12 Healthy Benefits From This One Little Used Herb

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7. Heart healthy

This tasty herb is a great source of fiber that helps to keep healthy levels of cholesterol in the body. This means that it can remove the bad LDL cholesterol, which is a major factor in the development of heart disease, stroke, and atherosclerosis.

8. Improves blood pressure levels

Like bananas, fennel is another good source of potassium, which is essential to our body. Potassium is a vasodilator, which means it naturally relaxes the tension in the blood vessels and relieves high blood pressure. For diabetics, this can help to reduce their reliance on medication as it can help them gain more control over their insulin and glucose levels. Adding one cup of fennel bulb to your diet can help fill your body with healthy potassium and all the blood pressure lowering benefits that come with it.

9. Brain healthy

The potassium in fennel seeds and bulbs is also an electrolyte, which means that it improves the electrical circuit throughout the body. This means fennel will also help with the brain connections and improves the overall functioning of the brain. Since it’s also a vasodilator, this means that more blood and oxygen will reach your brain and improve the neural activity.

10. Helps with constipation

The seeds from fennel plants, especially when ground to a powder, can act as a powerful laxative. The fiber from the bulbs helps to clear the bowels while stimulate the movement of the intestines. Fennel is found in many of the medicines that treat diarrhea, IBS (irritable bowel syndrome, abdominal pain and cramps, and many other intestinal problems. Read more how to naturally help constipation.

11. Appetite suppressant

A study done at the Thuringian State Institute of Agriculture in Germany, found that fennel increased the metabolism of test subjects while suppressing the appetite. This same study also showed that this herb helped to dissolve fat deposits in the blood, which allowed them to be used for energy rather than be stored in the body. It’s also a natural diuretic, which helps to remove excess water weight.

12. Anti-cancer

Although the raw herb itself has not been well studied for its cancer protection properties, the extract from the seed has. The findings of these studies are impressive to say the least. The seed extract stops the growth of tumors, but is also protective from some of the side effects from radiation that many people receive as cancer treatments. The extract from these seeds have even been found to prevent liver and breast cancer. Studies also show that fennel is a strong chemo preventative, which means that it fights off potential carcinogens. One study conducted at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, shows that the phytonutrient anethole, which stops inflammation, also helps stop cells from mutating into cancerous cells.

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