Fennel and anise as estrogenic agents

doi:10.1016/S0378-8741(80)81015-4

Journal of Ethnopharmacology

Volume 2, Issue 4, 1980, Pages 337-344

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0378-8741(80)81015-4 Get rights and content

Summary

Fennel, Foeniculum vulgare, and anise, Pimpinella anisum, are plants which have been used as estrogenic agents for millennia. Specifically, they have been reputed to increase milk secretion, promote menstruation, facilitate birth, alleviate the symptoms of the male climacteric, and increase libido. In the 1930s, some interest was shown in these plants in the development of synthetic estrogens. The main constituent of the essential oils of fennel and anise, anethole, has been considered to be the active estrogenic agent. However, further research suggests that the actual pharmacologically active agents are polymers of anethole, such as dianethole and photoanethole.

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Foeniculum vulgare Mill., commonly called fennel is one of the most popular perennial herbaceous plants used as herbal medicine and spices worldwide. It belongs to the family Umbelliferae or Apiaceae and is characterized by a distinct floral arrangement with an umbrella-like shape. In addition to other well-known Umbelliferae plants, such as carrot, celery, and angelica, fennel has been utilized ethnobotanically to cure various ailments, including gastrointestinal issues, hormonal disorders, reproductive, and respiratory diseases. This review aims to update the information on conventional usage, cultivation, phytopharmacological properties, and other applications of F. vulgare Mill. in animal husbandry. Ethnobotanical studies have shown its medicinal uses worldwide; some tribes have reported its medicinal uses and how they use different parts of the plant. Alkaloids, essential oils, phenols, fatty acids, and amino acids are examples of natural phytochemicals that have been characterized and biologically tested for their medicinal potential. Fennel has been used to treat ten categories of diseases over the last two decades. Pharmacological studies revealed that the Umbelliferae plant has antiviral, antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-anxiety, gastro-protective, estrogenic-like, cardiovascular, lipid, anti-mutagenic, anti-diabetic, anti-cancer activity, hepatoprotective, and memory-protective properties. Fennel extract is used as a potential phytogenic agent to enhance the productivity and quality of animal husbandry. Finally, the present study may provide up-to-date information on the medicinal application of F. vulgare from ethnobotanical and phytopharmacological perspectives and could be further explored to provide a broader benefit to humankind.
Feeding fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) seed as a potential appetite stimulant for Holstein dairy calves: Effects on growth performance and health
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This experiment was conducted to determine the effect of increasing dietary doses of fennel seed powder (FSP) on growth performance and health status in calves. Holstein calves (n = 48; 3 d of age; 36.3 ± 1.06 kg BW; mean ± SE) were allocated randomly to diets containing 0 (FSP0), 1.5 (FSP1.5), or 3 g/d (FSP3) FSP in milk (morning feeding; during the first month) and then in the starter feed (top-dressed; from d 31 until weaning on d 71). The calves remained in the trial until d 81. Weight gain and final BW were greater in FSP-supplemented calves compared with control calves. Heart girth and hip width gained more in FSP-supplemented calves compared with control calves. Body weight gain and frame growth were not affected by calf sex. The calves receiving FSP had a lower chance of having elevated rectal temperature (≥39.4°C) and a lower probability of suffering from diarrhea or pneumonia. The chance of having diarrhea, but not pneumonia, was greater in female calves. The chance of medication occurrence for diarrhea and pneumonia was not affected by FSP and calf sex. The FSP3 calves had shorter days with elevated rectal temperature (≥39.4°C) compared with the FSP1.5 (1.2 d; SEM = 0.10) and FSP0 (2.9 d; SEM = 0.10) calves. Days with diarrhea but not its frequency and medication days was shorter (4 d; SEM = 0.10) in the FSP-supplemented calves. Control calves experienced more days with pneumonia compared with calves fed FSP1.5 (3.1 d; SEM = 0.08) and FSP3 (5.4 d; SEM = 0.08). Calves fed FSP3 experienced shorter days (2.3 d; SEM = 0.08) with pneumonia compared with calves fed FSP1.5. Feeding FSP tended to decrease (1.6 d; SEM = 0.10) medication days for pneumonia compared with control group. The duration (2.2 d; SEM = 0.10) and medication days (1.3 d; SEM = 0.15) for diarrhea were higher in female calves compared with the male calves. Compared with the control calves, feeding 3 g/d of FSP may be more beneficial in improving the weight gain and skeletal growth (heart girth and hip width) and in reducing the susceptibility to and duration of diarrhea and pneumonia in dairy calves.
Facile preparation of Au nanoparticles mediated by Foeniculum Vulgare aqueous extract and investigation of the anti-human breast carcinoma effects
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This experiment evaluated antioxidant, anti-human breast cancer activities, and cytotoxicity effects of green synthesis of Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) containing Foeniculum Vulgare aqueous extract. Mixing Foeniculum Vulgare aqueous with Au chloride solution produced Au nanoparticles. The characteristics of Au nanoparticles determined using Fourier Transformed Infrared Spectroscopy (FT‐IR), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), UV–Visible Spectroscopy (UV–Vis), and Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE‐SEM). To check the cytotoxicity and anti-breast cancer effects of Au chloride, Foeniculum Vulgare aqueous extract, and AuNPs on common breast cancer cell lines i.e., ZR-75-30, T47D, and HCC1187 was used MTT assay. AuNPs showed no cytotoxicity and the most effective anti-breast cancer features compared to other items that were tested. They had no cytotoxic effects on normal cell line (HUVEC) and had very low cell viability, high anti-breast cancer activities dose-dependently against ZR-75-30, T47D, and HCC1187 cell lines. In the presence of butylated hydroxytoluene as the positive control, the DPPH test was used to evaluate the antioxidant features of Au chloride, Foeniculum Vulgare aqueous extract, and Au nanoparticles. AuNPs showed the best antioxidant properties compared to other items that were tested. Perhaps remarkable anti-human breast cancer activities of Au nanoparticles synthesized by Foeniculum Vulgare aqueous extract due to its antioxidant properties. After clinical trial and confirmation of results, this formulation can be used as an effective drug to treat breast cancer.
Hildegard of Bingen (c. 1098–1179) on sleep and dreams in her Causae et curae and Physica: a historical perspective
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Citation Excerpt :
Fennel is a flowering plant species of the carrot family, highly aromatic and flavourful, today mainly used in cooking. For millennia, fennel was used to improve digestion, reduce inflammation, relieve pain, increase milk production for breastfeeding mothers, promote menstruation and increase libido, acting as an estrogenic agent [36]. Yarrow is a flowering plant, known as herba militaris in antiquity for its use in staunching bleeding from wounds.
Saint Hildegard of Bingen (c. 1098–1179) was a 12th century Benedictine abbess, a visionary, a composer, a poet, a healer, and one of few medieval women who produced treatises on medicine. In her medical writings, Causae et curae and Physica, the abbess described, among other topics, physical functions and mechanisms of sleep, dreams and waking, emphasizing the importance of sleep for the human body. She regarded sleep as both a passive and an active process. Hildegard warned her readers about sleeping too little or too much, evaluated possible causes of insomnia and nightmares, and discussed potential treatments for these sleep disorders. In this paper, we analyze Hildegard's writings in the context of Greco–Roman physiological theories, which were held to the end of the Middle Ages and later. We also discuss questions concerning the abbess's putative education, the originality of her works, and the significance of her writings in the context of current knowledge on sleep medicine.
Pimpinella anisum and female disorders: A review
2021, Phytomedicine Plus
Pimpinella anisum (common names aniseed or anise) is an aromatic medicinal plant of the Apiaceae family, of which one of its main indications is the treatment of female disorders.
The aim of review was to collect the previous reports on potency of aniseed in management of female disorders.
We searched in electronic resources, books, thesis, and etc. up to April 2020 by using the following keywords: "aniseed", "female" and "anethole".
The results of 56 articles showed its effectiveness in treatment of postpartum after pain, menstrual pain, Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, hot flash, lactation and depression. The first characteristic of aniseed that helps its effectiveness in treatment of female disorders is its analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects. The estrogenic, antispasmodic and its inhibitory effects on prolactin secretion are the other mechanisms of actions. There is no clinical study for anti-cancer effects of aniseed, but apoptosis can occur in human breast cancer cells in its presence.
Aniseed essential oil and ethanol extract are responsible for its efficacy, and the results of clinical and animal studies are limited to its combination with other plant materials, or on special female disorders, so, larger clinical studies are required for evaluating the efficacy of anise essential oil or its ethanol extract on different female disorders.
Impact of phytoestrogens on treatment of urogenital menopause symptoms: A systematic review of randomized clinical trials
2021, European Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Reproductive Biology
Menopause symptoms affect the various dimensions of women's lives and they can lead to reduction of their quality of life. Phytoestrogens can be used as an approach to diminish these symptoms. The aim of this systematic review was to investigate the effect of phytoestrogens on the treatment of urogenital menopause symptoms.
PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, Cochrane library,Scopus and ProQuest were systematically searched from 2000–2020. All randomized clinical trials were included. The quality of the selected papers was evaluated by the CONSORT checklist.
33 eligible high-quality papers were reviewed. Various forms of phytoestrogens such as Pueraria Mirifica, fennel, Hop plant(Humuluslupulus L.), Glycine Max (L.) Merr, soy, red clover, black cohosh, ginsing, cimicifugaracemosa, genistein, diadzein, glycitein and isoflavone in the form of oral capsules and pill, food supplement, enriched powder, vaginal gel, cream and suppository could improve menopausal urogenital symptoms. The recovery rate in vaginal use of these phytoestrogens was greater than other consumptions.
After using a variety of phytoestrogens in different forms indicators of urogenital atrophy and urinary disorders improved and women's sexual function improved after treatment. The use of phytoestrogens as a safe, low-risk compared to hormone therapy and almost accessible method for women can relieve urogenital symptoms and promote the sexual satisfaction and quality of life.

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^*: Paper presented at the 20th Annual Meeting of the Society for Economic Botany, in Raleigh, North Carolina, June 10–13, 1979.

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Fennel and anise as estrogenic agents*

Summary

Cancer Research

Biochemical Journal

Dopaminergic drugs and ovulation

Advances in Biochemical Psychopharmacology

Oestrogenic activity of dianol, a dimeride of p-propenyl-phenol

Nature

The estrogenic activity of polymerized anol

Biochimica e Terapia Sperimentale

A simple oestrogenic agent with an activity of the same order as that of oestrone

Nature

Estrogenic activity of p-hydroxypropenyl-benzene (anol)

Nature

Oestrogenic activity of certain synthetic compounds

Nature

The artificial induction in the bovine by the subcutaneous implantation of synthetic estrogen tablets

Journal of Endocrinology

Artificial induction of lactation in bovines by oral administration of synthetic estrogens

Journal of Endocrinology

Journal of Dairy Science

Effect of anol and dihydrotheelin on mammogenic activity of the pituitary gland of rabbits