Anise

by Aimee Amodio | More from this Blogger

09 Dec 2007 04:20 PM

Anise looks a lot like Queen Anne's lace with one important difference. Anise has some popularity as a folk remedy through the ages.

Pythagoras -- the mathematician who came up with the well-known Pythagorean Theorem -- believed that anise could prevent seizures in epileptics. He thought that all a person had to do was hold an anise plant to prevent seizures. (Math was obviously more of a strong suit for Pythagoras.)

Legendary healer Hippocrates suggested anise seed tea for cough; Roman scholar Pliny recommended chewing anise seeds for fresh breath. Pliny also thought anise could ward off bad dreams and help maintain a youthful appearance. Of course -- if you aren't getting enough sleep, you may look older than you'd like. The Romans used anise as a digestive aid and dessert in one. A cake called mustaceum was served after heavy meals (including wedding feasts) to help ease overfull stomachs.

Anise is still considered useful for digestive issues like indigestion and gas. Crush a teaspoon of anise seeds and steep them in boiling water to make a tea to soothe an upset stomach. Anise essential oil is also useful in expectorant syrups and throat lozenges. If nothing else, the taste of the anise can help mask the taste of other bitter ingredients. You can also use anise in natural toothpastes and mouthwashes.

Though the seed is the star when it comes to health, the leaves of the anise plant are also edible. Use anise leaves fresh in salads or dried in tea.

One more thing: if you are looking to build the legendary "better mousetrap" you may want to use anise for bait. Sixteenth century herbalists said that mice found anise irresistible.

And here's another interesting animal fact. Some dogs find anise as irresistible as some cats find catnip! Some greyhound tracks scent their mechanical rabbit with anise to catch the dogs' attention.

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Aimee is a fiction writer... dog lover... music lover...

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