Anis

Succeeds in ordinary garden soil but prefers a fairly rich warm well-drained light soil in a sunny position. Prefers a pH in the range 6 to 7.5. Aniseed has a very long history of herbal and culinary use, and is often cultivated for its edible and medicinal seed in warm temperate zones. The plant needs warm summers if it is to grow well and seeds only ripen in Britain in long warm summers. Plants strongly resent root disturbance and should not be transplanted. A good companion plant in the garden, its aromatic nature helping to keep nearby plants free of aphis etc. Its flowers attract parasitic wasps to the garden and these prey on a large number of garden pests. Aniseed grows especially well with coriander.

Edible Parts: Leaves Seed Edible Uses: Condiment Tea Young leaves - raw or cooked. The leaves have a sweet aniseed flavour, they are very refreshing to chew and are also nice as a flavouring in salads, puddings, soups, stews etc[183, K]. When adding to cooked dishes, only add the leaves for the last few minutes of the cooking or the flavour will be lost[K]. The aromatic seed is eaten raw or used as a flavouring in raw or cooked foods such as soups, pies, bread and cakes. A distinctive sweet liquorice flavour, its use improves the body's ability to digest food. The seed is harvested by cutting the whole plant when the seed is ripe. The plants are then kept in a warm, dry position for a week and then threshed to remove the seeds. Store the seeds in the dark in an airtight jar. An essential oil from the seed is used as a food flavouring in sweets (especially aniseed balls) ice cream, chewing gum, pickles etc. It is also often used to flavour alcoholic drinks such as pernod, ouzo and anisette. The leaves and the seeds can be brewed into a sweet liquorice-like tea.

Essential Insecticide Pot-pourri Repellent Teeth An essential oil is obtained from the seed, used in perfumery, tooth pastes, medicinally and as a food flavouring. The powdered seed can be used as a dentrifice and mouthwash. The plant is an ingredient of pot-pourri. The plant can be used as an insect repellent but it is also said to attract mice. If aniseed oil is liberally smeared around live-traps it can attract mice and other rodents into them. The plants seem to be immune to the predations of slugs and snails and can help to protect neighbouring plants. A spray made by boiling of one part coriander leaves and one part anise seeds in two parts of water is very effective against red spider mites and woolly aphids.

Heimisch: Antioquia, Nariño, BR, Cyprus, GR, Jardín Botánico de Bogotá, Lebanon-Syria, Manizales | Pasto, NO, North America, Norway [c]; Germany [c]; Austria [c]; Poland [c]; Slovakia [c]; Hungary [c]; Portugal [c]; Spain [c]; France [c]; Italy [c]; Croatia; Albania; Romania [c]; Bulgaria [c]; Greece [c]; Crete [c]; Estonia [c]; European Russia [c]; Ukraine [c]; Morocco [c]; Tunisia [c]; Kazakhstan [c]; Turkmenistan [c]; Uzbekistan [c]; Tajikistan [c]; Northern Caucasus [c]; Transcaucasus [c]; East Aegaean Isl. [c]; Turkey [c]; Cyprus [c]; Israel [c]; Yemen [c]; China [c] (Xinjiang [c]); Nepal [c]; Bangladesh [c]; Myanmar [c]; Laos [c]; Vietnam [c]; Java [c]; USA [c] (Massachusetts [c], Michigan [c]); Mexico [c]; Guatemala [c]; El Salvador [c]; Nicaragua [c]; Virgin Isl. [c] (Tortola [c]); Trinidad & Tobago [c]; Colombia [c]; Bolivia [c]; Argentina [c], Palestine, Türkiye Eingeführt: Argentina Northeast, Argentina Northwest, Austria, Baltic States, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Brazil South, Brussels-Capital Region, Bulgaria, CZ, Corse (Corsica), Czech Republic, Czechia-Slovakia, DK, Denmark, EE, East Aegean Is., FR, Flemish Region, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Hungary, India, Iraq, Israel, Italy, KG, Kazakhstan, Kriti, Laos, Latvia, Leeward Is., MT, MX, Malta, Massachusetts, Michigan, Morocco, NW. Balkan Pen., Norway, Oman, Poland, Portugal, Romania, South European Russia, Spain, Sweden, Tadzhikistan, Trinidad-Tobago, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Xinjiang