Aniseed is an annual plant with an average height of 30 to 50 cm. The
plant is completely covered with fine hairs. Aniseed is ground-grey
to greyish brown in colour,3 to 5mm in length, oval in shape with short
stalk attached. Five longitudinal ridges are visible on each pericarp.
Vittae (oil ducts) are almost always present embedded in the fruit wall
beneath the ridges. It has a characteristic agreeable odour and a pleasant
aromatic taste.
It is a native of East Mediterranean Region.
It is widely cultivated in Bulgaria, Cyprus, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico,
South America, Syria, Turkey, Spain, UK and USSR. In India, it is grown
to a small extent as a culinary herb or as a garden plant. The major products
are anis oil and oleoresin anis.
It is used mainly as a flavourant, culinary,
household, cosmetic and medicinal. The fruit of anis, commercially called
aniseed is widely used for flavouring curries, bread, soups, baked goods,
dried figs, deserts, cream cheese, pickles, egg dishes, non-alcoholic
and alcoholic beverages. The essential oil is valuable in perfumery. The
oil is used for production of anethole and sometimes as sensitizer for
bleaching colours in photography. The other functional properties are
anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-oxidant, stimulant, carminative and
expectorant.