Full Moon in Virgo— Spotlight on Fennel

Today’s Full Moon in Virgo is more tense than most, due to other transits happening at the same time: When Luna opposes the Sun, she will also be squaring an argumentative Mars in Gemini. Ponderous Saturn is entering Pisces on the same day, losing lots of dignity after having been comfortable for so long in her own signs for several years.  Venus and Mercury are both in detriment, and peregrine Jupiter is just hanging on to hope by a fingernail. It’s enough to give anyone indigestion! And speaking of indigestion, if you are experiencing this ailment, this month’s focus plant, Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) may be able to help you!

Virgo is ruled by Mercury, and Fennel is also attributed to Mercury.  The ancients did not always assign plants to zodiacal signs; usually they only assigned planets.  However, in this case, Virgo is explicitly mentioned along with Mercury.  Perhaps this is because Virgo rules the intestines, and Fennel has such a helpful presence in that part of the body.  Fennel also has nerve-calming, antispasmodic actions, and Mercury is also commonly associated with the brain and the nervous system.

As a quick tangent— I find it fascinating that our astrological ancestors gave the same planet (Mercury) to both the brain and to the sign that rules the guts, centuries before modern science learned about the gut-brain connection.  If you had asked a doctor 60 years ago if the nervous system and intestines were directly connected and affected each other clinically, they would have scoffed.  Now we know better!  But ancient astrologers made the symbolic connection, centuries before anyone knew anything about “neurotransmitters” or “microbiota.”  (I will never stop being amazed by these kinds of connections!)

While I am in the mood to be amazed, let me also express gratitude for the wonderful Fennel plant. Like its sign, Virgo, who loves to be of service, the entire Fennel plant is abundantly helpful, from leaf to bulb to seed.  It is delicious as a vegetable; try this recipe for Fennel au gratin, one of my favorites! The only change I would add to the recipe is to sprinkle fresh fennel leaves on top. The leaves add more flavor and are a lovely garnish. In fact, go ahead and garnish those delicate Fennel leaves on everything: salads, toast, crackers & cheese, sandwiches… They are lovely!  Fennel seeds are also excellent as a spice, giving a warm, earthy flavor with a tasty pungency that makes itself felt without being overpowering.

The plant as food is delightful, but the Fennel seeds are usually what herbalists focus on for its more potent, medicinal actions. (OK, my Virgo friends, let us be technically correct! What we call the “seeds” are actually the fruit of the plant! Does it bother you that so many people widely use the wrong terminology for things like this? I don’t have strong Virgo placements, so I wouldn’t know.)

Fennel Seed Materia Medica Data

Family: Apiaceae (Umbelliferae)

Energetics: warming, moistening, tonifying

Astrological rulers: Mercury and Virgo

Properties: stomachic, carminative, digestive tonic, expectorant, analgesic, antifungal, antispasmodic, antiviral, aromatic, diuretic, galactagogue, cholagogue

Incomplete list of ailments traditionally treated: indigestion, flatulence, bronchitis, dry coughs, endocrine balancing, nausea, metabolic syndrome, low energy, helps digest fats, sluggish liver, bloating, increase breast milk production, catarrh, thins mucous, colic, gout, jaundice, menstrual cramps, irritable bowl syndrome (IBS)

History

Fennel is a very old herb, known for its healing powers at least as far back as Dioscorides (died c.90 CE). I would guess that it was probably in use medicinally even for centuries earlier than that, since he mentions that the Egyptians, Magi, Romans, and Gauls all used fennel as well.  Fennel’s beneficence is obvious when you eat it. You can feel an immediate sense of uplifting, penetrating warmth and sweetness. I would not be surprised if humans’ earliest ancestors knew and loved Fennel’s earliest ancestors, and if it was one of the plants that we co-evolved with quite closely over time.

Hildegaard von Bingen (1098-1179) said, “In whatever way [Fennel] is eaten, it makes a person happy.” She recommends it for a broad range of conditions: bad breath, insomnia, sinus infections (she recommended breathing in the steam), indigestion, depression, postpartum healing, and (everyone’s favorite) tumors of the penis. I have yet to try that last one, I must admit.

Nicholas Culpepper (1616-1654) is the one who explicitly assigned Fennel to both Mercury and Virgo. His train of logic was that common knowledge dictated to cook fish with fennel, “for it consumes that phlegmatic humour, which fish most plentifully afford and annoy the body with, though few that use it know wherefore they do it; I suppose the reason of its benefit this way is because it is an herb of Mercury, and under Virgo, and therefore bears antipathy to Pisces.” (And of course, Pisces rules fish.)  Culpepper claims Fennel’s usefulness for flatulence, kidney stones, increasing mother’s milk, hiccups, loss of appetite, snake bites, food poisoning, jaundice, gout… and the list goes on!

One interesting application mentioned by many ancient writers is the use of the sap of Fennel plants for eye medication, to clear cloudy eyesight.  Some varieties of Fennel plant have sap that is milky white and abundant, and those are the varieties recommended by authors for this purpose.  Modern herbalists tend to focus mostly on Fennel’s helpfulness for digestion and pain; I didn’t see anything modern referring to the eyes. It makes me wonder what the exact condition the ancients were treating. Cataracts? Conjunctivitis? I am curious.

How to Work with Fennel

Fennel is fantastic for digestion, and it has a particular speciality in supporting the digestion of fats.  Whenever I am required by social pressure to go to a pizza party, I munch a teaspoon of Fennel seeds before I leave, and then another when I get back home.  This helps greatly in preventing the stomach ache and bloating I would otherwise normally suffer after a meal of that oil-heavy, highly processed, tasty but pain-inducing, salt bombing monster that modern Americans like to call “pizza.”  (Italians must be so chagrined at what we’ve done to their food!)

In addition to supporting digestion, Fennel also has gentle relaxing and nerve-supporting powers that can result in a reduction of pain in other parts of the body. It calms spasms and shushes screaming inflamed nerves, leading to an overall reduction in both pain and anxiety. If someone is feeling fretful, unsettled, and “twitchy,” which leads to sore, tense muscles and the inability to relax, Fennel can be a helpful friend. It can calm and soothe, without making you groggy or sleepy. In fact, Fennel can help with mental alertness, due to its nerve-supporting talents.  

Fennel has a noticeable balancing effect on the appetite. When someone has lost their appetite due to anxiety, Fennel can help coax it back. But it can also help when the appetite is too high or occurring at the wrong time, distracting you from your work when it is not yet time to eat.  Fennel can also assist with feeling satisfied after you have already eaten. It is kind of “modulatory” this way. One of the stereotypes associated with Virgo is that they want things to be done in the right way, at the right time, and in the right place.  We can see an association here with the Virgoan herb, Fennel, as it helps sort and organize the body’s cravings, keeping them manageable and in their proper places.

Preparation

The easiest way to get Fennel into you is simply to eat the seeds. They taste yummy, and even though they are a bit spicy, they are not at all overwhelming. They aren’t too tough to chew in most cases, and the fiber that does exist should be helpful as roughage in your system.

You can also prepare Fennel seed in a tincture, syrup, oil, or vinegar, depending on how you’d like to apply it.  This month, to work with Fennel, I am making a salad dressing and a Fennel syrup! Would you like to join me, in honor of this Virgo Full Moon?

French Vinaigrette Salad Dressing

I apologize to my Virgo friends that I don’t have exact measurements for this recipe. My moon is in Pisces, and I tend to just “guess-timate” when I cook. I need a Virgo around, to help me be less sloppy! But meanwhile, here we are…

• Dried spices: fennel seed, mustard seed, basil, thyme, garlic, lemon peel, tarragon, rosemary, and pepper. I put them all in a spice mill and gave it a few pulses to chop them up finely but not into powder.

• White Vinegar

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil

• Splash of honey

I found a pretty decanter on sale a few days ago (image below), and I’m using it for this recipe. But you could use a jar as well. Simply pour in the vinegar and olive oil in roughly equal measure.  Add the herbs and honey, shake it all well, and let it sit on the counter!  Shake it again every time you’re ready to pour it onto your salad!

Fennel Syrup

• 2 tablespoons Fennel seeds, crushed lightly

• 2 cups water

• 1-1/2 cups honey or sugar

Boil the seeds in the water and let the liquid reduce down to half. (You should have one cup of liquid left.) Strain out the seeds.  Add the honey or sugar to the liquid and stir until completely dissolved. Err on the side of too much honey, as this is what keeps the syrup shelf stable.  If there is too much water in the mixture, it will mold. (This is where having more of those Virgo superpowers of precision would really be useful. I’ve ruined several syrups with my “eyeball it” approach. 🙁)

Fennel Syrup could be taken straight, like a cough syrup, for its antispasmodic qualities. It could also be taken during a flu to help with digestive troubles that arise. Or you can mix it into your tea to sweeten it and add those soothing, warming Fennel qualities.

Enjoy!