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Aniseed
(Pimpinella anisum)
COMMON NAMES: Anise plant, aniseed, common anise.
MEDICINAL PART: Seed.
DESCRIPTION: Anise is an annual plant that occurs wild but is widely cultivated. The spindle-shaped, thin, woody root sends up a round, grooved, branched stem up to 1 1/2 feet high. The lowest leaves are round-cordate and long-petioled, the middle leaves are pinnate, and those at the top are incised into narrow lobes. The small, white flowers appear in compound umbels during July and August. The downy, brown, ovate fruited is about 1/8 inch long and ripens during August and September. The whole plant has a fragrant odor, and the seeds taste sweet when chewed.
PROPERTIES AND USES: Antispasmodic,
aromatic, carminative, digestive, expectorant, stimulant, stomachic,
tonic. Anise promotes digestion, improves appetite, alleviates cramps
and nausea, and relieves flatulance and. especially in infants, colic.
Anise water promotes milk production in nursing mothers, and during the
2 a.m. feeding you can also use it as a soothing eyewash. Anise is
also said to promote the onset of menstruation when taken as an infusion.
Anise oil helps relieve cramping and spasms and is good as a stomach tonic.
For insomnia, take a few seeds in a glass of hot milk before going to bed.
Anise can also be made into a salve to use for scabies or lice. A
tea made from equal parts of anise, caraway, and fennel makes an excellent
intestinal purifier. Because of its
sweetness, anise is a great
additive to improve the flavor of other medicines.
Anise is one of the old-fashioned
herbs, and has many valuable properties. It will prevent fermentation and
gas in the stomach and bowels, and check griping in the bowels when taken
as a hot tea. Anise is a very good stomach remedy to overcome nausea and
colic.
It is useful to mix with or
take other herbs to give them a palatable flavor.
PREPARATION AND DOSAGE: Alcohol extracts the medicinal properties of anise more effectively than water.
Infusion: Use 1 tsp. crushed seed to 1/2 or 1 cup boiling water. Steep 10 minutes and strain. Take 1 to 1 1/2 cups during the day, a mouthful at a time.
Decoction: For colic, boil 1 tbsp. seed in 1/2 pint milk for 10 minutes; strain and drink hot.
Tincture: To prepare, add 2
oz. seed to 1/2 qt. brandy. Add some clean lemon peels and let it
stand in a sunny place for 20 days,
then strain. Take 1 tsp.
at a time.
Anise water: Boil 1/2 tsp. seed in a half pint of water, then strain.
