Fennel is both a culinary and medicinal herb

Fennel is best known as a culinary herb, all parts of the plant are edible. Fennel not only improves digestion, but also can reduce bad breath and body odor that originates in the intestines. The fresh stems of fennel can be eaten much like celery, the seeds add a lovely anise flavor to fish and other dishes. Fennel also acts as an excellent digestive aid to relieve abdominal cramps, gas and bloating. If you expect to eat a vegetable that you have trouble digesting, like cabbage, try adding fennel seeds to your recipe. The Greek name for fennel was marathon was derived from "maraino", to grow thin, reflexing the widely held belief that drinking fennel tea would have a slimming effect. Drinking a cup of fennel seed tea before eating a heavy meal can edge off of your appetite as well, and works in this regard for me personally.

The uses for fennel go far beyond the kitchen however, fennel has been used as a medicinal herb by the early Romans and Greeks.

Fennel teas are useful for chronic coughs and act as an expectorant to help clear mucus from the lungs, syrup prepared from fennel juice was formerly given for chronic coughs. Oil of fennel relieves muscular or rheumatic pains and is warming and soothing in massage oil blends. Women may also benefit from the estrogenic properties of fennel.

Fennel is one of the plants that repels fleas, and the anise like taste may be more acceptable choice for indigestion and gas in finicky dogs and cats.