Foeniculum vulgare Mill. A Medicinal Herb

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 compoundsfatty 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 .