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ANISE
Source: Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine
Author/s: Melissa C. McDade
Description
Anise, Pimpinella anisum, is a slow-growing annual herb of the parsley
family (Apiaceae, formerly Umbelliferae). It is related to other plants
prized for their aromatic fruits, commonly called seeds, such as dill,
cumin, caraway, and fennel. It is cultivated chiefly for its
licorice-flavored fruits, called aniseed. Although it has a licorice
flavor, anise is not related to the European plant whose roots are the
source of true licorice. It has been used as a medicinal and fragrant
plant since ancient times. The plant reaches from 1 to 3 ft (0.3 to 1 m)
in height when cultivated, and has finely-divided feather-like bright
green leaflets. The name Pimpinella (from the Latin dipinella) refers to
the pinnately divided form of the leaves. The plant bears white to
yellowish-white flowers in compound umbels (umbrella-like clusters). When
ripe, the fruits are 0.125 in (3 mm) long and oval-shaped with
grayish-green coloring.
While the entire plant is fragrant and tastes strongly of anise, it is the
aniseed fruit that has been highly valued since antiquity. Seed maturation
usually occurs one month after pollination, when the oil content in the
dried fruit is about 2.5%. Steam distillation of the crushed aniseed
yields from 2.5 to 3.5% of a fragrant, syrupy, essential, or volatile,
oil, of which anethole, present at about 90%, is the principal aromatic
constituent. Other chemical constituents of the fruit are creosol, alpha-pinene,
dianethole, and photoanethole. In addition to its medicinal properties,
anise is widely used for flavoring curries, breads, soups, cakes, candies,
desserts, nonalcoholic beverages, and liqueurs such as anisette. The
essential oil is valuable in perfumes and soaps and has been used in
toothpastes, mouthwashes, and skin creams.
Anise is endemic to the Middle East and Mediterranean regions, including
Egypt, Greece, Crete, and Turkey. It was cultivated and used by ancient
Egyptians, and used in ancient Greece and Rome, when it was cultivated in
Tuscany. Its use and cultivation spread to central Europe in the Middle
Ages, and today it is cultivated on a commercial scale in warm areas such
as southern Europe, Asia, India, North Africa, Mexico, and Central and
South America.
General use
The medicinal properties of anise come from the chemicals which are
present in the fruits. The anethole in anise helps to relieve gas and
settle an upset stomach. The use of anise to season foods, especially meat
and vegetable dishes, in many parts of the world may have originated as a
digestive aid. The Romans ate aniseed cake at the end of rich meals to
prevent indigestion. The chemicals creosol and alpha-pinene act as
expectorants, loosening mucus and making it easier to cough up. The
estrogenic action of anise is from the chemicals dianethole and
photoanethole, which act in a way similar to estrogen. The anise fruits
and the essential oil of anise contain these chemicals and can be used
medicinally. Aniseed can also be used to make an herbal tea which can help
relieve physical complaints.
As a medicinal plant, anise has been used as an antibacterial, an
antimicrobial, an antiseptic, an antispasmodic, a breath freshener, a
carminative, a diaphoretic, a digestive aid, a diuretic, an expectorant, a
mild estrogenic, a mild muscle relaxant, a parasiticide, a stimulant, and
a stomachic.
Anise may be helpful in the following conditions:
Anemia. Anise promotes
digestion, which may help improve anemia due to inefficient absorption of
iron.
Asthma. Essential oil of anise may be inhaled through the nose to help
ease breathing and relieve nasal congestion.
Bad breath. Use in mouthwash or tea to sweeten breath.
Bronchitis. Aniseed may be used as an expectorant and essential oil of
anise may be inhaled through the nose to help ease breathing and relieve
nasal congestion.
Catarrh. Drink aniseed tea to soothe mucous membranes.
Cold. Use as an expectorant and drink aniseed tea to soothe throat.
Colic. Drink anise tea to alleviate gas or use essential oil.
Cough. Use as an expectorant, especially for hard, dry coughs where
expectoration is difficult.
Croup. Use aniseed to alleviate a persistent cough in a child.
Emphysema. Essential oil of anise may be inhaled through the nose to help
ease breathing and relieve nasal congestion and tea with aniseed will
soothe mucous membranes.
Gas and gas pains. Drink aniseed tea to help relieve gas, gas pains, and
flatulence.
Menopause. Aniseed tea can help alleviate menopausal symptoms.
Morning sickness. Tea made from anise can help alleviate morning sickness
during pregnancy.
Nursing. Aniseed tea can help a nursing mother's milk come in.
Sore throat. Drink aniseed tea to alleviate pain of sore throat.
Preparations
Aniseeds. May be added to foods when cooking to flavor and aid digestion,
or may be taken whole in doses of 1-3 tsp of dried anise seeds per day.
Tea. Steep 1 tsp of crushed aniseeds in a cup of hot water. It may
be combined with fennel and caraway to help relieve gas and gas pains. To
help relieve a cough, add coltsfoot, marsh mallow, hyssop, and licorice to
the tea.
Essential oil. Preparations of essential oil of anise can be used
for inhalation. The essential oil may be taken orally at a dose of 0.01 oz
(0.3 g) per day. In addition, the liqueur anisette, which contains anise
essential oil, may be administered in hot water to help relieve problems
in the bronchial tubes, such as bronchitis and spasmodic asthma. One to
three drops of essential oil administered on sugar may help relieve colic.
Precautions
Persons allergic to anise or anethole, its main ingredient, should avoid
using aniseed or its essential oil. It is also possible to develop an
allergic sensitivity to anise.
Side effects
Although anise is generally considered safe, the side effects of its
estrogenic property have not been fully studied. Anise oil may induce
nausea, vomiting, seizures, and pulmonary edema if it is ingested in
sufficient quantities. Also, contact of the skin with the concentrated oil
can cause irritation.
It is important to note that Japanese Star Anise is not the same herb--it
is poisonous.
Interactions
No interactions have been reported.
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