Anise was cultivated in ancient Egypt and is mentioned in the Bible (as a payment for tithe) and in the works of many Greek and Roman authors--like the herbalist Pliny, who recommended chewing the seed as a morning breath freshener. Romans enjoyed anise in an aromatic spice cake called mustaceus. Mustaceus Recipe. A popular spiced cake baked in bay leaves and eaten after a feasts and rich meals to prevent indigestion. Anise has a long history of medical, magical, and culinary tales to its credit. It is still used widely today as a digestive aid and anti-flatulence agent. Anise has been used as a cough remedy, digestive aid and contains chemicals similar to estrogen, which may help with menopausal discomforts, and has been known to treat some cases of prostrate cancer. This medicine is for a variety of problems, including stress and irritation, digestion, bloating as well as restoring equilibrium.

Try a simple tea made from crushed Seeds after a large meal - you will be surprised at how effective it can be.

Anise is related to other plants prized for their aromatic fruits, commonly called seeds, such as dill, cumin, caraway, and fennel. It is cultivated chiefly for its licorice-flavored fruits, called aniseed. Although it has a licorice flavor, anise is not related to the European plant whose roots are the source of true licorice. It has been used as a medicinal and fragrant plant since ancient times.

The anethole in anise helps to relieve gas and settle an upset stomach. The chemicals creosol and alpha-pinene act as expectorants, loosening mucus and making it easier to cough up. The estrogenic action of anise is from the chemicals dianethole and photoanethole, which act in a way similar to estrogen. The anise fruits and the essential oil of anise contain these chemicals and can be used medicinally.

In addition to its medicinal properties, anise is widely used for flavoring foods, especially meat and vegetable dishes, curries, breads, soups, cakes, candies, desserts, nonalcoholic beverages, and liqueurs such as anisette.

Anise can be helpful in the following conditions:

Anemia, Digestion - Anise promotes digestion, which helps improve anemia due to inefficient
    absorption of iron. Aniseeds can be added to foods when cooking to flavor and aid digestion, or
    taken whole in doses of 1-3 tsp of dried anise seeds per day.

Asthma - Oil of Anise can be inhaled through the nose to help ease breathing and relieve nasal
    congestion.

Bronchitis, Spasmodic Asthma - The liqueur anisette, which contains anise essential oil,
    can be administered in hot water to help relieve problems in the bronchial tubes, such as
    bronchitis and spasmodic asthma.

Bad breath - Oil of Anise can be used in a mouthwash or tea to sweeten breath.

    Anise seeds can be chewed in the morning for an all-day mouth freshener.

Bronchitis - Aniseed may be used as an expectorant and essential oil of anise may be inhaled
    through the nose to help ease breathing.

Catarrh - Drinking aniseed tea soothes mucous membranes.

Colds - Aniseed can be used as an expectorant and drinking aniseed tea soothes the throat.

Coughs - Tea can be used as an expectorant, especially for hard, dry coughs where expectoration
    is difficult. Take two tsp of Tea to calm cough.

    Coltsfoot, marsh mallow, hyssop, and licorice can be added to the tea to help relieve cough.

Croup - Aniseed can be used to alleviate a persistent cough in a child.

Colic - Drinking anise tea or using essential oil can alleviate gas.

Emphysema - Oil Of Anise may be inhaled through the nose to help ease breathing and relieve
    nasal congestion and tea with aniseed will soothe mucous membranes.

Gas Pains - Drinking aniseed tea helps relieve gas, gas pains, and flatulence.

Menopause - Aniseed tea can help alleviate menopausal symptoms.

Morning Sickness - Tea made from anise can help alleviate morning sickness during pregnancy.

Nursing - Aniseed tea can help a nursing mother's milk come in.

Sore throat - Drinking aniseed tea alleviates pain of sore throat.

Eye Pain - Anise tea can be wrapped in a warm cloth and used as a compress for eye pain.

Insomnia - Try dropping a few seeds in a glass of warm milk before bed to prevent insomnia.

Memory, Digestion - Drink one mug of tea after main meals to increase memory and aid digestion.

Oily Skin - Wash face and neck with tea to curb oily skin.

Gas Pains - To relieve gas and gas pains, take One tsp of crushed Aniseeds and steep in a
    cup of hot water. Add a pinch of fennel and caraway.

Colic - One to three drops of essential oil administered on sugar can help relieve colic.

Tea/Infusion - Anise has certain therapeutic properties and the reported benefits of using it internally,
    in the form of a herbal tea (infusion). The infusion is made from 7 tsp of Anise to one quart water,
    boil down by half, add 4 tbsp. of honey

    Infants should only receive 1 tsp of boiled, prepared tea.

     Oil Of Anise can be used for inhalation to help treat most situations.

    The oil may be taken orally at a dose of 0.01 oz (0.3 g) per day.

    Yummy Anise recipes

     Anise-Orange Shrimp & Scallop Skewers
     Anise Biscuits (Biscotti's)
     Anise Sweet Buns
     Sweet Anise Salad
     Easy Anise Galletitas

    Warnings:
    If your doctor has advised you not to use birth control pills then you should seek the advice
    of a physician before using this herb.