ANISEED CHINA

The name “anise” is derived via Old French from the Latin word, anisum, or Greek, anison, referring to dill. Anisee is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae native to the eastern Mediterranean region and Southwest Asia. Its flavor has similarities with some other spices, such as star anise, fennel, and liquorice.

Characteristics

• Herbaceous annual plant growing to 3 ft (0.9 m) or taller.
• White or yellow flowers, approximately 1⁄8 inch (3 mm) in diameter, are produced in dense umbels.
• The fruit is an oblong dry schizocarp, 1⁄8–1⁄4 in (3–6 mm) long.

Uses

Aniseed is widely cultivated and used to flavor food and alcoholic drinks. The main uses are for:

• Culinary for its sweet and very aromatic flavour.
• Liquor used with other herbs and spices in some root beers.
• Traditional medicine for carminative effect (reducing flatulence), a cure for sleeplessness, freshen breath, and a remedy for asp bites.
• Made into a liquid scent and used for drag hunting and fishing.