Foeniculum vulgare .Mill. commonly known as Fennel belonging to the family Apiaceae, is a small, erect and aromatic herb. A number of chemical constituents and various therapeutic effects of this herb have been reported by different workers. Extensive investigations have been carried out on different parts of herb and as a consequence, varied classes of compounds fatty acids, hydrocarbons and sterols, Furocoumarins; (imperatorin, psoralen, bergapten, xanthotoxin and isopimpinellin), Flavonoids; (isorhamnetin 3-O-α-rhamnoside, quercetin and kaempferol) and quercetin; (3-O-rutinoside, kaempferol 3-O-rutinoside and quercetin 3-O- β-glucoside) have been isolated. So, it has been used in ethnomedicine to exploit its medicinal properties including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antifungal, antibacterial, antinociceptive, anti-inflammatory and antiviral activities. The presented review summarizes the information about the ethnopharmacology, toxicity, phytochemistry and biological activity of F. vulgare.
In this review the detailed information as presented on the phytochemicals and various biological properties of the F. vulgare. Historically, F. vulgare has been used for the number of ethnobotanical purposes. At present, F. vulgare has become an important source of medicine for curing various human and animal diseases. A part from exploring possibilities to prepare standardized drugs by using different plant parts of F. vulgare i.e. production of tea by using its fruits should be promoted as a laxative for children at home as well as commercial scale. Hence, extensive research is required to find out the mechanisms of action as well as bioactivity of the various phytochemicals and efficacy of the medicinal values of F. vulgare. Thus in the near future F. vulgare extracts could be further exploited as a source of useful phytochemical compounds and may play a very important role in modern system of medicine.