Fennel is a perennial herb with a height of 40 ~ 200 cm. The whole plant is frosted, hairless and full of fragrance. Stems erect, smooth, grayish green or shallow, branched. Three to four pinnate compound leaves, and finally the leaflets are linear, 4 ~ 40 mm long and 0.5 mm wide; The petiole is about 14 cm long and the base is sheath-shaped. Compound umbel terminal; The total pedicel is 4 ~ 25 cm long, and both involucre and bracteole are missing. 8 ~ 20 spokes with different lengths; Flowers are small and yellow; Calyx-free teeth; Petals 45, broadly ovoid, upper part curled inward, slightly concave; Stamens 5, longer than petals; Ovary inferior, 2-loculed, 2-style. The hanging fruit is rectangular with five edges. The flowering period is June-July, and the fruiting period is 9-65438+1October. Umbellies are 1 ~ 2 cm in diameter, white or blue-white, with 5 ~ 7 single flowers. Bilberry is rectangular, 5 ~ 8 mm long and 2 ~ 3 mm wide, and contains two yellowish seeds.
Fennel is the treasure of the whole body. It is not only a widely used food seasoning, but also an excellent spice with high value. It not only has pharmacological action, but also has high medicinal value, and can also be used as feed additive.
In food application, fennel is the main ingredient of artificially prepared spiced powder, which is widely used for food seasoning. Fennel oil is also commonly used to prepare candy and alcohol. Fennel is a major edible spice plant. In the world trade volume, it is second only to Zanthoxylum bungeanum, pepper, mustard seed, sesame, cinnamon, ginger, clove, chopped beans, coriander, turmeric, etc., but far higher than the rich star anise in China. The total output of fennel in the world exceeds 30,000 tons every year, ranking seventh among the main edible spice plants, and the annual world trade volume is about 6,000 tons. In addition, Li Tianyin thinks fennel is an important nectar source plant because it is rich in nectar.
In medicinal value, Fructus Foeniculi has the effects of expelling pathogenic wind, dispelling cold, warming the middle warmer to relieve pain, and strengthening the spleen, and can be used to treat diseases such as weakness of stomach qi, distending pain, dyspepsia, lumbago, vomiting, etc. In addition, the herbal tea made of fennel has the effects of warming kidney and dispelling cold, regulating stomach and regulating qi, and also has certain curative effect on abdominal distension and female dysmenorrhea caused by overeating.
As a feed additive, fennel can increase appetite, eliminate digestion and promote growth. According to the principles of regulating qi, promoting digestion, invigorating spleen and stimulating appetite of Chinese veterinary medicine, fragrant Chinese herbal medicines are used to improve the palatability of livestock and poultry, promote the secretion of digestive juices such as saliva, gastric juice and intestinal juice, promote gastrointestinal peristalsis, and achieve the purpose of promoting animal digestion, absorption, metabolism and growth and development. Buyin et al. studied the effect of high-quality fennel as feed flavoring agent on laying performance of laying hens in Tuoxian County, Inner Mongolia. The results showed that the coloring properties of egg yolk and the flavor of chicken were improved to some extent. The meat flavor of laying hens has become fragrant and delicious, which not only has great practical significance for laying hens production, but also provides ideas for broiler production, providing flavor chickens for the market and grilling more delicious dishes. However, the reason why adding fennel powder can improve the flavor of chicken has not been found, and further research is needed.