Common anise is an annual representative of the umbrella family, popularly known as "sweet cumin", "thigh", "chanus". Its healing properties were described by Pythagoras and Hippocrates. Wild anise is found only in Greece, but it is cultivated throughout the world. WITH therapeutic purpose fruits with a sweetish-spicy taste, and roots, and the aerial part of the honey plant are also used.

Chemical composition

anise seed - his main value. Its powerful and diverse healing effect is due to the unique chemical composition. The content of essential oil in fruits ranges from 1 to 6%. It contains the following components:

• Anethole (80%) - because of it the product has a unique aroma.
• Methylchavicol (10%).
• Anisic acids (10%): aldehydes and ketones.

In addition to the essential oil, anise seed contains:

• Low-melting fatty oil (from 4 to 23%) - a substitute for cocoa butter.
• Proteins (about 18%).
• Furfural is an aromatic aldehyde (about 7%).
• Carbohydrates and sugars (up to 30%).
• Water (up to 10%).

Anise is also rich in vitamins P and C, macro- and microelements (calcium, potassium, iron, magnesium, zinc, copper, manganese and others).

Beneficial features

From a medical point of view, sweet cumin has the following beneficial properties:

• Excites respiratory reflex and enhances the secretion of mucus.
• Briefly activates the nervous system.
• Relieves spasms of the intestines, bronchial and pulmonary.
• Normalizes the work of the pancreas.
• Normalizes hormonal background and the menstrual cycle, helps with infertility, promotes conception.
• Increases potency.
• Stimulates lactation.
• Purifies the skin.
• Enhances the action of antibiotics.
• Its aroma stimulates the appetite.
• It has anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, as well as analgesic, diuretic, laxative and carminative effects.

Indications

anis finds wide application in folk and traditional medicine in the treatment of such diseases and disorders in the body:

• Laryngitis, tracheitis and other complications of the upper respiratory tract.
• Intestinal and stomach colic, flatulence.
• Gastritis, normalization of digestion and the functioning of the pancreas and liver.
• Inflammation in the kidneys, bladder, the presence of sand in them.
• Burns.
• Delayed menstruation and cleaning of the uterine mucosa.
• Asthma, loss of voice, migraine, palpitations, insomnia.
• Weakening of vision.
• Decreased potency.
• Weak lactation.
• Infestation with lice, ticks, fleas.

Preparations

Anise is medicinal raw material for cooking pharmaceutical preparations. It often serves as an additive to drugs that have bad taste. There are several types of pharmacological and home preparations made from this plant.

Decoction

Widespread type healing agent from sweet cumin. It is used to treat many diseases gastrointestinal tract, upper respiratory tract and gynecology, for colds, swelling and problems of the nervous system.

For rinsing and inhalation The decoction is made according to the following recipe: 4 tablespoons of fruits are poured with a liter of water, brought to a boil and kept for a couple of 15 minutes.

For oral and douching: a teaspoon of anise fruits is poured into a glass of water and boiled for several minutes. Every day prepare a new portion of the broth.

With edema decoction is made 2 times concentration and drink 2 tablespoons.

Tea

This healing drink Beneficial for stomach problems and helps children and adults improve their appetite. The proportions of cooking, as in the broth, only it does not need to be boiled. medicinal tea drink in large quantities without sweetening. Although in the treatment of cough it is good to add a spoonful of honey to it. Sometimes, to get rid of a cough, you can mix a pinch of anise, cumin and fennel.

Alcohol tincture

This drug is available in pharmacies. But you can cook it yourself. For this, it is used pure alcohol or vodka. In the first case, 100 grams of fruits, previously crushed in a mortar, are poured with 600 milliliters of alcohol and kept in a closed container in a dark place at normal temperature 3 weeks.

If vodka is used to prepare the tincture, then the proportion of seeds and alcohol should be 1:10. Otherwise, the second technology does not differ from the first. But it should be noted that from seeds infused with medical alcohol, the drug is stronger. And you can drink it no more than 10 drops at a time. In the second case, the dose can be tripled.

Butter

Anise essential oil can be purchased at the pharmacy without a prescription. It is used for inhalation, preparation therapeutic baths and for massage. In addition, it is added in the manufacture of complex medicines. And before quartzing the affected areas of the skin with vitiligo, it is recommended to protect them by rubbing anise oil.

Ammonia anise drops

This is an alcohol tincture of ammonia and anise oil, which is usually diluted with water or dripped onto a piece of sugar before taking. Drops are used for digestive problems, for respiratory diseases, there are cases successful treatment them whooping cough in children. Babies are usually prescribed to drink a drop of diluted with water for each year of life.

anise water

The drug is produced on the basis of anise oil and purified water. In fact, it is a 10% suspension of essential oil. The tool helps with problems with lactation and treatment of the digestive tract. Daily dose - 1 teaspoon up to 4 times a day.

Application

O healing properties anise was known to the ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans. Roman patricians ate anise cakes during feasts to improve digestion. And Pythagoras considered this grass the best remedy for insomnia and a rejuvenating elixir for the skin. V medieval Europe anise served as a decoration for bedrooms, as it is able to purify the air and relieve nightmares.

For diseases of the upper respiratory tract

For chronic tonsillitis

Gargle with warm fresh decoction.

With a cold

Drink alcohol tincture a few drops three times a day. Or pour a few teaspoons of linden honey and a spoonful of cognac into a glass of broth. Boil all this, cool and drink a teaspoon every half hour.

For laryngitis, hoarseness and dry throat

Strained infusion drink a couple of tablespoons several times a day before meals.

With angina

Warm infusion drink a couple of tablespoons up to 6 times a day. Or gargle the same number of times.

With bronchitis, catarrhal cough, tracheitis and whooping cough

Take 1/4 cup of decoction before meals, and daily rate- 1 glass. You can use a couple of drops of oil in a spoonful of water up to 6 times a day.

In the treatment of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract

To improve appetite

Drink a decoction of seeds in half a glass before meals.

With dyskinesia of the gallbladder and constipation

Take a decoction of sweet cumin fruits - 2 tablespoons up to 4 times before meals.

With gastritis and pain in the stomach

Pour a glass of boiling water 5 grams of anise seeds, leave for a couple of hours in a thermos. Means to drink in equal portions per day.

With hepatitis

Recipe 1.

Boil equal amounts of buckthorn, cloves, anise, mint for 10 minutes and insist for half an hour. Drink half a glass before bed.

Recipe 2.

2 teaspoons of a mixture consisting of 1 part anise seeds, 0.5 parts clove flowers, 1.5 parts buckthorn, 2 parts peppermint leaves, leave for half an hour in a glass of boiling water. Drink the entire dose at bedtime. This tool normalizes the stool and reduces the yellowness of the skin.

For kidney disease

Anise infusion relieves suffering from attacks associated with the movement of sand in the kidneys.

Recipe 1.

Drink an aqueous infusion of anise fruits 1/4 cup half an hour before meals, bringing the daily dose to a glass.

Recipe 2.

For a teaspoon of anise seeds, juniper, parsley leaves and lily of the valley, insist 2 hours in 400 milliliters of boiling water. Drink the remedy three times a day, 100 milliliters.

With impotence

Eat 3 grams of seeds daily or drink anise oil diluted with water, 5 drops each.

From insomnia

Crush a teaspoon of fruits and insist them in a glass of hot milk. Then strain, pour in a spoonful of honey and drink warm. For children, reduce the dose by half.

To increase lactation

For nursing mothers, the same recipe is suitable that is used for kidney diseases with the addition of a spoonful of sugar to the infusion.

For burns

Healing is accelerated if you lubricate the wound with essential oil mixed with egg white.

With obesity

Anise seeds are mixed in equal proportions with licorice and soapwort roots, and with fumigation grass. A spoonful of the collection is taken in a glass of boiling water and infused for 2 hours. It should be taken on an empty stomach in the morning and evening.

With glaucoma

Rinse eyes with warm infusion of anise herb (2 cups of boiling water 1 tablespoon).

With hearing loss

Fill the middle of the peeled onion with anise seeds, bake the vegetable in the oven. Carefully strain the juice that appeared at the same time and, slightly warm, bury 2 drops in the ears at night until a positive effect appears.

To improve memory

Mix a tablespoon each of regular and sweet cumin seeds, and chopped nutmeg. Boil the mixture in a liter of grape wine for 10 minutes. After that, drink 50 milliliters up to 4 times a day.

From lice

Contraindications and side effects

Anise and its essential oil should not be used for:

• allergic intolerance;
• pregnancy;
• dermatitis;
• peptic ulcers;
• increased blood clotting;
• intestinal atony;
• high acidity gastric juice.

Anise is contraindicated in children under 3 years of age.

When using anise herb, the following restrictions must be considered:

• An increase in the concentration of drugs and their overdose is fraught with serious heart disorders, dizziness and inflammation of the stomach.
• For the first application, it is better to halve the therapeutic dose.
• It is good to alternate weekly receptions of oil with small breaks. At this time, you can use other means of a similar action.

Procurement and storage

Ripened medicinal raw materials are harvested at the end of summer. For collection, dry weather is chosen, it is carried out in the early morning or evening. Its readiness is judged by the following signs: the seeds are solid, brown in color, and the grass trunk is yellow.

Umbrellas with fruits are cut off and, having tied them in bunches, they are hung up to dry in a room with good air circulation. Then the raw material is threshed, cleaned of litter, and dried in air or in a dryer at 60 degrees. After that, the fruits can be stored in a closed container in a dry place for up to 3 years.

A special place among medicinal herbs takes anise. Scientists for a long time study beneficial features anise seeds and contraindications to their use. Even in ancient times, the plant was widely used by healers to treat various diseases. And cooks used it as a fragrant spice, adding it to fine dining.
Due to its sweetish and, at the same time, tart aroma, the seeds were put into intoxicating drinks. Over time, the spice has gained popularity around the world.

The plant is believed to be native to the Middle East and the Mediterranean. In Russia, it is grown as a spice and for medicinal purposes.

It is important to know the beneficial properties of anise seeds

Anise is an annual plant found in natural environment and grown on household plots. Its rounded erect stem grows over 50 cm in height. In June, when the plant blooms, umbrella buds form on the top of the shoot. It is in them that an ovoid fruit is formed, containing two unique seeds. This is truly a treasure trove of valuable items. Let us consider in more detail how anise is useful for human health, and whether there are contraindications during the consumption of the product.

Most often, grass is used as a spice, adding to such dishes:

• sauce;
• salad;
• dessert;
• drink;
• bakery products;
• vodka;

Thanks to this, the food acquires a special aroma and taste. For a long time, anise fruits have been used to treat various diseases. And today, based on herbs, popular medicines are made:

• breast elixir;
• cough candy;
• ammonia- anise drops.

Specialists in traditional medicine offering all kinds of recipes medicinal drinks, tinctures and teas. Given the beneficial properties of anise seeds and application features, psychotherapists advise using the spice as a sedative.

To obtain the greatest benefit From the product, you should choose brightly colored seeds that exude a lasting aroma.

Anise seeds contain a number of valuable substances and elements that have a positive effect on the human body.
We note the most popular of them:

• vitamins of such groups: C, PP, B1, B2, B5, B6;
• folic acid;
• vegetable fiber;
• carbohydrates;
• proteins;
• fats;
• ash;
• iron;
• phosphorus;
• sodium;
• calcium.

Given the rich composition of the product, scientists came to the conclusion that anise seeds have both beneficial properties and contraindications. For example, the oil obtained from the fruits of the plant contains the following chemical compounds:

• aldehyde;
• anethole;
• ketol;
• sugar;
• methylchavicol.

It turns out that when using the product for treatment, you need to be reasonable so as not to harm the sick body. Let us consider in more detail the beneficial properties of anise grass for humans.

Precious "drugs" at our feet

Before there were pills, people tried to be treated with various herbs. The method turned out to be effective and today there is a whole science of medicinal herbs. Among them, the valuable properties of common anise are also mentioned. The use of the plant leads to such positive results:

• withdrawal pain and spasm of internal organs;
• antipyretic effect;
• fight against inflammation;
• expectoration of sputum from the affected respiratory tract.

Properly prepared anise tincture has a beneficial effect on digestive system. It is used as a laxative for constipation and as an antiseptic for diarrhea. Preparations, which include anise seeds, are prescribed for the treatment of:

• liver;
• kidneys;
• urinary organs;
• nervous disorders;
• insomnia;
• headache.

There is an opinion that the use of anise in medicine served as a solution for many intimate problems. Ladies complain less about women's ailments. Men notice an improvement in potency.

Tinctures and decoctions

Especially popular are decoctions and tinctures from anise seeds for the treatment of various diseases. You can prepare an anise tincture for coughing if you take a teaspoon of crushed grains and pour them with a glass of boiling water. Infuse for several hours. Take 100 ml after meals 3 times a day.

According to the same recipe, a tincture is prepared for treatment different kind inflammation in oral cavity(gums, tonsils) and odor control.

An equally popular way to prepare a medicine is to use dried anise. It is poured with medical alcohol, after which it is insisted for at least 7 days. Then filter and take a maximum of 15 drops about 10 times a day.

To prepare a decoction of anise, take 2 tablespoons of seeds, pour 1 liter of water and boil for a quarter of an hour. Taken in the treatment of the gastrointestinal tract, painful periods, increased nervousness. If a person suffers from hoarseness, he can prepare a drink from the following ingredients:

• anise fruits (100 grams);
• 2 tablespoons ;
• 1 spoon of cognac;
• 200 ml of water.

First, the seeds must be boiled in water. When cool, add honey and cognac. Mix the mixture well. The instructions for using anise are quite simple: drink one spoonful every half an hour until the inflammation in the nasopharynx and hoarseness completely disappear.

The seeds can be used to treat burns. To do this, they are first crushed, then mixed with egg white. The finished gruel is applied to the affected area of ​​​​the skin three times a day.

Possible contraindications of medicinal fruits

Despite the many useful properties of anise and its use in traditional medicine, it is necessary to approach its use with wisdom. In particular, you need to be especially careful if a person is diagnosed with such diseases:

• ulcerative colitis;
• gastritis;
• increased acidity;
• stomach ulcer;
• problems with the duodenum.

In addition, problems may arise when individual intolerance. Ignoring advice leads to allergic rashes on the skin, irritation of the gastric mucosa, swelling of the respiratory system. Anise is especially dangerous during pregnancy. Gynecologists categorically prohibit the use of its fruits by women in interesting position.
The herb affects blood clotting, which can lead to problems during childbirth. In addition, the elements that make up the anise fruits affect muscle tissue. This often leads to miscarriage or premature birth.

People who are overweight often include various drinks in their diet. Therefore, it is not surprising that they are attracted to the beneficial properties of anise tea. However, it affects the active secretion of gastric juice, resulting in increased appetite. Of course, you immediately want to satisfy him. Maybe it's wiser to give up such a drug for a while?

excessive consumption of anise sedative may cause mild dizziness and physical weakness.

And the use of anise oil often leads to redness of the skin, hives and even dermatitis. No one wants to spoil their perfect appearance. Therefore, before using any drug, it is very important to get advice from your doctor. If a person does not suffer peptic ulcers, he has normal acidity and pregnancy does not threaten him, anise seeds can become his favorite medicinal drug. So let us take care of our health with common sense.

Video about the benefits and harms of anise

Anise comes from warm Mediterranean countries. It has been cultivated since ancient times in India, Greece, became known in Europe in the Middle Ages, and came to Russia in the nineteenth century. Has got accustomed everywhere because of absolute unpretentiousness. The plant can grow on any soil, except for heavy alkaline soils. The most important factor its growth is the direct access of sunlight. The more the crop receives it, the more actively the vegetation of the shoots occurs, and the fruits fully ripen.

Anise Features

Grow a crop for industrial preparations. It is included in the list of medicinal herbs used by the pharmacological industry for the manufacture medicines. In Russia, the regions of cultivation are the Belgorod, Kursk and Voronezh regions. Small farms exist in the Krasnodar Territory.

Description

Anise ordinary. Botanical illustration from Köhler's Medizinal-Pflanzen, 1887.

The plant is an annual herb with thin, pubescent stems. It grows up to fifty centimeters, the stems branch in the upper part, erect, rounded.

The root is thin, resembles a rod without branches. Directly from the root grow lower leaves with long petioles, rounded in shape. Higher along the stem, large lobed leaves are not found, they are replaced by the middle of the shoot back wedge-shaped leaves, the size of which is increasingly decreasing towards the top.

Flowers are collected in umbrellas of small diameter up to six centimeters. In a bunch of up to fifteen or seventeen "rays", with white short petals. The plant blooms for a long time, gradually, from June to mid-October. By the end of this period, fruits are formed that are of interest to medicine and cooking.

The fruits of the anise plant are ovoid achenes, compressed from two sides. In length, they reach five millimeters, painted brown-gray. You can distinguish the plant during the period of fruit formation by the characteristic anise smell. The mass fruiting period falls on August, when up to eighty percent of the fruits ripen.

The plant is often called star anise, but cultures are not identical. Ordinary belongs to the Umbelliferae family and is an annual grass. Star or star anise is an evergreen plant from the Limonnikov family. It grows as a shrub, reaching eighteen meters in height, and bears fruit in calyx "stars".

cultivation

Anise seeds are obtained from industrial and private cultivation. The most important condition is the use of a cultivated plant grown in a designated area. Due to the fact that the plant is not demanding on growth conditions, it is found in well-lit meadows. However, collect it in wild environment should not be, as it looks similar to most umbrella crops, many of which are poisonous.

Common anise is planted on chernozems, loose soils fertilized with humus. It is tolerant of loamy and sandy loamy soils, where it grows well with a sufficient amount of fertilizer. Enrich the composition of the soil in spring and autumn. In the first decade of the year, nitrogen and potassium mixtures are applied, after harvesting, phosphorus fertilizers are used.

For propagation, last year's seeds are used. They can be planted in early spring due to the sufficient resistance of plants to frost. After planting seeds in the ground in the amount of one gram of raw material for each square meter shoots appear within three weeks. The ground between the sprouts must be regularly loosened and kept clean from weeds.

Collection and preparation

V medical practice plant seeds are used, the harvesting of which takes place until they are fully ripe. The collection is carried out when sixty to eighty percent of the seeds ripen. In this growing season, the fruits of the umbrellas that appeared before the rest acquire a brown color. And the umbrellas that appeared later are kept green. The typical fruiting period is August-September.

The plant is cut off completely, formed into sheaves. Lay under a canopy, in a well-ventilated space. The separation of fruits from umbrellas is carried out after the sheaves have dried by threshing.

For cooking, green plants are harvested. In this case, the leaves are cut before flowering. They are not dried, but used in fresh.

Compound

The chemical composition of the culture is well studied, which is why the properties of anise are used in medicine to treat a number of diseases. Therapeutic effect based on a combination of up to ninety percent crystalline anethole and ten percent liquid metalchavicol in the essential oil. Extraction of essential oil from fruits is carried out by steam distillation.

The plant also contains up to twenty-eight percent fatty oils, protein substances, organic acids and natural sugar. This gives the fruits and leaves a specific, sweet taste.

The use of anise ordinary

The culture is used in cooking and medicine. In the first case, leaves are used, in the second - only the fruits of anise ordinary. In perfumery, the fruits are used as a flavoring agent, a natural sweetener for toothpastes and powders. Persistent and rich aroma allows the use of anise in the production of perfumes, toilet water.

In cooking

The leaves are added fresh to salads, used as a flavoring agent when stewing meat and fish, preparing soups and sauces. In Russia, the plant has become an integral part of pickles - cucumbers, apples, cabbage, often used as a dressing for kvass. The spice not only imparts its own flavor, but eliminates bad smell other ingredients of the dish. It can be added to neutralize the smell, and then removed and saturate the dish with other preferred spices.

The use of star anise is also in demand in cooking. It gives a luxurious smell to pastries, stews, mulled wine.

Using the spice, anise vodka is prepared; its recipe also includes cumin and star anise seeds.

Cooking

1. Mix a teaspoon of anise and cumin, add two star anise.
2. Fold in a jar, fill with half a liter of vodka.
3. Infuse for two weeks, periodically shaking the mass.
4. Pass through cheesecloth, add a teaspoon of sugar.

Thanks to spices, vodka acquires a pronounced aroma and golden color. Before use, it is recommended to keep the day in a dark place.

In medicine

The use of anise in medicine is based on the composition, which is dominated by essential and fatty oils. Anethole, which is part of the essential oil of anise, penetrates into the mucous membranes of the bronchi, accelerates the movement of the cilia of the epithelium and excites respiratory center. This leads to irritation of the bronchi, increases the secretion of mucus.

Anise oil is used as a medicinal and stimulant.

• For diseases of the upper respiratory tract- bronchitis, catarrh of the bronchi, tracheitis as an expectorant. Proven safe for use in children younger age. Essential oil helps to clear the respiratory tract and expectoration.
• With a decrease in lactation. Substances have an antispasmodic effect, which increases the excretion breast milk in lactating women.
• For digestive disorders, constipation. When taken orally, it stimulates the production of gastrointestinal juice, increases motor activity mucous membranes of the intestine.

Essential oil production is carried out only in industrial environment. Application anise drops in pharmacy form, three to six drops three times a day are recommended. A specific taste will help remove a piece of sugar on which the drug is dripped.

At home, anise cough drops are prepared with alcohol. Use 3.5 grams of pharmacy oil per 17 ml of ammonia and 80 ml of alcohol with a strength of 90%. The composition is called ammonia-anise drops.

clear liquid with pungent odor traditionally used in pediatric therapy of bronchitis, from the first year of a child's life. One or two drops of the drug are prescribed for up to a year, then the number of drops according to the number of years. The medicine should be taken three times a day.

Also at home, infusions are prepared from the seeds of the plant. They have a pronounced expectorant and antispasmodic effect.

Cooking

1. Pour a teaspoon of fruit with 200 ml of boiling water.
2. Leave to brew under the lid, cool.
3. Strain.

Take the infusion should be a quarter cup up to six times a day for respiratory diseases with impaired sputum discharge. As a laxative, it is recommended to take up to four times a day for half a glass. The tincture can serve auxiliary means with ARVI, flu with fever. At a dosage of ½ cup three times a day, it has an antipyretic and diaphoretic effect.

The use of common anise is widespread in Russia, despite the fact that the plant is not traditional for our country. But thanks to unpretentiousness, important pharmacological qualities, unique aroma, the culture took root and became an integral part of the folk and official medicine, cooking. Cultivation is carried out in industrial scale, so the plant is always available in the pharmacy chain.

Anise belongs to the herbaceous annual plants, belongs to the Celeraceae family. In the summer, at the end of June and beginning of July, anise blooms can be observed. Already in August, the fruits of the plant ripen. Anise, or as it is also called star anise, has a very pleasant aroma. According to most people, it is used exclusively as a spice to add flavor to some

However, this plant, more precisely, its fruits - seeds, are widely used in medicine, cosmetology and some other areas. Further, we will consider what properties this plant attracts so much, what are its benefits and how exactly it is used in everyday life.

Main medicinal properties:

• antipyretic;
• expectorant;
• laxative;
• antimicrobial;
• painkiller.

Composition of fruits

Anise fruits contain incredibly useful essential and fatty oils. They can have a beneficial effect on the human body. Since they contain such important components for health as anethole, methylchavicol, anise ketone and organic acid.

In medicine, anise is used to treat many diseases. For example, cough, vascular disorders.

In cosmetology, plant oil is added to many creams, masks, lotions. Its anti-inflammatory and soothing properties give excellent results in the fight against many skin defects, enrich it, and preserve youth.

The use of star anise seeds in cooking is also limitless. fragrant oil gives dishes an exquisite aroma, great taste and a touch of piquancy.

Interesting to know! The aroma of anise is adored by animals and even fish. Treats with the aroma of this plant are used to train pets, and fishermen add a drop of oil to fish bait.

Anise in medicine

In the field of medicine, star anise seed oil is used for the following diseases:

• neuralgic disorders, chronic fatigue, nervous tension;
• migraine and different origin;
• indigestion, nausea, vomiting;
• colds of the upper respiratory organs;
• pain syndrome during menstruation in women, as well as menopause;
• diseases of the urinary system.

Consider some of the most popular recipes for the treatment of certain diseases.

cough recipe

In order to get rid of, you should use the following recipe. Half a glass of plant seeds should be poured 200 g boiled water. Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer for 15-20 minutes over low heat. After the medicine has cooled, strain it and mix with 5 tbsp. l. honey and bring back to a boil. If you have to treat a cough in an adult, they usually add a teaspoon of cognac to the composition. You need to take 1 tsp. every hour and severe attacks cough.

Recipe for insomnia and chronic fatigue

For cooking, you need milk and star anise seeds. A teaspoon of seeds should be crushed in a mortar or passed through a coffee grinder. Pour the resulting powder into a glass warm milk and leave for 1-2 hours. After strain and take before going to bed in a warm form. This product is great for kids too.

Treatment of gastritis

A tablespoon of seeds is placed in a thermos and poured with boiling water. After the remedy is infused for 2-3 hours, you can take the medicine. Up to 5 doses per day are recommended for pain and exacerbations.

With urolithiasis

For 200 g of boiling water, add a teaspoon of the fruits of the plant. Infuse the medicine for 2-3 hours, then strain. Take 3 times a day, 50 g before meals.

For children, it is given for the preparation of decoctions that relieve colic and digestive disorders.

Crush a teaspoon of fruits and pour a glass of boiling water. Bring to a boil and leave on low heat for 15 minutes. Infuse the product in the refrigerator for several days. Give infants a few drops of decoction, children from a year on a teaspoon 3 times a day.

Important! When using prescriptions, it is highly recommended to consult your doctor. This will help to avoid unwanted manifestations in the form of allergies and other reactions of the body.

Anise in cosmetology

Star anise has incredibly beneficial properties for giving the skin freshness, beauty and health. The oils of the fruits of the plant are used as an indispensable additive in the preparation of many creams for the face and body.

Anise acts on the skin as follows:

• tones;
• relieve puffiness;
• removes inflammation;
• normalizes water-fat balance;
• rejuvenates.

Also, the beneficial properties of star anise are often used for hair. Thanks to masks and rinses with the addition of anise oil, the hair becomes shiny, elastic, I acquire strength and a healthy look.

Consider the most popular recipes for women.

Rejuvenating mask

For cooking, you will need honey, sour cream and anise essential oil. Sour cream of any fat content will do. Mix in a container 2 tbsp. l. sour cream, 1 tbsp. l. honey and 3 drops of oil. Mix thoroughly and apply to the skin for 10-15 minutes.

Moisturizing mask

mix oat flakes, fresh grated cucumber in equal amounts. Then add 3 drops of anise oil. Apply to the skin of the face and neck immediately after preparation for 10-15 minutes.

Hair conditioner

Apply this recipe. Pour a tablespoon of star anise seeds with a liter of boiling water. Also add here 2 tbsp. l. nettle herbs. Bring to a boil and turn off. After a few hours, use the product as a rinse after washing your hair.

Application in cooking

There are no limits to the use of fragrant spices in cooking. It has been used since ancient times. Our ancestors were attracted by the aroma of the plant. When added to a dish, the spice complements and improves its taste. Star anise goes well with other spices, such as bay leaf, cardamom, fennel, allspice.

What dishes use anise:

• meat dishes;
• fish dishes;
• salads;
• sauces and dressings;
• casseroles, omelettes;
• desserts and many other types of dishes.

The fruits of this plant are widely used in conservation. Vodka is also prepared from it, which has a spicy smell and an interesting taste.

Even in Russia they used the recipe sauerkraut with the addition of fragrant star anise. No restaurant is complete without this spicy spice.

Important! For any purpose, you need to choose a quality and fresh anise. Its color should be bright, and the aroma pleasant.

Contraindications

Like many other plants, star anise has some contraindications. It is believed that it should not be taken during pregnancy. Representatives of medicine believe that the oils of the fruits of the plant can adversely affect the fetus and cause uterine bleeding.

1. It is strictly forbidden to use anise when peptic ulcer. Its oils can irritate the damaged mucosa.
2. Also star anise can cause allergic reaction. Care should be taken to use the spice in patients with asthma and other lung diseases.

Anise treatment should not be used long time. The course should be no more than 5-7 days. Use the gifts of nature correctly, be healthy and happy.

Anise, as a cultivated plant, has been known since ancient times; finds of anise seeds in ancient buildings of the Stone Age tell about this. Anise was praised by the Egyptians and considered the plant a gift from the gods, and ancient Greek healers used its healing properties in their practice. The ancestral home of anise is considered Ancient Egypt, it was there, for the first time, that they began to cultivate this culture. Then, anise smoothly roamed the latitudes of Europe, and in the 19th century it was brought to the territory of Russia.

Anise is in demand among culinary experts all over the world, as a spice, participates in the process of obtaining natural soap, used to make drinks and esters.

Anise fruits are well-known helpers in the fight against harmful, blood-sucking insects, from which the very same anise oil is obtained, used in baking and the alcohol industry. Anise is a honey crop, and anise honey is different fragrant aroma and spicy aftertaste.

Anise: plant description

Anise is a one-year-old culture, the genus femur, the umbrella family. The plant is unpretentious, with a thin, medium stem, up to half a meter high, erect and branched. Anise root is thin, taproot, branched.

Lower leaves of anise: long-petiolate, entire, round-reniform, incised-toothed or lobed.

The average foliage of the culture: long-petiolate, wedge-shaped, sometimes two-lobed with small lateral leaves. The upper "green cap" of anise consists of leaves three times - pinnate, with linear lanceolate lobes or whole foliage.

Anise blooms in the summer months, most often the plant blooms in June with small, five-membered inflorescences, seemingly inconspicuous, but very fragrant. Anise flowers have white color, and small petals of a ciliary appearance, about five stamens and a pistil with a nested ovary are hidden inside the peduncle, the inflorescences form an umbrella shape.

anise fruit grey-green, two-seeded, with a pleasant fragrant aroma and a sweetish, spicy taste. In shape, they resemble an irregular oval flattened laterally, about 2-6 mm in size. The plant gives a harvest in August, the weight of 2 thousand seeds is about 7 grams.

Anise is common and star. Do not confuse the species of the spice with varieties: striped anise and scarlet anise, since the latter are not anise, but are called apple fruits.

Common anise or femur, an annual crop with a developed root system, of the rod type, penetrating to a depth of 40 cm, the plant is not afraid of a short-term drought. It has an erect, finely furrowed stem of a hollow shape and reaches a height of about 75 cm.

Common anise is used for cosmetic and table purposes, but do not confuse it with star anise, these are plants of different families and differ both in shape and in aroma and taste characteristics.

Star anise, called star anise, is a plant with many useful properties. According to botanical features, we distinguish it from ordinary anise - it is an evergreen plant, of the lemongrass family, of the genus star anise, with fruits in the form of an eight or six-pointed star. Used as a condiment, cultivated Eastern countries, in China, Japan, India and the Philippines.

Star anise has an aroma similar to licorice, has anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties, contains shikimic acid, which is an antiviral barrier. Aromatic star anise is used for cooking essential oils, perfumery and oral protection products.

Anise seeds, use and storage

Anise fruits and oil have a number of useful properties and are used as basic and auxiliary means, for the production of medicines and healing decoctions. Fruits contain fatty and essential oils, proteins and organic acids.

Seeds have a spicy taste and aroma, antiseptic and antiviral action.

Anise seeds are used to repel and destroy harmful insects, and healers and homeopaths use anise for medicinal purposes, in two forms: tea and infusions.

To prepare tea from anise, it is necessary to pour a teaspoon of crushed anise seeds with a glass of boiling water, leave for 15 minutes and take a glass on an empty stomach, this tea improves the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract and serves as an adjuvant in the treatment of upper respiratory tract infections.

A decoction of anise seeds will eliminate depression and mental disorders, to prepare, grind a tablespoon of anise seeds, pour a glass of boiling water and bring to a boil, stirring. Infuse the decoction for 30 minutes, remove from the stove, cool and strain. Mix the finished broth with 30 ml. cognac and a dessert spoon of honey. Take anise infusion warm, 10 ml. up to 5 times a day.

Anise seeds are actively used for cooking alcoholic beverages. Anise vodka is considered the most common product among alcoholic beverages on anise.

Spicy anise seeds are perfectly combined in dishes with other spices, which makes them indispensable in the composition of spices and seasonings.

Anise seeds should be stored in a sealed glass container for no more than three years.

Anise varieties

To date, of the varieties of anise, the most common in Russia are: Alekseevsky variety 68 and Alekseevsky sowing variety 1231, in summer cottages and household plots you can find table and vegetable varieties of anise: Umbrella, Blues, Semko, Moscow variety, Magic Elixir.

All domestic varieties are resistant to temperature extremes, unpretentious and subject to agrotechnical measures, high yields.

Of the imported varieties, German, French and Dutch varieties of anise are common.

Useful properties of anise and its contraindications

Anise is a truly unique plant, having an antispasmodic, carminative effect, it helps to get rid of intestinal colic and spasm of the small intestine.

Infusion of anise seeds, in combination: with mint, pine and orange oil, infusion of goldenrod and horsetail, birch leaves and parsley root - perfectly copes with diseases of the urogenital area, fights infection, relieves inflammation Bladder and has a diuretic effect.

Anise seed oil has an anti-inflammatory and antiseptic effect on minor wounds and abrasions. Infusion of anise fruits, helps to cope with respiratory diseases, has a thinning and expectorant property.

Anise tea stimulates lactation in women, helps to cope with menstrual pain and restore the cycle. It helps in the fight against frigidity in women, increases potency in men, strengthens the immune system and fights depression.

Anise seeds are rich in fatty and essential oils, vegetable protein compounds, organic acids and trace elements.

Anethole, the aromatic component of anise, gives the seed a spicy persistent aroma and a characteristic sweetish aftertaste.

One of the uses of anise is to obtain essential anise oil from its fruits. Its oil is included in the recipes of various tinctures and elixirs, is used in herbal medicine and cosmetic procedures.

Anise oil can cope with headaches, eliminate migraines, cope with insomnia, help in the fight against tachycardia. The use of anise daily will restore immunity, and will beneficial effect on the organism as a whole.

Traditional medicine uses ground anise to relieve pain, swelling and itching after insect bites, as well as to treat burns.

Anise infusions are used to combat diseases of the nasopharynx, and periodontal disease, for this: 30 grams of crushed anise, pour a glass of boiling water, let it brew, add 8 drops fir oil, sage oil, diluted with a glass strong decoction chamomile officinalis and carry out sanitation of the oral cavity daily for two weeks.

All highly effective medicinal plants have their own contraindications, anise did not stand aside. Anise is contraindicated for allergy sufferers and pregnant women. Long term use medicinal plant or exceeding the dosage, leads to allergic skin rashes.

Anise essential oil is obtained by steam distillation of ether from the seeds of the plant. Atenol, which is part of anise oil, is actively used to produce anisoaldehyde, which is used in perfumery.

Natural anise oil retains its aroma and beneficial properties, it is highly concentrated, yellowish in color. Shelf life up to five years.

The effectiveness of anise oil is higher than the activity of star anise. When buying ether, you need to make sure that you do not slip a fake, it is better to first and independently familiarize yourself with the composition on the product label.

Anise oil has tonic, soothing and restorative properties. Aromatic lamp with anise oil will help to calm down, relax, cope with insomnia.

Essential anise oil perfectly nourishes the skin, fights imperfections. During epidemics of influenza and SARS, it is recommended to inhale anise and pine oils to prevent the disease.

For bronchitis, anise oil and decoctions are taken orally on an empty stomach. Due to the antispasmodic and anti-inflammatory effect, anise oil is useful for women during menstrual cycle to alleviate pain and cope with depression.

Anise oil in combination with fennel and dill oil will relieve the problems of gas formation and abdominal pain.

Hair mask with anise and burdock oil will bring shine to the hair, strengthen the hair roots and relieve dandruff.

When using any essential oils, an individual tolerance test should be carried out, otherwise the treatment may lead to negative consequences in the form of rashes and dermatitis. Before use, apply a small amount of oil to the skin behind the ear or temporal lobe, if itching or redness occurs, anise oil is contraindicated. Anise oil should not be consumed by people with thrombocytopenia, allergies and pregnant women.

Anise root, use

Anise root is located in the ground at a depth of 30-40 cm. It has a rod shape with branches. Anise root is part of the fees that strengthen the heart - vascular system, it is used in cooking and to eliminate bad breath.

To eliminate unwanted breath: finely chopped anise root, mixed with lemon zest and fresh mint, the resulting paste is well chewed and swallowed without drinking. And then, hold in your mouth a piece of anise root, ginger or bay leaf. Such a recipe can even get rid of the smell of tobacco.

Harvesting anise root is best done in the month of August, or immediately after harvesting the seeds. After harvesting, the anise root is chopped and dried, fresh is stored in the refrigerator for no more than two weeks.

Anise cultivation, harvesting

Anise is one of these crops, which is cold-resistant, but thermophilic. Anise can be sown in early spring, but on the south side of the site, well warmed by the sun.

Anise seeds begin to germinate already at a temperature of +10 degrees, but +25 is optimal. Place in crop rotation after vegetable and leguminous crops.

Sowing anise is done by seeds, if you are sowing in early spring, then it is better to germinate the seeds in advance, for this, place them in a damp cloth for a week, provide sunlight and moisturize daily.

Prepare the soil in advance, to begin with, the site is dug up, compost is applied, and in the spring, before sowing, nitrogen and mineral fertilizers.

In the formed beds, with a row spacing of 40 cm, anise seeds are laid, not densely, to a depth of no more than 4 cm, it is better to thin out too frequent seedlings, leaving 8-10 cm between plants, otherwise the plant will give a meager seed crop.

The most suitable soils for anise are aerated, light soils with good drainage.

Care of crops consists in timely watering (at least three times a week), weeding and hilling. Full maturation of anise seeds occurs three months after sowing. Cleaning is carried out early in the morning, "umbrellas" are cut, dried, threshed and, if necessary, sieved. Store seeds in a closed glass container or paper bag. The shelf life of anise seeds is no more than three years.