#SweetFennel

Sweet fennel, known locally as เทียนข้าวเปลือก, weaves together Thai herbal tradition and contemporary science. In markets and family kitchens, its dried seeds have long supported digestion, women’s health, and respiratory comfort. Now, international research is increasingly clarifying how these traditional uses align with evidence-based medicine.

Historically, Thai healers relied on tian khao pleuak to calm digestive upset, relieve abdominal discomfort, and freshen breath after meals. In rural communities, elders often brew fennel tea for infants’ colic and for adults with tummy troubles. The seeds’ oils are also blended in traditional remedies to ease flatulence and aid postpartum recovery. Thai traditional medicine views fennel as balancing the body’s wind element, a concept echoed in Thai culture and wellness practices.

From bustling Thai markets with the intoxicating aroma of herbs to age-old remedies passed across generations, few herbal medicines weave as rich a tapestry of tradition and science as เทียนข้าวเปลือก (tian khao pleuak), internationally known as sweet fennel or by its botanical name, Foeniculum vulgare Miller subsp. var. vulgare. Renowned locally as “ยี่หร่าหวาน” or “เทียนแกลบ,” this versatile spice and medicinal plant sits at a fascinating crossroads—honored by Thai healers for its soothing properties and now increasingly validated by global pharmacological research.