Fennel Fruit Pharmacognosy 1 – Source, Family, Uses Welcome to our website here we are going to discuss here our main drug fennel so in this article articles the topics we are discussed in below are-fennel biological source, fennel family, Organoleptic Characters, Extra features, Microscopic characters, Chemical constituents, fennel uses, Adulterants, Tests, Varieties of fennel
Fennel
Fennel plant
Synonyms : for fennel are fennel fruits, fructus foeniculum. In different parts of India fennel called in different languages.
Fennel in hindi
In Hindi it is called saunf. Which are cremocarpous or mericarp and schizocarpic. This family fruits contains volatile oil. It has commissural surface.
Fennel biological source
Fennel consists of dried ripe fruits of a plant known as foeniculum vulgare. Miller, it is obtained by cultivation. It should contain not less than 1.5% 0f volatile oil.
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Fennel family
It belongs to the family of Umbelliferae.
Geographical distribution
Largely cultivation is seen in Romania, Russia, Germany, France, India and Japan. But if you see in india mostly grown in Gujarat, Punjab, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Uttar pradesh and west bengal.
Cultivation and collection
- The method used for cultivation of fennel is dibbling method.
- Around four to five seeds are sown at a short distance of a few cm.
- The soil suitable for cultivation is calcareous soil which contains calcium carbonate and is somewhat chalky.
- The plants are kept weed free and add fertilizers.
- When the fruits ripe. Harvesting is done then they are dried in the sun.
- Fruits are separated out by using a thrashing method.
Organoleptic Characters
- Colour : Green to yellowish
- Odour : sweet and aromatic
- Taste : strongly aromatic and Mucilaginous
- Size : 5 to 10 * 2 to 4 mm
- Shape : straight or slightly curved.
Extra features
- It is five sided fruit.
- Cremocarpous with pedicel and in the form of mericarp.
- Characteristic of of fruits are glabrous with straight, prominent, yellowish colored.
- It has five primary ridges around it and two commissural vittae and two dorsal vittae.
- The embryo is small, embedded in upper end with an oily endosperm.
Microscopic characters
- Presence of anomocytic stomata on epidermis of pericarp.
- Mesocarp has lignified, reticulate parenchyma.
- With parquetry arrangements of cells on inner epidermis of pericarp is another feature of drug.
- Vittate are brown in color, which secretes volatile oil.
- Endosperm is polyhedral thick walled cells contains fixed oil and aleurone grains. With minute rosette crystals of calcium oxalate.
- But trichomes and starch grains are absent.
Chemical constituents
- It consists of 3 to 8 % of volatile oi.
- 20% of proteins and fixed oil.
- The chief constituents of fennel are volatile oil which is ketone and fenchone. Somewhat phenolic ether, anethole.
- Fenchone is a colourless liquid with a pungent odour.
Fennel uses
- It is used as carminatives. Which removes gasses from G. I tract.
- It is aromatic and stimulant. Which stimulates the nervous system.
- Pharmaceutically it is used as expectorant. Which expels cough from respiratory tract.
- It is also used as flavouring agent.
Adulterants
Fennel can easily adulterated with exhausted fennel fruits. Which are easily determined by the following tests:
Tests
- Volatile oil from fennel fruit is treated with alcohol which releases typical odour like fusel oil. This types of fruits do not have fenchone in them.
- If the fruits are added with exhaudeted fruits then by using steam which converts into dark greenish brown color and have the traces of volatile oil which sinks in water. It is a clear indicates that fennel are adulterated or of bad quality.
Varieties of fennel
- Saxony
- Russian or rumanian
- French sweet or roman
- Indian
- Japanese
Also you can read:
Coriander Pharmacognosy 1 – Source, Uses, Tests link
Conclusion
I hope you get a clear idea about the drug fennel which is fruit. It used as carminative and expectorant. If you have any issue regarding any drugs or topics please convey us in comment section. Thank you for reading the article at the end. Best of luck for your studies.
