The medicinal power of bearroot or mountain fennel

Bearwort is a 60 cm high and 30 cm wide perennial plant that grows throughout Western and Central Europe. It belongs to the umbellifers and likes to grow in mountainous areas such as the Alps. The roots of mountain fennel are a commonly eaten vegetable in Scotland. In addition, mountain fennel is used as a medicine throughout Europe, for example for urinary tract problems. Mountain fennel does not grow wild in the Netherlands; you’ll have to breed it. The advantage is that it is a plant that you have little to worry about. NB! This article is written from the personal view of the author and may contain information that is not scientifically substantiated and/or in line with the general view.

Botanical drawing of mountain fennel / Source: Johann Georg Sturm (Painter: Jacob Sturm), Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

Contents:

• Naming
• Eating bear roots
• Five fun facts about mountain fennel
• Spread of bear root
• Mountain fennel in the vegetable garden
• Ingredients
• Dodoens about mountain fennel
• Traditional use in Europe

Naming

The Latin name we use in science for this medicinal plant is Meum athamanticum . In Dutch we say both bearwort and mountain fennel. An older name for this plant is pig’s root. The English name for this plant is baldmoney; it is dedicated to the Norse mythological God Baldr. In Germany the plant is called Bärwurz. In France, mountain fennel is called Fenouil des Alpes. The Latin word Meum comes from the Greek word ‘meon’ or ‘meion’ which means pork fennel. Athamanticum has Latin origins; it is more often used for plants, but it is not entirely clear where this name comes from.

Eating bear roots

The roots of bearwort are eaten. These roots can be collected in the months of September and October. In Scotland it is a truly ubiquitous custom to use the roots as a vegetable. They are eaten just like parsnips; the roots are boiled and eaten as is or added as an extra vegetable in a soup. The leaves can be used as a herb or addition to salads, soups and hot dishes. The leaves resemble dill in shape and have a very spicy taste. This leafy herb goes well together with chives in a herbal curd. The smell of the leaf is a kind of combination of anise and carrot, but its taste is quite bitter.

Mountain fennel / Source: André Karwath aka Aka, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA-2.5)

Five fun facts about mountain fennel

1. Bear root is sometimes also called meum.
2. A kilo of bear root powder easily costs more than 100 euros.
3. Chopped root of mountain fennel is sold as an aromatic and medicinal tea.
4. You can prepare mountain fennel in a herbal bitter or herbal liqueur. You can also make a tincture of mountain fennel with pure alcohol.
5. Mountain fennel leaves can be finely chopped and are delicious in herb butter

Mountain fennel is not only used for human medicine but also on animals.

Spread of bear root

Bearroot does not grow in the Netherlands and is rarely found in the Ardennes of Belgium, but even more so in the mountain areas of Europe such as the Pyrenees, the Vosges, the Alps, Northern Spain, the Apennines, the Scottish highlands and the Balkans. The plant has been successfully introduced in southern Norway. It particularly likes chalky soil and prefers to grow in wild grasslands and meadows.

Mountain fennel in the vegetable garden

Mountain fennel does not occur in the Netherlands, but this edible and medicinal plant could grow in a vegetable garden in the Netherlands. This very aromatic medicinal plant prefers moist soil and partial shade. Mountain fennel is sold in some garden centers. Mountain fennel likes to be next to a shrub or tree. It is not a spreading plant; it actually gives space to other plants. Mountain fennel blooms from May to August. You don’t have to worry much about this plant; it is an ideal plant for people who do not have much time to work in the vegetable garden. If the plants grow too large, you can split them and place them in another place, or give them to a gardening friend. You can save the seeds and grow them individually in a pot. The seeds should be sown as early as possible in the year, preferably when it is still cold. Growing a plant from seed is a slow process. It takes several years before mountain fennel has beautiful full foliage.

Ingredients

Essential oils are an important component in medicinal plants. According to Spanish research from 2004, mountain fennel contains the following essential oils: betaocimene, gammaterpinene, terpinolene and p-cymene. The Spanish researchers saw that mountain fennel in Spain has different proportions of essential oils than mountain fennel from France and Germany. This is a known fact. Any soil, environment and growing conditions give rise to changes in proportions of compositions of medicinal substances. It also contains caffeic acid derivatives as active ingredients.

Dodoens about mountain fennel

Rembert Dodoens, the pioneering herbalist from the Netherlands in the 17th century, described that bear root was already known in ancient Greece. According to Pliny, the ancient Romans used it for kidney problems; it can discharge excess fluid from the body, Dodoens described. Furthermore, it is a warming agent that makes ‘Cramps and rumblings’ in the stomach disappear, as Dodoens noted in his Cruyde book that he published in 1644. It was also prescribed in his time to treat fever and other ailments suffered by mothers. Moreover, Dodoens agreed with Galen, a pioneer in medicine, that the roots of mountain fennel should not be eaten in excess because the heat they emit can lead to pain in the head.

Raw milk that comes from a cow that has eaten mountain fennel is very aromatic.

Traditional use in Europe

In folk medicine, bear root is a medicine for menstrual problems and urinary tract disorders. It is a diuretic, which means that it is a diuretic. In addition, it is used for catthar, hysteria and stomach diseases, at least according to English herbal medicine. In the Middle Ages in Germany it was seen as a plant that was good for the bladder, urinary tract, liver and kidneys. It was used for dropsy or edema, jaundice, painful intestines and bladder stones. In the Black Forest in Germany, the cows eat a lot of mountain fennel, which gives the cheese from this milk an extra tasty taste. In Germany there is the medicinal herbal honey called Bärwurzbirnenhonig. This literally means: mountain fennel pear honey. It is made from honey from bees to which herbs such as mountain fennel have been added, mixed with a puree of pears. Furthermore, mountain fennel has a healing effect on stomach ulcers, digestive problems and menstrual problems. Hildegard van Bingen wrote that mountain fennel was good for gout, but she stands alone in this statement.