Fennel Seed
Overview
Fennel is a familiar seasoning and an old digestive. The Donguibogam describes the plant with a cook's eye: leaves like old coriander, very fine and thin, growing in clumps, with wheat-like blue-green fruit. The recorded virtues are digestive and warming: it opens the stomach, aids digestion, treats nausea and an unsettled abdomen, and "regulates the middle and warms the stomach." The entry also marks a distinction every reader of the Chinese herb trade meets: there is another kind, star anise (八角茴香), whose qi is "dry and fierce" and which is specifically used for lower-back pain. It notes that fennel is cultivated everywhere in Korea.
In the Donguibogam
寶鑑
Traditional uses recorded in the Donguibogam
- Opens the stomach, aids digestion
- Warms the middle
- Eases nausea and abdominal unease
- Eases lower-abdominal cold pain
Traditional applications recorded in the classical text
- Poor appetite and nausea
- Cold lower-abdominal pain
- Seasoning for rich dishes
Traditional preparation
Fruit harvested in the 8th–9th lunar month and shade-dried; soaked in wine overnight, stir-fried yellow, and crushed before use.
This describes traditional preparation recorded in the classics, not a recommendation for use today. DonguiHub does not provide dosage guidance — consult a qualified professional before using any herb.
Cautions
Frequently asked questions
Is star anise the same as fennel?
The text records star anise (八角茴香) as a separate kind whose qi is dry and fierce and is specifically used for lower-back pain.
Why is it soaked in wine?
The entry says it works well with wine ("得酒良"), and is soaked overnight and fried yellow before use.
Is fennel grown in Korea?
Yes — the text says it is cultivated everywhere in Korea.
Sources
- 『동의보감』 탕액편, 허준, 1613 (원문) — 한문 원문
- 한의학고전DB (mediclassics.kr) — 원문 및 국역 자료 참조