NOTE: Japanese Star Anise, or Illicium verum is not the same seed and should be treated with caution, as it is poisonous.
Parts Used: Seeds and leaves.
Folklore/Common Names Aniseed, Anise
Historical Reference
Anise is a native of Egypt, and was highly cultivated by the ancient Egyptians for its medicinal, fragrance and culinary benefits. The earliest known medical texts of the Pharaohs reference Anise for stomach irritations, bladder problems, as well as toothache.
Some make reference to the mention of Anise in the Bible, yet M. Grieve points out in A Modern Herbal that the quote "Ye pay tithe of Mint, Anise and Cummin" (as read in the 23rd chapter of St. Matthew) was believed by "some authorities (who) state that Anise is an incorrect rendering and should have been translated 'Dill.' "
Pythagoras believed that simply holding the herb would prevent epileptic seizures...which shows why he was a mathematician and not an herbalist! Less than a century later, however, Hippocrates was recommending Anise for coughs, and the use has proven worthy to this day.
The Romans made good use of Anise, combining its benefits in Mustacae, a spiced dessert cake consisting of meal, Anise, Cumin and other spices and ectied at the end of rich feasts to sweeten the palate and settle the stomach. Such a cake was traditionally brought in at the end of a marriage feast, and some speculate this is the origin of the wedding cake.
By the Middle Ages, the use of Anise as a culinary and medicinal staple quickly spread throughout the Greek, East Indian, Scandinavian and a host of other European countries as well.
By 1305, the popularity of Anise in England was such that King Edward I levied an import tax specifically on the herb itself. While popular, it was not cultivated in England until the middle of the sixteenth century. This is understandable as we read Grieve's lament, "but it ripens its seeds here only in very warm summers, and it is chiefly in warmer districts that it is grown on a commercial scale...". Still, its reputation was well maintained, as by the reign of Edward the IV we find note of the royal linens being scented with orris root and anise.
Needless to say, the popularity of Anise spread to the Colonies as well. In 1619, the first Assembly of Virginia decreed that each man must, "as he is settled upon his division, plant (among others) six aniseeds and that each are to make trial thereof the nexte season".
