How to choose fennel? What are the benefits of fennel for men?

Selecting fennel

Good quality fennel is earthy yellow or yellow-green in color, shaped like rice, large and long, full in texture, bright and shiny, with a strong licorice aroma, and less stalks and impurities. In addition, you must look at the dryness and wetness of fennel. Usually, it is better to buy it in bulk. If it is bottled, you can turn the bottle upside down. If it flows smoothly, it is dry. If it feels sticky, it is a little damp. Bad fennel is green in color, uneven in size, and there will be a lot of impurities and dust when you pick it up. It smells bad and has no licorice aroma.

Efficacy and function

The seeds of fennel are used as a seasoning, and its stems and leaves also have an aroma and are often used as fillings for foods such as buns and dumplings. The main ingredient they contain is fennel oil, which can stimulate gastrointestinal nerves and blood vessels, promote the secretion of digestive juices, increase gastrointestinal motility, and eliminate accumulated gas, so it has the effect of strengthening the stomach and promoting qi; sometimes gastrointestinal motility will decrease after excitement, so it helps to relieve spasms and reduce pain.

In traditional Chinese medicine, it is warm in nature, pungent in taste, and enters the liver, kidney, spleen, and stomach meridians. It has the functions of warming the liver and kidney, warming the stomach qi, dispersing blockages, dispersing cold and relieving pain, regulating qi and harmonizing the stomach. It is used for abdominal pain caused by cold hernia, testicular prolapse, dysmenorrhea in women, cold pain in the lower abdomen, abdominal distension and pain, loss of appetite, vomiting, and diarrhea.

Fennel also has anti-ulcer, analgesic, sex hormone-like effects, etc. Fennel oil has different degrees of antibacterial effects. It can stimulate gastrointestinal nerves and blood vessels, promote the secretion of saliva and gastric juice, increase appetite, and help digestion. It is suitable for spleen and stomach deficiency and cold. It is used for food therapy for patients with colic and dysmenorrhea. The method of consumption is: take a small amount of fennel, stir-fry it, boil it in soup, remove the residue, then add rice and cook it into rice porridge for consumption.