Aniseed
Anise plant is grown mainly for fruit, which is harvested between August and September. Anise, which contains essential oils (volatile), is used for its flavor, to treat gastrointestinal cramps, to aid digestion, and to remove gases. Its use by lactating women increases the production of milk, relieves infants from digestive problems, Many food industries.
Benefits of anise
- Antiviral and fungal, where it was found that the extracts of anise and its volatile oil is effective in the elimination of many types of bacteria, and found a role in the elimination of many types of fungi.
- Muscle relaxant, where research has found that anise extract and volatile oil is effective for muscle relaxation.
- Anti-convulsions.
- And many studies of experimental animals have found the ability of volatile anise oil to raise the amount of phlegm that the respiratory system expels.
- One of the studies used a herbal mixture consisting of dried ivy leaf extract, aniseed, thyme, and gels of the marshmallow root and tested on 60 people with an average age of 50 years, who had cough due to normal colds, bronchitis or other diseases respiratory system, which consists of sputum and a dose of 10 ml for 12 days, where the study found in the results of an improvement in symptoms of cough after treatment.
- Treatment of gastric ulcers to reduce the damage to the mucosa from the substances that stimulate the ulcer.
- It can have a role in the treatment of nausea.
- A treatment for constipation, as it has a role in softening the bowel.
- The volatile oil extracted from anise can help in the treatment of morphine addiction as one animal study has shown.
- A study conducted on the experimental mice found that it had a fixed role as an anti-inflammatory agent similar to indomethacin and its role as a dwelling with effects similar to aspirin and morphine.
- One study found that giving three capsules a day of anise extract to women in the menopause phase of menopause reduces the number of hot flashes that afflict women at this stage and reduces their severity.
- Anise is useful in cases of dysmenorrhea. One study that used capsules containing anise extract, saffron, and celery found this treatment to relieve pain more than the mephnamic acid used in this case.
- Strong antioxidant.
- Antivirus.
- Resistance to diabetes. One study found that giving 5 g of anise seeds every day for 60 days could reduce blood sugar by 36%, reduce triglyceride, cholesterol in the blood, and reduce oxidation of blood proteins and lipids.
- Improve the absorption of glucose from the small intestine.,
- It can have a role in the regeneration of liver cells.
- Some studies have found the ability of anethyl to kill cancer cells and reduce the size of tumors.
- Initial research suggests that eating a cup of anise tea, chamomile, saffron, fennel, kale, licorice, cardamom, and black bean relieves coughing and restlessness in people with allergic asthma.
- Some preliminary studies suggest that the use of anise extract, coconut oil and Japanese lilang ylang oil on the scalp eliminates head lice.
- Some research suggests the role of anise in stimulating the onset of the menstrual cycle, increased milk production, increased libido, and in the treatment of scabies and psoriasis, but these roles require further research to prove them.
Other uses for anise
- Insectic effects of volatile oil for anise.
- Food production, as it is used for flavor and aroma.
History of aniseed
Anise is grown in the eastern Mediterranean, West Asia, the Middle East, Mexico, Egypt and Spain. Its origin is not entirely known, but it is clear that its origin is from the east.
Hippocrates recommended eating this plant for coughing and sputum, while the Roman world recommended Pliny to chew for self-refreshment and as an aid to digestion. Anise seeds are still chewed in India for these uses. Theophrastus, nicknamed the botanist, In 1305, King Edward I imposed a tax on anise and used the taxes to repair the Tower of London. The Europeans discovered in the 16th century that the mice were attracted to the smell of anise, so they used it as bait in rat traps. The Americans made an anise tea for coughing.
Chemical composition of anise
Anise contains the pilot oil, which consists mainly of Trans-anethole, which accounts for 1.5-6% of its mass, and lipids rich in fatty acids, such as palmitic and oleic acid, which form 8-11% Carbohydrates make up 4% of its mass, while proteins make up 18%. One study analyzed the volatile oil structure found in the aniseed fruit and found that it consisted of 93.9% transolithol and astragole 2.4%, and substances found more than 0.06% (methyleugenol), α-cuparene, α-himachalene, β-bisabolene, p-anisaldehyde, and cis-anethole. The composition and proportions of the constituents of volatile oil differ from one study to another according to the chemical analysis of the materials, the difference of the anise source and the difference in harvest time.
Popular Uses of Anise
Anise seeds can be used in folk medicine as a soothing for migraines, gasses, as an aromatic substance, as a sterilizer, as a diuretic. Anise can also increase milk yield, increase urination, sweating and menstruation. It is also effective in polishing teeth and aids digestion and constipation. Some popular medicine books remind you to use it for sadness and nightmares, to treat epilepsy, seizures, insomnia, and some neurological disorders. It is also used to relieve menstrual pains and is used as a source of appetite in people with anorexia.
How to use anise and its dose
There are no scientific studies to determine the doses to be taken from anise, but the dose was determined from the opinions of experts in the clinical trials, where the dose was determined for adults and children aged 12 years and more to use anise for the treatment of pain and digestive cramps and puff, and a cold sputum in the cough and colds by giving Anise tea, prepared from 1 to 5 g of crushed anise, with 150 ml of water two to three times a day, should be taken into account. Do not take any extract of anise containing more than 5 g for more than 2 weeks without consulting your doctor. Add a teaspoon with breast milk.
Use of anise
Eating anise in the amounts normally present in the diet is safe, but caution should be taken in the following cases:
- It is not recommended to give aniseed doses of treatment for children as a precaution, because of the lack of studies that can be given safely, but it is okay to eat by children in quantities of the diet normally.
- Because of the estrogenic and antimicrobial effects, and the killer of fetal cells found in transgenic ethanol, which is the main component of volatile anise oil, in the experimental rats, anise oil should be avoided during pregnancy and lactation. As for the anise preparations, there is no concern during pregnancy and lactation in regular doses.
- Volatile anise oil should not be used for toxicity unless it is consulted by the doctor and at specified doses.
- Anise should be avoided in hormone-sensitive health conditions, such as breast cancer, uterine cancer, ovarian cancer, endometriosis, and uterine fibroids, due to its estrogen-like activity.
- Some people are allergic to anise and should avoid it.
Drug interactions
Anise reacts with the following medicines:
- Antihypertensive drugs, where anise can reduce its effectiveness.
- Estrogen pills, where anise can also reduce its effectiveness.
- Tamoxifen, a drug used to treat and prevent cancers that are sensitive to estrogen, can reduce the anise of the effectiveness of this drug, and should avoid anise if taken.