Fennel
The Little Hay
This goblet, wrought with curious art,
Is filled with waters, that upstart,
When the deep fountains of the heart,
By strong convulsions rent apart,
Are running all to waste.
And as it mantling passes round,
With fennel is it wreathed and crowned,
Whose seed and foliage sun-imbrowned
Are in its waters steeped and drowned,
And give a bitter taste.
Above the lowly plants it towers,
The fennel, with its yellow flowers,
And in an earlier age than ours
Was gifted with the wondrous powers,
Lost vision to restore.
It gave new strength, and fearless mood;
And gladiators, fierce and rude,
Mingled it in their daily food;
And he who battled and subdued,
A wreath of fennel wore.
The aromatic Fennel comes to us from the Mediterranean. I think of him as an Italian fellow, charming and handsome. He is a member of a big family (Apiaceae), grown for his shoots, leaves, and seeds. Cultivated world wide, this culinary expert gives his all to his endeavors. Food and family are paramount. Standing tall at up to 6’6″, this erect herb talks with his hands, waving his feathery foliage in the breeze. He is a stylish dresser, with a thoughtfulness in his accessories, attracting a wide range of pollinators to his umbel flowers. However, he is temperamental when it comes to winter. He grows mostly as an annual due to his distaste of the cold.
The Magic of Fennel
Correspondences
Element: Air
Gender: Masculine
Sabbat: Litha
Planet: Mercury
Chakra:Root, Sacral, Solar Plexus, Heart
Spellwork
Heal
Protect
Banish
Focus
Remember
Proverb
Italian: When fennel blooms, frost follows.
The Medicine of Fennel
Ayurvedic
Ayurvedic Name: Saunf, Variyali, Shatapushpa
Vata: Balance
Kapha: Balance
Pitta: Increase
Taste: Sweet, Pungent, Bitter
Herbology
Anti-emetic
Carminative
Antispasmodic
Galactogogue
Anti-inflammatory
Diuretic
Expectorant
Emmenagogue
Parasiticide
TCM
TCM Name: Xiao hui xiang
Botanical Name: Foeniculum vulgare
Common Name: Fennel Fruit
Energy: Warm
Flavor: Acrid
Organs: Liver, Spleen, Kidney, Stomach
Movement: Warm the Interior, Expel Cold
Science of Fennel
Botany
Botanical Name: Foeniculum vulgare
Family: Apiaceae (Carrot Family)
Type of Plant: Herbaceous perennial
Habitat: Moist rich soil, Sun
Zone: 4-9
Bloom Time: June – July
Height: 4-6 feet
Spread: 1-3 feet
Propagation: Cutting, Seed
Harvest: Pinch seeds while green, bulbs late summer or early fall
Part Used: Seed, Bulb, Leaves
Constituents: Flavonoids, Coumarins, Pinene
Native Region: Mediterranean
Sustainability: Good
Leaf
Structure: Simple
Arrangement: Alternate or whorled
Shape: Linear
Length: up to 6 inches
Margins: Entire
Surface: Smooth
Flower
Inflorescence: Compound umbrel
Sexuality: Perfect
Stamen: 5
Petals: 5, 2 united carpels
Color: Yellow
Size: Small
Sacred Story
In 409 BCE the Greek army defeated the much stronger Persian invaders in a place called Marathon which translated to “Field of Fennel”. Following the unlikely victory, a messenger ran 42 kilometres nonstop to bring the news to Athens. There, he shouted out the news “Victory is ours!” and fell dead to the ground. Fennel hence became a symbol of courage, victory, and success. Moreover, the marathon-race was added to the Olympic games. Warriors, gladiators, and athletes ate fennel or washed with fennel juice to promote success in their endeavors while victors were crowned with aromatic fennel foliage.
