Anise - so sweet and gentle - and with sexy undertones! Ohh la la!

BACKGROUND / DESCRIPTION

anise Anise, also known as aniseed, is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae native to the Middle East, eastern Mediterranean region and Southwest Asia.

Anise is a herbaceous annual plant, which grows about 18 - 24 inches tall. It has feathery leaves, the lower leaves are broad, toothed and triangular with upper leaves that are smaller, divided and narrow. It has umbrella-like clusters of dainty, creamy-white flowers and thin roots. The seeds are grey-green to brownish, ribbed and ovate, measuring .08 -.16 in long and they have the sweet flavor of licorice and the aroma of sweet fennel.

The early Arabic name was anysum from which was derived the Greek anison and the Latin anisun. It is one of the oldest known spice plants used both for culinary and medicinal purposes since ancient times. The therapeutic virtues of the anise have been known since the ancient times. Anise's carminative properties have been known since antiquity. There is evidence that anise was used in Egypt as early as 1500 B.C and it was well known to the Greeks, being mentioned by Dioscorides and Pliny and was cultivated in Tuscany in Roman times. In the Middle Ages its cultivation spread to Central Europe. Pythagoras claimed that “the anise enhanced man's strength, cured insomnia, stimulated appetite, made men more fertile and facilitated digestion”.

As food, the anise is used for cooking sweet and spicy dishes. It has been used as an aphrodisiac since the Greeks' time. Medical tests have confirmed that anise seeds intensified lust (good to know for that special evening!!). This is reference to the ‘sexy undertones’ in case anyone reading this isn’t bright enough to get the hint! :-) Make some anise tea to accompany that ‘special’ dinner - you should get some nice results (unless of course you ruin the supper).

As a ripe fruit or as juice, it is recommended for curing asthenia and for stimulating suckling mothers' lactation. Anise it is a medicine plant recommended for curing nervous asthenia, migraines, vertigo, rheumatism, cough, bronchial asthma, gastric pains, and slow digestion.

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Thinking about it - this might be useful for acid reflux as it helps in digestion and has a calming affect.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a condition in which the stomach contents leak backwards from the stomach into the esophagus. This action can irritate the esophagus, causing heartburn and other symptoms. When you eat, food passes from the throat to the stomach through the esophagus. Once food is in the stomach, a ring of muscle fibers prevents food from moving backward into the esophagus. These muscle fibers are called the lower esophageal sphincter. If this sphincter muscle doesn't close well, food, liquid, and stomach acid can leak back into the esophagus. This is called reflux and can cause symptoms, or it even damage the esophagus. Reflux comes about as a combination of the digestion process and muscle tone of the valves.

If you’ve got reflux - you might try about 1/4 cup anise tea (made with seeds or young leafs) and see if it does indeed help your reflux? And please, do let me know. I don’t have this problem so can’t test my thoughts directly - but would love to know if you or anyone else find this to be useful in controlling reflux?

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Now, back to anise.....

It is said to help with digestion and to sweeten the breath, so it is chewed after meals in parts of Europe, the Middle East and India. It is a mild expectorant, anise is often used in cough mixtures and lozenges. It is also antiseptic, antispasmodic, soporific and a few seeds taken with water will often cure hiccoughs. It is said to promote estrogen production and is used to encourage breast milk, ease childbirth, and stimulate the libido.

Anise (Pimpinella anisum) should not be confused with Star Anise (Illicium verum) - used in production of Roche's drug Tamiflu (Oseltamivir Phosphate) - which is said to reduce the severity of avian flu.

Western cuisines have long used anise as a moderately popular herb to flavor some dishes, drinks, and candies, and so the word is recognized as both the species of herb and the licorice-like flavor. The most powerful flavor component of the essential oil of anise, anethole, is found in both anise and an unrelated spice called star anise (Illicium verum) that features prominently in South Asian, Southeast Asian, and East Asian dishes. Star anise is considerably less expensive to produce, and has gradually displaced Pimpinella anisum in Western markets. It will be important to note when buying seeds which plant they are from - makes a big difference in quality and medicinal value.

COMMON USES

Anise has been used for thousands of years, as a flavoring, breath sweetener, digestive aid, cough suppressant, air freshener, mousetrap bait, and more recently as the scent on the artificial rabbit that is used in greyhound races.

In Europe anise is used to flavor cakes, biscuits and confectionery, as well as rye breads. In the Middle East and India it is mostly used in breads and savory foods. It is also used in much the same way as fennel to flavor fish, poultry, soups and root vegetable dishes. The young leaves can be used in salads or as a garnish for vegetable dishes/soups.

Anise is used in aromatherapy, for the distinctively licorice taste and smell. This carminative is known to relieve flatulence. It is an expectorant, anti-microbial, digestive aid, mild estrongenic, anti-spasmodic, antiseptic, aromatic, and diuretic.

Anise is used for bloating, gas, colic, heartburn, digestive problems, restoring equilibrium, stress, tight chest, bronchitis, breath sweetening, and as an antispasmodic.

There are also some chemicals in anise that act as insecticides. Some people apply anise directly to the skin to treat lice, scabies, and psoriasis.

Main constituents known: Vitamins B complex (B1, B2), C, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, sulphur, iron, aromatic essences.

Pharmacologic action: carminative, antispasmodic, expectorant, a pancreatic stimulant.

CULTIVATION / GROWING

Anise plants grow best in light, fertile, well drained soil. The seeds should be planted as soon as the ground warms up in spring. Because the plants have a taproot, they do not transplant well after being established, so they should be started either in their final location or transplanted while the seedlings are still small. It is a slow-growing, annual plant and requires a sunny, warm , sheltered location with deep, well fed, light soil. When the seedlings come up, thin them out to 6 to 12 inches apart and keep the area weed free. If they are planted too late and hot weather sets in, the plants will be lanky and small, and will bloom and produce seeds too quickly. The plant should flower about 3 months after planting, and if successful the seeds will ripen a month after flowering.

As the seeds change color to grey-green cut the whole plant to the ground. Hang the cut plants upside down, in a dry place, with a paper bag over the heads to collect the seeds (the bag will catch the dry seeds as they fall). Keep the seeds in their paper bags and allow them to dry in a well-ventilated place, shaking daily to help dry out evenly. The seeds quickly lose their flavor, so keep them whole and grind them as required, keep them out of light in an airtight container (after dried well - about 2 weeks). Kept in an airtight container it should retain its flavor for at least 2 years.

MAGICAL / MYTHICAL USES

Anise burned as incense before bed will promote prophetic dreams. It is used to help one find romance. Anise is a prosperity herb, and brings happiness. It is also said it helps protect one from bad dreams, and helps protect you while you are moving through the astral plane.

Anise seeds are a herb of protection said to avert all evil. In ancient Roman times, they were baked into a cake that was served at the end of the wedding feast. Used also for purification, protection, to entice spirits to aid in spells of divination and psychic awareness. In a pillow it is said to ward off nightmares. It’s easy to make such a charmed pillow. Sew a small sachet out of muslin and fill it with anise seeds, and lavender. Then place the sachet inside your pillowcase before you go to sleep - sweet dreams.

WARNINGS & endings....

Anise is safe for most people including children in the amounts typically found in foods. It also appears to be safe when applied to the scalp in combination with other herbs. There isn't enough information available to know if anise is safe to take by mouth in medicinal amounts. Anise is safe for pregnant and breast-feeding women when used as part of a normal diet. But it’s not known whether it’s safe to use anise in larger medicinal amounts during pregnancy or breast-feeding. Stick to food amounts for pregnancy and breast-feeding

For hormone-sensitive conditions such as breast cancer, uterine cancer, ovarian cancer, endometriosis, or uterine fibroids, Anise might act like estrogen. If you have any such condition that might be made worse by exposure to estrogen, don’t use anise.

Birth control pills (Contraceptive drugs) interacts with ANISE - Taking anise along with birth control pills might decrease the effectiveness of birth control pills.

Estrogens interacts with ANISE - Taking anise along with estrogen pills might decrease the effects of estrogen pills.

Tamoxifen (Nolvadex) interacts with ANISE - By affecting estrogen in the body, anise might decrease the effectiveness of tamoxifen (Nolvadex)

Herbal link page

Ah yes... and the legal disclaimer - don’t you hate these things? —> The information contained in this page is for educational purposes only and is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. <– ok, that’s done, hope you find this article useful!!

Gail Ann(573) 470-5806spiritguidedhealer@gmail.com

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