Fennel Essential Oil: Uses, Benefits, and Blends

Fennel essential oil is an often overlooked choice, but it offers a reasonably priced oil with many applications from digestive, to hormonal and lymphatic uses.  

Fennel essential oil has a fairly simple chemistry. Let’s have a look at some of the main constituents offering opportunities to use the oil for healing.

Breaking Down the Fennel Essential Oil’s Chemical Components

• (E)-Anethole - The component that gives sweet fennel essential oil its aniseedy fragrance. It has been demonstrated to have strong antimicrobial and digestive actions.
• (+)-Limonene -Limonene appears mainly in essential oils that have been expressed from citrus fruit rinds but also in some conifer resins and herbs. It is very good at cleaning things, able to dissolve oily residues, so is often found in cleaning products. In the same way, it has mild effects on thick conditions in the body, like phlegm, and can sometimes be indicated for bronchitis. Limonene also has a vital part to play in the insecticidal actions of trees.  
• Fenchone - A complex molecule that is considered to be both a monoterpene and a ketone. Fenchone has a camphoraceous aroma.
• Estragole - Copiously available in many essential oils, estragole has powerful antioxidant and antimicrobial effects. In addition, it has been demonstrated to be anxiolytic and anti-inflammatory and has been shown to be able to alleviate sciatica in rodent models. It seems likely most of the estragole’s action arises from its ability to calm excitability in the sodium channels of cells. However, there are concerns that estragole may also have carcinogenic properties and thus should only be used in small dilutions.
• α-Pinene - In a scientific study published in Molecules magazine in 2019, Salehi et al. proclaimed a-Pinene and B-Pinene as “A Miracle Gift of Nature”, citing their actions as including antibiotic resistance modulation, anticoagulant, antitumor, antimicrobial, antimalarial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-Leishmania, and analgesic effects.

Chrissie Wildwood, in her Encyclopaedia of Aromatherapy, lists sweet fennel essential oil properties as: 

Aperitif, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antiseptic, antispasmodic, carminative, circulatory stimulant, depurative, diuretic, emmenagogue (starts your periods), expectorant, galactagoguic (encourages breast milk), tonic, and vermifugal (combats intestinal worms).

Historical Uses of Fennel Essential Oil

Historical uses of the oil have included: 

• Carminative
• Digestive
• Nausea
• Flatulence
• Indigestion
• Hiccups
• Colic
• Stimulates appetite
• Diuretic
• Urinary tract infections
• Preventing kidney stones
• Cellulite
• Stimulating estrogen
• Stimulating lactation
• Pulmonary disease
• Intestinal parasites
• Nervous vomiting 

Fennel Essential Oil Benefits: For Skin, Hair, Hormones, and Breastmilk

Most important of the fennel essential oil benefits must be its powerful action on digestion, and of course, historically, this is how it has been used in cooking for millennia. 

Its powerfully aniseedy flavor permeates the oil, making the mouth salivate when you smell it. Traditionally, most people would eat fennel bulbs with fish, but the oil is extracted from the seeds which are plentiful on the tall bright, willowy yellow umbelliferae plant. 

Fennel’s action on estrogen makes it an inadvisable choice for morning sickness and pregnancy-related complaints, but any other digestive conditions relate well to this essential oil. 

Before we start to dive into the fennel essential oil benefits about different uses, let’s answer this question:

What is Fennel Essential Oil Good For? 

The Latin name foeniculum comes from the Greek name for their city of Marathon, which literally means “fields of fennel,” and that is one of the best ways to understand fennel essential oil benefits. 

Consider it to be the essential oil you would choose to get you through the last mile of the marathon; when you feel like you have nothing left, all hope is lost, and then you use fennel essential oil. Perfect for long-term sickness, exhaustion, prolonged times of stress, general adverse conditions in life, when the world is wearing you down. 

We can now see how fennel essential oil, along with essential oils such as cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum), roman chamomile (Anthemis nobilis), and coriander (Coriandrum sativum), all settle bouts of diarrhea and constipation cycles in conditions like Irritable Bowel Syndrome by tending to the unsettled emotions first. 

Fennel essential oil is refreshing, revitalizing, re-invigorating, and it has a steely resilience to it. 

If you think of those ancient Greek soldiers battling to the last, that helps us to understand what fennel knows. It understands the fight and what it takes to keep battling on. 

Fennel Essential Oil For Hormonal Balance

In the same way, it is incredibly helpful for hormonal imbalance. Again this could come from stress, but that need not be so. It has long been used for its estrogenic action, to regulate periods, and help menopausal issues, but its effect on men is often overlooked. 

As well as having sex hormones such as testosterone, men also have low levels of estrogen and progesterone. In the same way, these can go awry. Male Climacteric Syndrome is most easily understood as male menopause. Taking place about ten years later than women’s do, their hormonal levels also begin to drop, causing loss of libido, impotence, etc. Again, fennel essential oil can be very helpful here. 

Fennel Essential Oil for Mood

Moreover, clinical trials show that men who suffer from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder often respond well to treatments when they are supplemented with estrogen. Whilst no studies have been done into the effects of fennel oil or other ones affecting estrogen-like aniseed (Pimpinella anisum) or clary sage (Salvia sclarea) for example, the nature of their estrogenic action suggests they might also offer some support to these people. 

One of the reasons this may be true is that studies now show that certain feelings we experience as physical sensations in our body might be aligned to specific neurotransmitters and neuropeptides we release. For example, research suggests that low levels of estrogen may cause sensations of worry. We can see how supplementation could then improve OCD, but also how fennel oil would be so good for women whose anxiety worsens during the weeks running up to their menstruation, and for those struggling with mood during menopause. 

Again, whilst fennel oil might not be a traditional first choice for people suffering from anxiety  - usually, we might choose lavender (Lavandula angustifolia), rose (Rosa damascena), or vetiver (Vetiveria zizanoides) essential oils amongst others, we can see where fennel might start to come in useful when our mood becomes jaded or fragile because of the sheer amount of time we have been trying to fight on. The same applies to being too nervous, too angry, or too weak to eat. It’s that last push across the finish line. 

Other Ways To Use Fennel Essential Oil

Fennel essential oil is a tremendous aid to convalescence. It has a warming nature and may be of help with cancer patients ravaged by chemotherapy. Its warmth and nurturing energy make it very good for hand and foot massages to invigorating some heat back in. However, care should be taken to understand the nature of the person’s cancer since we would not want to feed tumors that are estrogen-dependent.

Another thing that fennel oil does so well, is to support a healthy lymphatic system because it has a diuretic action (another reason to avoid during pregnancy) that is fabulous for any causes of swelling. 

Fennel Essential Oil For Breast Milk

Whilst fennel oil will encourage lactation (use in a compress) the taste of the essential oil will pass through to the milk. Use with care, as licorice is an acquired taste that not all babies like. It does have an added quality though and if you can find a way to use it, it means the baby also benefits from a natural anti-colic remedy too. 

Is Fennel Essential Oil Safe To Use? 

In France, fennel essential oil’s high anethole content means it requires a prescription to obtain it to protect pregnant and nursing mothers. Fennel essential oil thins the blood, so it should be used with care if you have any particular clotting disorders, as well as peptic ulcers. Naturally, if you should be diagnosed with any kind of cancer that relies on estrogens to grow, again, it makes sense to discontinue use. Fennel essential oil is contraindicated in people taking diabetic medications. For more precautions see the end of the product listing. 

Fennel Essential Oil for Skin

Fennel has a mildly astringent quality that will tighten and smooth the complexion. In addition, it smoothes out open pores and to add to this; you could also consider using myrtle essential oil (Myrtus communis). Naturally, fennel essential oil will also have a positive effect on puffy skin. 

More, though, it is soothing and revivifying again, making it an excellent choice to bring back a bit of a shine to dull, lackluster complexions that speak of the stress someone has been going through for a while. 

Fennel Essential Oil for Hair

Fennel doesn’t really have a specific action on hair as such but makes a lovely final rinse to blonde and fair hairs giving them a fuller, livelier bounce. 

Fennel Essential Oil Uses: For Wholesale Purposes

Aromatherapy

As described, predominantly fennel is digestive and restorative with a supportive action on the lymphatic system.

From a beauty point of view, combined with oils like juniper (Juniperus officinalis), or cypress (Cupressus sempervirens), fennel oil is often used in massage oil treatments for cellulite, where the system has become sluggish and no longer shifts fluids as it should. 

Fennel essential oil is one of the primary choices for lymphatic drainage massage. 

In the same way, it can be used creatively with angelica root (angelica archangelica) or cypress oil (Cupressus sempervirens) for creams for puffy eyes or in compresses combined with helichrysum (Helichrysum splendida) for bruising and swelling. 

Soapmaking

There is something deliciously nurturing about the scent of fennel oil in soap. Consider combining with spices or citruses for a really yummy blend. 

Natural Perfumery 

Fennel, licorice, and aniseed allre the same fragrance profile, thanks to the anethole constituent. However, where the aniseedy profile of licorice is rated at 10 on the scale, fennel would come out at about a 3. Much softer, with a kind of hay-like headnote, fennel is used as a top to middle note in blends, opening out into a woody heart note. 

Perfect for masculine blends, there is something very autumnal about fennel essential oil’s aroma. It feels like the harvest, reminiscent of warm, balmy evenings and golden light. Romantic, and yet, somehow pragmatic. It works well in herbal and spicy creations. 

Tom Wolf’s soft and spicy Illuminum combines fennel and bergamot to form the top of the fragrance, then underpins them with geranium and neroli, then pine and amber. Gorgeous. 

A beautiful classical example is Elizabeth Arden’s Green Tea, where this oil creates the heart of the fragrance with oodles of flowers like jasmine and carnations and then is grounded by yet more of that aniseedy mix with caraway and celery seeds and, of course, a rich dose of the perfect base note: Green Tea. Fabulous blending. 

Fennel Essential Oil Blends: DIY Recipes

Rollerball for OCD 

Really, the best way to use essential oil in these situations is probably just to carry the oil with you in your pocket, take the top off, and have a sniff, but sometimes, it’s just nicer to have something to rub on. The rubbing can be a distraction in itself. 

You can apply rollerball anywhere, of course, but a good place is on the inside of the wrist where there is a good blood supply. Here, the essential oils have fast and efficient access to start working. 

This blend is designed to calm and relax. 

• 10ml Jojoba carrier oil (Simmondsia chinensis)
• 2 drops Fennel essential oil (Foeniculum vulgare)
• 1 drop Clary Sage essential oil (Salvia sclarea)
• 1 drop Rose Geranium essential oil (Pelargonium roseum x asperum)

Method of use: Apply as and when needed, but perhaps up to five times a day in the first week to build up the oils. 

Safety: Not suitable for use during pregnancy or if you suffer from any kind of blood clotting issues, have a peptic ulcer or are taking diabetes medications.

Compress for Nursing Mothers 

• 1 drop Fennel essential oil (Foeniculum vulgare)
• 1 drop Clary Sage essential oil (Salvia sclarea) 
• 1 drop Rose essential oil (Rosa damascena) 

Method of use: Fill the sink with hand hot, warm water, add the essential oils. Soak two face cloths in the water, wring out, then place one on each breast. Since the baby might not like the taste, it is best to try to avoid the nipple area. Relax and leave on for about 20 minutes. 

Incidentally, this is also a lovely blend to use in your postnatal bath. They absorb into your bloodstream in the same way and will do the same job. 

Safety: Not suitable for use during pregnancy or if you suffer from any kind of blood clotting issues, have a peptic ulcer or are taking diabetes medications.

Compress for a Colicky Baby

Tiny people require tiny dilutions, and that is particularly so with fennel essential oil. 

50ml Grapeseed carrier oil (Vitus vinifera)

• 1 drop Fennel essential oil (Foeniculum vulgare)
• 1 drop Roman Chamomile essential oil (Anthemis nobilis) 
• 1 drop Carrot seed essential oil (Daucus carota)

Method of use: Fill the sink with hand hot warm water Soak 2 face cloths in the water, then wring one out. Very gently, apply the massage oil onto the baby’s abdomen, applying in a light, clockwise manner. Place the compresses over the massage oil to help relax the muscles and to encourage the oils to penetrate faster. As the cloth cools, replace it with the other warm one, rotating for about 20 mins. Ensure baby stays nice and warm

Safety: Do not use fennel essential oil if there is a suspicion that the child may have any kind of blood clotting disorder. 

Precautions

Do not use this oil during pregnancy, endometriosis, or if suffering from estrogen-dependent cancer.  

Use only in dilutions of less than 0.25%  in children under five years of age. 

Cautions: Do not use the oil while using any kind of diabetes medication, anticoagulant medications, if you are suffering from a peptic ulcer, hemophilia, or any other bleeding disorders. Likewise, avoid it for two days before any scheduled surgery. 

Why Choose VINEVIDA

At VINEVIDA, we love botanicals and the planet they come from. We believe in stocking the best at affordable prices and supplying to the discerning, which is why we are also members of both the Alliance of International Aromatherapists and the National Association of Holistic Aromatherapy. In recognition of our excellent standard of product, we are proud to hold a 2021 Certificate of Registration as a Cosmetic Products Establishment with the U.S. Drugs and Food Administration.

Our joy at seeing people make beautiful things means we stock from the smallest amounts to the largest. Our bulk essential oils’ prices begin with our smallest essential oil of 10ml to our largest of 396lb, meaning any manufacturing company can afford to stock as many or as few oils their business can accommodate without running the risk of spoilage of some of nature’s most precious commodities. So why not see if you can save money by buying your fennel essential oil in bulk? Remember how stable it is proven to be, so as long as you store it carefully, it should last and last.

Don’t forget too; we like to look after our customers with reasonable prices and excellent customer service and reward the loyal ones with money off discounts over the year. 

Flash Point

>61 °C

Conclusion

So, why not check out if you qualify for our loyalty scheme and start saving today with an environmentally friendly choice of oil for skin, hair, massage oils, and soapmaking? Add VINEVIDA Sweet Fennel essential oil to your cart today.

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