeniculum vulgare Mill.

CHEMISTRY

The chemical composition of fennel fruits is (Alonso, 2004; Krizman, 2007; Gurinder, 2009):

- Flavonoids (approx. 15%): kaempferol, quercetol, rutoside and quercitroside.

- Phenolic compounds: caffeoylquinic acid and dicaffeoylquinic acid, chlorogenic acid, eriocitrin, rutin, miquelianin
and rosmarinic acid.
- Alkaloids (approx 3%)
- Tannins (approx 28%)
- Saponins (approx 0.6%)
- Mineral salts and vitamins.
- Essential oil (2-6%): containing anethole, estragol, pinenes, limonene, myrcene, d-fenchone, camphene, sabinene,
α- and β-phellandrene, γ-terpinene, fenchol, anisaldehyde and 1,8-cineole.

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TRADITIONAL USES

Fennel has properties as analgesic, laxative, anti-inflammatory,

antispasmodic, aromatic, stimulating, emmenagogue, purifying,
expectorant, galactogogue, diuretic, carminative and to relieve
difficult digestions and colitis. For indigestions it is used as an
infusion, and also for abdomen distension and stomach pain. In
combination with bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi), it is used
against cystitis and to clean the eyes and treat conjunctivitis. In
ancient times it was used as a collyrium.

Today, the herbalists recommend an infusion of crushed fennel fruits to clean the eyes, and they consider it a
good remedy for stomach pain, gastrointestinal colics and flatulence. The pharmacologists also recommend it
as an antispasmodic.

It has also been used in cooking during more than 2.000 years, its tasty stem, seeds and leaves. It is frequently
used in the Mediterranean food. The leaves, cooked or raw, smell of anise, especially the youngest, and are
used as additives in salads because they help in oily food digestion. Fennel fruits are widely used for producing
spirits, gins or as preservatives. From the fennel a yellow colorant can be obtained.

In addition to its culinary properties, fennel is thought to have the power to chase bad spirits and its water was
considered aphrodisiac by the Arabic culture.

COSMETIC PROPERTIES

Antioxidant activity

A bioguided isolation of an aqueous extract of fennel led to the isolation of 12 major phenolic compounds.
Radical scavenging activity was tested using three methods: DPPH•, superoxide nitro-blue tetrazolium
hypoxanthine/xanthine oxidase, and •OH/luminol chemiluminescence. The isolated compounds exhibited a

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strong antiradical scavenging activity, which may contribute to the interpretation of the pharmacological effects
of fennel (Parejo, 2004).

In a study conducted by Faudale et al. in 2008, the antioxidant activity and the total phenolic and flavonoid content, as well
as the quantitative determination of individual flavonoids and phenolic acids of wild, edible, and medicinal fennel from
different Mediterranean countries, was determined. The antioxidant
activity was measured as the free radical (DPPH), hydroxyl radical, and
superoxide anion scavenging activities. Wild fennel was found to exhibit
a radical scavenging activity, as well as a total phenolic and total
flavonoid content, higher than those of both medicinal and edible
fennels (Faudale, 2008).

The antioxidant activity of the aqueous extracts of five

umbelliferous fruits, including fennel, were investigated in
comparison with the known antioxidant ascorbic acid in in vitro studies. The present study revealed strong
antioxidant activity of their extracts that was superior to known antioxidant ascorbic acid (Satyanarayana, 2004).

Thus, fennel extract is well recommended when formulating cosmetic products for protecting the skin and hair
from oxidative processes.

Anti-inflammatory activity

Flavonoids are responsible for this activity, synergized by plant sterols (β-sitosterol and stigmasterol). This
activity is observed after applying an ethanolic extract made from fennel dried fruit that not only reduces the
induced edema, but also, when it is externally applied, it shows a clear anti-inflammatory action as well as
healing activity (Alonso, J., 2004).

As anti-inflammatory actives, the flavonoids are capable of reducing the permeability of the capillaries and
reinforcing their strength.

Furthermore, these actives may intervene in any of the stages of the inflammatory process. This is the case when
they act on the metabolism of arachidonic acid. The flavonoids inhibit the enzyme 5-lipooxygenase and to a
lesser extent the enzyme cyclooxygenase. It has been shown that the flavonoids are capable of reducing the
infiltration of leucocytes that takes place during the inflammatory process and maintaining this effect for over

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18 hours after their application. At the same time, they inhibit the release of the mediators of inflammation
stored in the mastocytes. It has also been shown that these substances are antagonists of mediators of
inflammation (histamine, bradicinine,...) and inhibit the lisosomal enzymes.

In a study conducted by Mascolo in 1987, an oral pre-treatment with a dry 80%-ethanolic extract from sweet
fennel at 100 mg/kg body weight in rats inhibited carrageenan-induced paw edema by 36% (p<0.01) compared
to 45% inhibition by indomethacin at 5 mg/kg.

In 2004, Choi tried an oral administration (200 mg/kg) of

Foeniculum vulgare fruit methanolic extract, which exhibited
inhibitory effects against acute and subacute inflammatory
diseases and type IV allergic reactions and showed a central
analgesic effect. Moreover, it significantly increased the
plasma superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase activities
and the high density lipoprotein-cholesterol level. On the
contrary, the malondialdehyde (MDA) (as a measure of lipid
peroxidation) level was significantly decreased in the F.
vulgare extract group compared to the control group (p<0.05). These results seem to support the use of F.
vulgare fruit in relieving inflammation (Choi, 2004).

Thus, fennel extract is of great use to formulate cosmetic products with anti-irritant activity.

Antimicrobial activity

In a study conducted by Gurinder in 2009, three medicinal plants viz. Anethum graveolens Linn. (Dill), Foeniculum
vulgare Mill. (Fennel) and Trachyspermum ammi L. (Omum) belonging to the Apiaceae family were selected to
assess their antibacterial potential.

Antibacterial activity of aqueous extracts was assessed using agar diffusion assay, minimum inhibitory
concentration and viable cell count studies; the isolated phytoconstituents were subjected to disc diffusion assay
to ascertain their antibacterial effect.

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The results were encouraging as all the tested plants showed antibacterial potential, although the inhibitory
activity was strain specific. The aqueous extracts of different plant seeds resulted in variable zone of inhibition
(11–25 mm) for all the bacteria tested except K. pneumonia and P. aeruginosa, which were completely resistant.
Hot water extracts of all the seeds were effective against E. faecalis, S. aureus, E. coli, P. aeruginosa, S.
typhimurium and S. flexneri; while S. typhi was sensitive only to aqueous extracts of F. vulgare (12 mm).

Isolated groups of compounds demonstrated their antibacterial effect though to a lesser extent:
Bacteria zone of inhibition in mm
Staphylococcus Pseudomonas Salmonella Salmonella
aureus aeruginosa typhimurium flexneri
Alkaloids - - - 6.0
Flavonoids - - -
Tannins - 6.0 5.0 6.75
Saponins 10 - 5.0 9.0

Therefore, fennel extract is recommendable to formulate cosmetic products with purifying and antiseptic
activities.

Astringent activity

This activity is due to the tannin content of this plant. The astringent action of tannins is due to their capacity to
form complexes with different substances.

Applied topically, tannins coat the outermost layers of skin and mucosa, thus protecting the deeper layers. These
compounds also act as vasoconstrictor agents on superficial micro-vessels. By restricting fluid loss and
preventing environmental damage, tannins promote tissue regeneration (epithelizing) in superficial wounds or
burns (Bruneton J., 2001).

Therefore, fennel extract is recommendable to formulate cosmetic products with regulatory activity on sebum
secretions and epithelizing action.

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COSMETIC APPLICATIONS

Action Active Cosmetic application

Antioxidant Phenolic compounds Anti-aging
Flavonoids Photo-protection
Hair color protection
Anti-inflammatory Flavonoids Anti-irritant

Phytosterols
Antimicrobial Alkaloids Purifying
Tannins Antiseptic
Saponins
Astringent Tannins Sebum secretion regulation
Epithelizing

RECOMMENDED DOSE

Recommended dosage is between 0.5% and 5%.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Alonso, J. Tratado de Fitofármacos y Nutracéuticos. Barcelona: Corpus, 2004, p: 608-611(633.8 ALO).

Bruneton J. Farmacognosia. Zaragoza: Ed. Acribia, 2001.

Choi EM, Hwang JK. Antiinflammatory, analgesic and antioxidant activities of the fruit of Foeniculum vulgare.
Fitoterapia. 2004 Sep;75(6):557-65.

Faudale M. et al. Antioxidant activity and phenolic composition of wild, edible, and medicinal fennel from
different Mediterranean countries. J Agric Food Chem. 2008, 56(6):1912-20.

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Krizman M. et al. Determination of phenolic compounds in fennel by HPLC and HPLC-MS using a monolithic
reversed-phase column. J Pharm Biomed Anal. 2007, 43(2):481-5.

Mascolo, N., et al. Biological screening of Italian medicinal plants for anti-inflammatory activity. Phytotherapy
Research. 1987, 1:28–31.

Parejo I. Bioguided Isolation and Identification of the Nonvolatile Antioxidant Compounds from Fennel (Foeniculum
vulgare Mill.) Waste. J. Agric. Food Chem. 2004, 52(7):1890–1897.

S Satyanarayana, et al. Antioxidant activity of the aqueous extracts of spicy food additives--evaluation and
comparison with ascorbic acid in in-vitro systems. Journal of herbal pharmacotherapy. 2004,4(2):1-10.

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