Dietary modifications for infantile colic.
Currently, evidence of the effectiveness of dietary modifications for the treatment of infantile colic is sparse and at significant risk of bias.PubMed 30306546 ↗
Open Source Apothecary At Home / The herbs
Fennel
The colic herb with real infant trials — and the one you should not give to an infant without asking. — Foeniculum vulgare
remedyFennel (Foeniculum vulgare) is grown for its seed and is the standard carminative in both adult and infant colic preparations.
Where the evidence is strongest. Fennel seed preparations have randomised trial evidence in infant colic, usually in combination with other herbs, showing reductions in crying time. Fennel also has trial evidence in dyspepsia and as a carminative for bloating — a plausible and long-standing use given that fennel seed oil relaxes smooth muscle.
The infant caveat is important and specific. The trials exist, but giving an herbal preparation to a young infant is a medical decision, not a household one, because an infant's presentation is hard to read and colic is sometimes something else — reflux, a feeding problem, a cow's-milk-protein issue, or a urinary infection. Talk to a health visitor or clinician before giving a colicky baby fennel. The evidence for fennel does not remove the need to rule out the other causes first.
Estragole is the other consideration. Fennel contains estragole, which is genotoxic in animal studies at high doses. The exposure from normal culinary and tea use is low and not a concern; prolonged high-dose concentrated fennel extracts are a different matter, particularly in children.
Growing it is easy, and it self-seeds enthusiastically — fennel and dill should be kept apart if you want seed that comes true, as they cross readily.
What the studies found
A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial of a standardized extract of Matricariae recutita, Foeniculum vulgare and Melissa officinalis (ColiMil) in the treatment of breastfed colicky infants.
The present study shows that colic in breastfed infant improves within 1 week of treatment with an extract based on Matricariae recutita, Foeniculum vulgare and Melissa officinalis.PubMed 16041731 ↗
The effect of fennel (Foeniculum Vulgare) seed oil emulsion in infantile colic: a randomized, placebo-controlled study.
Our study suggests that fennel seed oil emulsion is superior to placebo in decreasing intensity of infantile colic.PubMed 12868253 ↗
Benefit of supplements in functional dyspepsia after treatment of Helicobacter pylori.
Perdiges is significantly effective in the period following treatment to eradicate the infection from H. pylori in patients with functional dyspepsia.PubMed 25384804 ↗
Medicinal Plants in Food Supplements for Gastrointestinal Disorders: Critical Assessment of Health Claims on Gastric Acid Regulation.
This work contributes to the critical evaluation of plant-based FSs for digestive health, emphasizing the need for standardized preparations, harmonized health claim assessment, and further clinical research to establish efficacy and safety.PubMed 41373965 ↗
Growing it
| | | |---|---| | Life | Biennial to short-lived perennial | | Propagation | Direct-sow; self-seeds readily | | Light | Full sun | | Soil | Any reasonable, well-drained soil | | Spacing | 30-45 cm | | Harvest seed | When seed heads brown and dry | | Harvest bulb | Florence fennel, before bolting | | Dry | Seed heads in a paper bag |
- Keep fennel away from dill if you want either to come true — they cross readily
- Harvest seed heads into a bag as they brown, then dry fully
- Self-seeds vigorously; one plant is usually enough
Preparation
Seed tea — 1 teaspoon crushed seed per cup, 5-10 minutes. Crush the seed first.
For bloating and dyspepsia — after meals, often blended with peppermint and chamomile.
Infant colic — only after discussing it with a clinician. The trials used specific preparations in specific populations.
Chewing the seed — the traditional after-dinner use; genuinely works as a breath freshener and carminative.
Florence fennel bulb — a vegetable, treated differently from the seed.
Seed for cooking — the most common and safest use.
Cautions and interactions
- Do not give fennel to a colicky infant without talking to a clinician first — colic is sometimes another diagnosis.
- Fennel contains estragole — avoid prolonged high-dose concentrated extracts, particularly in children.
- Avoid medicinal doses in pregnancy without advice.
- Oestrogenic activity in vitro — caution with hormone-sensitive conditions.
- Fennel may interact with anticoagulants and with ciprofloxacin.
When this is not a self-care problem — get help
- A baby with poor feeding, weight loss, blood in the stool, or vomiting that is forceful — medical assessment; this is not colic.
- Any infant under three months with a fever — emergency assessment.
Related
Sources
- Dietary modifications for infantile colic. The Cochrane database of systematic reviews 2018; doi:10.1002/14651858.CD011029 PubMed 30306546
- A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial of a standardized extract of Matricariae recutita, Foeniculum vulgare and Melissa officinalis (ColiMil) in the treatment of breastfed colicky infants. Phytotherapy research : PTR 2005; doi:10.1002/ptr.1668 PubMed 16041731
- The effect of fennel (Foeniculum Vulgare) seed oil emulsion in infantile colic: a randomized, placebo-controlled study. Alternative therapies in health and medicine 2003; PubMed 12868253
- Benefit of supplements in functional dyspepsia after treatment of Helicobacter pylori. Minerva gastroenterologica e dietologica 2014; PubMed 25384804
- Medicinal Plants in Food Supplements for Gastrointestinal Disorders: Critical Assessment of Health Claims on Gastric Acid Regulation. Nutrients 2025; doi:10.1002/ptr.7563 PubMed 41373965