Fennel: What Do We Really Know?

Modern research supports some traditional uses of fennel, but it also shows why the exact preparation and safe use matter. The strongest human evidence concerns menstrual pain, while a controlled study also supports a specifically formulated fennel seed oil emulsion...

Where Does Fennel Have the Strongest Evidence?

Fennel has a more substantial clinical evidence base than many medicinal herbs, particularly in menstrual pain and infantile colic. One of the best-studied areas is primary dysmenorrhea – painful menstrual cramps. Clinical trials have found reductions in menstrual...

What Gives Fennel Its Power?

Fennel contains two quite different groups of natural compounds, depending on whether we look at its extracts or its essential oil. Alcoholic and hydroalcoholic extracts of Foeniculum vulgare are rich in polyphenols. Important compounds include vanillic, chlorogenic...

Where Does Calendula Have the Strongest Evidence?

Calendula is particularly interesting because its strongest human evidence concerns something it has traditionally been associated with for generations: the skin and wound healing. Clinical studies have investigated calendula creams and ointments for several types of...

Sage: What Do We Really Know?

Modern research provides some encouraging evidence for sage, but it also shows why the exact preparation matters. Among the uses examined in humans, menopausal symptoms – particularly hot flushes and sweating – have some of the clearest clinical support for...