The Anise

It was at a market in Forcalquier, in Haute-Provence, that an herbalist handed me a sprig of wild fennel freshly picked from the hills. She told me about anethole, the molecule that gives fennel its anise-like fragrance, and its digestive properties known since Antiquity. Chewing on the bulb, I felt this powerful and sweet flavor at once that immediately soothed my stomach. I had found a lifelong ally. Pure fennel juice is a concentrated essence of anise sweetness that acts within minutes on bloating, gas, and digestive cramps. Hippocrates already prescribed it for colic in infants.

Digestive problems? Read my article on the 4R protocol to restore the intestines and assess your tissue acidosis.

Bioactive molecules

Fennel owes its anise flavor to anethole, a terpene that exerts an antispasmodic action on the smooth muscles of the digestive tract¹. Anethole also inhibits TNF-alpha, a major pro-inflammatory cytokine². Fennel is rich in potassium (414 mg/100 g), in gentle fibers, and in vitamin C³. It is the juice for bloating, infant colic (through the nursing mother), intestinal spasms, and slow digestion⁴.

Fennel owes its anise flavor to anethole, a terpene that exerts an antispasmodic action on the smooth muscles of the digestive tract. Anethole inhibits TNF-alpha, a major pro-inflammatory cytokine (Chainy et al., ‘Anethole Blocks Both Early and Late Cellular Responses Transduced by Tumor Necrosis Factor,’ Oncogene 19, no. 25 (2000): 2943-2950). Fennel also contains quercetin (5-10 mg/100g) and potassium (414 mg/100g). Its essential oil has carminative properties that reduce bloating and intestinal gas. It is also a gentle phytoestrogen plant that supports female hormonal balance, particularly during the premenstrual period.

Pure fennel is the ultimate flat-belly juice. It reduces gas and bloating spectacularly, often in less than 30 minutes. It is also a valuable ally for women during their premenstrual period thanks to its gentle phytoestrogen properties. A glass after a meal and digestion becomes a pleasure.

Table of key micronutrients

Micronutrient	Main role
Anethole	Antispasmodic, carminative, gentle phytoestrogen
Potassium	Alkalizing, combats water retention
Organic iron	Replenishes reserves, oxygen transport
Vitamin C	Iron absorption, immune support
Quercetin	Anti-inflammatory, natural antihistamine
Calcium	Reduces digestive and menstrual cramps

Preparation with an extractor

Ingredients:

• 2 fennel bulbs (white part only)
• 1 green apple
• 1/2 peeled lemon

Cut off the green parts of the fennel (stems, feathery fronds): they are bitter and give an unpleasant taste to the juice. Keep only the white bulb, cut into quarters. If the anise flavor is too strong for you, add half an apple to sweeten it while you get used to it.

What I personally think

This juice represents my madeleine moment. As a child, I drank anise syrups when leaving school at my grandmother’s place in Charente. Every time I make a fennel juice, I associate that moment of pleasure with this sweet memory. The anise flavor of fennel takes me directly back to her kitchen, the glass of syrup sitting on the oilcloth, the smell of the garden through the open window.

My recommended extractor

For this recipe, I use the Hurom H320N. Cold pressing preserves all the enzymes, vitamins, and phytonutrients that the heat of a centrifuge would destroy.

Promo code: francoisbenavente20 for -20% off everything on Hurom.

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