One in five Americans suffer from an auto-immune disease and most auto-immune diseases involve inflammation. 

People who suffer from immune-related inflammation may find relief from products and supplements that contain fennel, specifically from the  Foeniculum vulgare  species of fennel.

Science has described the onset of auto-immune disease as either the success or failure of bacteria, especially Gram-negative bacteria.

While many peer-reviewed studies point to the health benefits of fennel seeds, this blog goes deeper to given the positive results of fennel against Gram-negative bacteria and the role that said bacteria play in auto-immune disease, the marketing opportunities for supplements that are, at the very least, fennel-based seems lucrative.  A Closer Look at Fennel Seed Advantages

Fennel seed has a long and rich history as a medicinal herb. It is used to treat many different ailments range from colic in babies to treatment for cancer and most importantly as a curative for digestive problems such as irritable bowel syndrome.  

A peer-reviewed journal article that appeared in the Korean Journal of Physical Pharmacology and that was found on the US National Library of Medicine's site goes into great detail about the medicinal uses of  Foeniculum vulgare - fennel.

Studies show fennel seed benefits

The deeper focus of the study is the way that fennel regulates pro-inflammatory immune substances such as those within the family of cytokines.

The result is that fennel blocks LPS-induced inflammation  (caused by or induced by Lipopolysaccharides.) [1]

Inflammation — A natural immune response

Lipopolysaccharides are molecules that form the outer membranes of Gram-negative bacteria. Within the human body and the body's of other animals, lipopolysaccharides trigger amazingly strong immune responses.

Not only do these bacteria cause an immune reaction but they also are linked to auto-immune disease and to obesity. 

The study that we discuss in this article does not touch upon obesity as a condition that health benefits of fennel seeds address.

This article focuses on the auto-immune disease and inflammation response from the immune system and how the health benefits of fennel seeds improve inflammation.

Acute Lung Injury and  Lipopolysaccharides

As noted in the study, Acute Lung Injury has a marked characteristic that involves an unbalanced inflammatory response including neutrophilic inflammation which is a type of inflammation that is exacerbated by lipopolysaccharides from Gram-negative bacteria. 

The study used a methanolic extract from the fruit of fennel (F.  vulgare )  and noted that when given orally, there was a decrease in malondialdehyde levels. Malondialdehyde is naturally occurring and is a sign of oxidative stress especially with those people who suffer from cancer. 

The health benefits of fennel seeds are many, but for those people who suffer from inflammation that involves Gram-negative bacteria, such as with bacterial pneumonia and potentially with diseases such as Interstitial lung disease, fennel may prove to offer health benefits. Interstitial lung disease often presents with an auto-immune response. 

Note: Acute Lung Injury and Gram-negative bacteria are different from cold and flu which are caused by a virus and not a bacteria. The focus here is on the many forms of bacteria within the digestive track and how those bacteria potentially cause auto-immune disease. For example, E. coli (Gram-negative) lives in specific parts of the intestines, but what happens when it escapes to other areas of the digestive track. 

Auto-Immune Disease in America

There are many auto-immune diseases and many are quite common in occurrence.

Somewhere around 1.5 million people suffer from rheumatoid arthritis, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC.) Overall, the Auto-Immune Related Disease Association estimates that some 50 million Americans suffer from an auto-immune disease.

To break that down, that is roughly one out of every five Americans. Making the potential auto-immune marketplace huge. 

Other auto-immune diseases include:

• Systemic Lupus
• Celiac disease
• Hashimoto's Thyroiditis
• Graves' disease
• And many others.

Scientists are not sure how many of these diseases start but there is greater evidence that at least some of these diseases are initiated by some relationship between the body and gut bacteria. [2]

What all of this data points to is a huge opportunity to market fennel as a supplement that helps to address auto-immune diseases.  

In fact, smart marketing might include an entire suite of auto-immune supplements that utilize a variety of products.

The goal would be a one-stop-shop kind of unit that specifically targets people who suffer from auto-immune diseases much the same way that supplements and OTC medicines target those people who suffer from cold and flu. EmaxHelath suggests that Americans spend some $2.9 Billion each year on cold OTC cold products.[3]. 

Auto-immune related diseases are life changing. People suffer from pain, loss of mobility, increased stress, related health issues, and can even die from the diseases that stem from an auto-immune response.

Fennel seed supplements not only has potential to help but it is cheaper than traditional medicines, has fewer side effects, and can complement traditional therapies. The benefits of fennel seeds may improve the quality of life of millions of people who suffer from auto-immune diseases