FRUIT: FENNEL - EXPERIMENT

Synonyms:

Fennel fruits, fructus foeniculam, sweet fennel, saunf, badi saunf,

Biological source:

Fennel consists of the dried ripe fruits of Foeniculam vulgare .

Family: Umbelliferae

Morphology:

Size-  5-10mm length and 2-4mm breadth

Shape-  Straight or slightly curved.

Colour-  Green to yellowish brown

Odour-  Sweet aromatic.

Taste-  Strongly aromatic

Type- Cremocarp with 2 one seeded mericarp.

Cremocarp is pedicillate and bears a bifid stylopod at the top.

The entire cremocarp is having 2 mericarp which is joined by a carpophore.

Carpophore is a point of attachment from which a single cremocarp is devided in to 2 mericarp.

Each mericarp has two surfaces the dorsal and the inner/commissural.

Dorsal surface is glabrous ( smooth without any hair).

On the dorsal surface of each mericarp 5 primary ridges are present these ridges are prominent and straight in nature

Bifid stylopod is at the apex.

Commissural surface is flat with two pronounced ridges and carpophore in the middle.

The dorsal surface is also ridged which is having 3 ridges. Thus in all, the mericarp shows 5 primary ridges.

Transversely cut surface shows 2 commisural vittae and 4 dorsal vittae.

Endosperm of the seed is orthospermous (seeds are straight)

Chemical constituents:

Volatile oil: Fenchone(20%) – a ketone, which is a transperant  liquid and punjent in taste.

and anethole(50%) – phenolic ether and it is sweet in taste and odour.

Other constituents are phellandrene, limonene, methyl chavicol, anisic aldehyde.

Fatty oil and protein.

Uses:

·         Carminative.

·         Aromatic.

·         Stimulant.

·         Expectorant.

·         Pharmaceutically used as a flavouring agent.

·         Antismspasmodic.

·         Appetizer.

·         Comforts the belly ache in infants.

·         Eye wash.

;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'>·         Used in the manufacture of vanilla.

·         Use in the preparations of tooth paste,tooth powder and mouth wash.

Useful in common cold, headache and fever.