Aniseed

Other Names of Aniseed:

Anis
Anise Essential Oil
Pimpinella Anisum
Anisi Fructus
Shatpushpa
Phystoestrogen
Velaiti Saunf
Pinella
Semen Anis
Sweet Cumin

The anise is a perennial herbal plant that bears white colored flowers with small oblong seeds. The seeds of the anise plant carry a sweet fragrance and an almost licorice like flavor. The presence of the compound anethole in the seeds is what gives anise its distinctive aroma. Originally grown in the Mediterranean and Egypt, Anise is now found all over the world.

Aniseed is available in both whole as also ground forms and can be used to add flavor to a number of food items. Aniseed as an ingredient is used in cakes and confectionary, soft drinks and alcohol. Aniseed possesses properties that are stimulating, diuretic, expectorant, carminative, laxative, anti-spasmodic, and disphoretic. The benefits of aniseed are therefore wide ranging.

Nutritional Information and Properties

The nutritional value of aniseed (per 100gms) is:

Energy: 337 Kcal
Carbohydrates: 50.02 g
Protein: 17.60 g
Total Fat: 15.90 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Dietary Fiber: 14.6 g

Aniseed is high in vitamins such as folates, niacin, riboflavin, vitamin A, and vitamin C. It is also an important source of potassium, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, manganese and selenium. As a result, there are several health benefits of aniseed.

Health Benefits and Therapeutic Uses of Aniseed

You can use aniseed in many ways- the seeds can be cooked with, the herb can be infused and made into an aniseed tea or aniseed essential oil can be used to treat different ailments and medical problems.

Health benefits of aniseed include:

The essential oils present in aniseed make it an ideal cure for flatulence and to remove phlegm and catarrh in the bronchial passageways.
Boil water and add a teaspoon of aniseed to it. Leave this to infuse overnight. Strain and drink first thing in the morning with a little bit of honey. This cures indigestion and stomach pain.
Aniseed causes the body to perspire more and encourages urination thereby helping the body to detoxify by eliminating waste.
When taken twice a day (morning and night) over a sustained period of time, aniseed powder can reduce cataract in the eyes.
The expectorant property of this herbs helps relieve asthma symptoms.
Aniseed tea made by boiling water and steeping aniseed in it is an excellent cure for insomnia. To make it more palatable, you can add either honey or hot milk. Have this before going to bed for a sound night’s sleep.
The fungicidal properties of aniseed can help get rid of and prevent head lice.
The anethole present in aniseed essential oil improves the production of breast milk.
Aniseed can also be used as a mouth freshener.

Other Uses of Aniseed

There are no other significant uses of aniseed besides culinary and medicinal.

Precautions/Side Effects/Warnings

There are no serious side effects that come from consuming aniseed. However, high dosages may result in problems such as nausea, and vomiting. Drinking aniseed tea should be restricted to one cup a day on normal days. If you are feeling ill, under your doctor’s supervision you may increase it to thrice a day. This dosage and treatment should continue for a maximum of four days at a stretch. If you are on medications such as birth control pills, aniseed can reduce their efficacy. Additional forms of birth control along with the pill should be taken. Anise also reacts against estrogen pills and causes their efficacy to waver.