This crude drug is the fruit of Foeniculum vulgare Mill. (family: Umbelliferae).

This species is a perennial herb with a strong fragrance. The stem is erect, glabrous, grayish green or off-white, the upper branches spreading out and showing longitudinal fine furrows. The basal leaves are arranged in clusters, with a long petiole. The cauline leaves are alternate; the lower ones have a petiole 5-15cm long, and petioles of the middle and upper ones are partially or completely sheath-like (the sheath being membranaceous marginally). The blade is broad-triangular in silhouette, about 30cm long, 40cm or so in width, quadruply or quintuply pinnately divided; the leaflet blade is threadlike. The compound umbels occur laterally or on top of branches, with 6-30 rays (branches), without involucre and involucel; each umbel has 14-30 small flowers whose pedicels are tenuous and unequal in length; the calyx is toothless; the petals are yellow, obovate or approximately obovate, bent inward in the upper part, slightly concave at the tip; each flower includes 5 stamens whose filaments are a bit longer than the petals and whose anthers are ovoid and light yellow and dehisce longitudinally; the inferior ovary is 2-cell; the stylopodium is conical; the style is very short, diverging outward or lying on the stylopodium. The cremocarp is long-round, with 5 sharp ridges on each mericarp; 1 oil duct exists between every two ridges, and there are 2 vittae in the commissural surface; the ventral side of the endosperm is nearly straight or somewhat concave.

This species is distributed in all areas in China, chiefly in Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Gansu and Liaoning.

The aerial part of the plant is gathered in a fine day when the fruits are yellowish green and show longitudinal, pale black lines during August to October; then the fruits are beat out of the plant and cleaned by wind. The ripe fruits can be picked directly from the plant, and dried in the sun.

The cremocarp is small, cylindrical, somewhat pointed or sometimes slightly curved at each end, 4-8mm long, 1.5-2.5mm in diameter, with a yellowish green to brown glabrous surface. It has a yellowish brown conical stylopodium on the top and in some cases a tiny fruit stalk at the base. The mericarps are long-elliptical, raised in the back, each with 5 longitudinal straight ridges; their commissural surface is relatively dark at the center and shows longitudinal furrows; their cross section is approximately pentagonal, the rear four sides being nearly the same in length. This crude drug has a distinctive fragrance and tastes a bit sweet and pungent.

The fruits contains volatile oil: trans-anethole, fenchone, limonene, estragole, myrcene, γ-terpinene, α-pinene, β-pinene, camphor, camphene, methoxyphenyl acetone, sabinene, α-phellandrene, p-cymene, 1,8-cineole, 4-terpineol, trans-fencho acetas, anisaldehyde; fatty oil: 10-octadecenoic acid, arachic acid, myristic acid, lauric acid, behenic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid, pentadecanoic acid, heneicosanoic acid ^[1],  octadeca-5-enoic acid, octodeca-6,9-dienoic acid, tetracosanoic acid, palmitoleic acid, eicosenoic acid, cerotic acid, linolenic acid, heptadecanoic acid ^[2].

It also contains, stigmasterol, umbelliferone, β-sitosierol, xanthotoxin, α-amyrenol, imperatorin, bergapten, marmesine^[2].

1. Acute mastitis: 46 cases of patients treated with xiaohuixiang(Fennel Fruit) Stewing milk. It took before meals. 3 days as one course of treatment. At the same time combining with local breast massage. Results showed that in 46 patients ,2 cases were cured in a day,14 cases were cured in 2～3days, 23 cases were cured in 4～6days, 5 cases were cured in 7～ 9days, the curative ratio was 95.6%; at the tenth day, 1 cases had significant effect ( 2.2%), 1 case had invalid.46 patients had no obvious adverse reaction of ^[1].

2. Intestinal obstruction: the treatment group treated with xiaohuixiang(Fennel Fruit) mixed with salt for hot compress on abdomen combining with common therapy (gastrointestinal decompression, nutritional support, maintaining water and electrolyte balance).The control group only treated with common therapy. Results showed that the total conservative success rate of the treatment group was 77.4% in 48 cases, while the control group was 50.6% in 39 cases, two groups had the statistically significant difference (P<0.01) ^[2]。

3.Infantile aphtha: Wu Zhuyu(Medicinal Evodia Fruit) 10g and xiaohuixiang(Fennel Fruit)10g, altogether grinded with vinegar, tuned into a paste，applied on arch of the foot, male left female right, with gauze and bandage. Results showed that in 120 cases, 51 cases were cured in a times. 67 cases were cured in two times, 2 cases were cured in three times ^[3].

4: Dysmenorrhea :86 cases patients were treated with xiaohuixiang(Fennel Fruit) recipe (xiaohuixiang (Fennel Fruit) 10g、shengjiang(Fresh Ginger)10g) at 3 days before menstruation and menstrual period. 3～5 doses of treatment continually. Continuous administration of 3 menstrual cycles. Patients should avoid cold food and prevent from cold . Results showed that 45% patients were cured by 1～2 menstrual cycles; 30% patients were cured by 2～3 menstrual cycles; 14.9% patients were cured by above 3 menstrual cycles. The overall effective rate was 89.9%^[4]。

5 Stomachache: xiaohuixiang (Fennel Fruit) was dried, made into powder and mixed salt together. There is no limit on the Proportional. 3 times a day. Results showed that 316 cases stomachache relived after first takeing drug, symptoms had significantly remission after 2～ 3days, 126 cases were cured after 1 weeks ^[5].

1. Tinnitis and deaf due to up-flowing of asthenia qi

2. Hypochondraic pain

3. Stomachache

4. Lumbago

5. Abdominal pain, diarrhea

6. Cold hernia pain

7. Unilateral sagging of the testicles

8. Hernia pain in small intestine

9. All kinds of water-qi, swelling and fullness of extremities

10. Enruesis

11. Unctuous strangury due to renal diabetes

[1] SHEN Qi, XU Lian-ying. Study on Foeniculum Vulgare Mill as Penetration Enhancer for the Permeation of 5-Fluorouracil. Chinese Traditional Patent Medicine, 2001,23(7):3-5.

[2] ZHONG Rui-min, XIAO Zi-jun, ZHANG Zhen-ming, et al. Composition and Antimicrobial Activity of Essential Oil from Foeniculum vulgare Mill. Seeds. Chemistry and Industry of Forest Products, 2007,27(6):36-40.

[3] GAN Zi-ming, FANG Zhi-yuan. Effection of foeniculum vulgare mill on CCl₄-induced liver fibrosis in rat. Journal of Xinjiang Medical University, 2004,27(6):566-568.

[4] ZHOU Shi-xiong, GAN Zi-ming, Zhang Li, et al. Diuresis mechanism study of foeniculum vulgare mill on liver fibrosis ascites in rats. Journal of Xinjiang Medical University, 2007,30(1): 33-35.

clinical test:

[1] Sheng fang. Acute mastitis treated with xiaohuixiang(Fennel Fruit) Stewing milk combining with massage.Journal of Nursing Science，2006，21(24):49.

[2] Fang xinshe. Intestinal obstruction treated with xiaohuixiang(Fennel Fruit) mixed with salt in 62cases.Chinese Journal of Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine on Digestion，2006，14(5):339.

[3] Cao yanwei. Infantile aphtha treated with Wu Zhuyu(Medicinal Evodia Fruit) and xiaohuixiang(Fennel Fruit) applied to arch of the foot in 120 cases.China＇s Naturopathy，2001，9(12):36.

[4] Tan minying. Dysmenorrhea treated with xiaohuixiang(Fennel Fruit) recipe in 86 cases.China＇s Naturopathy，2001，9(6):50.

[5] Zhang baofeng. Stomachache treated with xiaohuixiang(Fennel Fruit) mixed with salt in 368 cases.Clinical Journal of Medical Officer，2003，31(2):111.