Aniseed: The Ultimate Digestif – Relaxation from the Inside Out

Walk into any tavern in any small town along the Mediterranean, and you’ll probably encounter older gentlemen in their daily ritual of sipping pastis (in France), or ouzo (in Greece), or raki (in Turkey).

These drinks are digestifs—after-dinner drinks flavored with the distinctive licorice-like taste of aniseed (also called anise), a spice traditionally used to soothe the stomach and ease digestion.

Scientists have discovered that the gut-calming compound in aniseed is anethole, and that it is yet another factor that makes the Mediterranean diet one of the healthiest in the world.

Relaxation from the Inside Out

Watching the men in their midday ritual, it’s obvious that they’re relaxed and content, enjoying each other’s company. But that relaxation is also taking place inside the body. Research shows that anethole relaxes the parasympathetic nervous system, which controls the muscles of the digestive tract. In fact, when scientists first discovered the body-calming power of aniseed, they declared: “The relaxant effect justifies [the use of aniseed] in folk medicine.”

ANISE FLAVORS DIGESTIFS POPULAR IN TAVERNS ALONG THE MEDITERRANEAN.

It also justifies its use in modern medicine. The use of aniseed for digestive ills has been endorsed by the German Commission E Monographs, which help guide health professionals in that country in the medicinal use of herbs. Commission E reports that aniseed can help alleviate:

• Bad breath

• Colic

• Constipation

• Flatulence

• Indigestion

• Stomach cramps

Aniseed also relaxes the muscles of the respiratory tract, and Commission E reports the seed can ease the bronchial spasms that cause the symptoms of asthma.

In an experiment in the Middle East, scientists found anethole works to reduce digestive spasms in the same way as the prescription drug atropine (Sal-Tropine), which is used to treat stomach and intestinal spasms. Aniseed extract also showed effects similar to the asthma drug theophylline, which relaxes the muscles of the respiratory tract. Writing in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology, the researchers also noted that anethole has anti-inflammatory properties that might help calm asthma.

In another study, scientists in Saudi Arabia found that aniseed extract “completely inhibited ulcer formation” in animals with damaged stomachs. They noted that aniseed stopped the formation of ulcers through at least four different mechanisms, including reducing the acid secretions that can irritate the stomach lining.

In Lebanon, a traditional remedy for constipation is drinking a glass of water in which aniseeds have been soaked—and when scientists there tested the remedy, they found it was effective. The same researchers also found aniseeds helped conserve body fluids during hot weather, preventing dehydration.

Getting to Know Aniseed

The ancient Romans were renowned for gluttony. A typical feast might include camel, giraffe, wild boar, ostrich, lobster, sea scorpions, and songbirds. Afterward, to help digest it all, they would always eat a piece of aniseed-studded cake called mustaceus. Today, Romans (as well as other Europeans) achieve the same effect after far more modest meals by chewing on roasted aniseeds.

Aniseed has been anciently popular both as flavoring and medicine. By the 14th century, it was in such great demand that King Edward I of England saw it as revenue-building opportunity and declared it a taxable drug. He used the money to help pay for the repair and maintenance of London Bridge.

Ounce for ounce, aniseed is 13 times sweeter than sugar, making it a natural for dessert—whether dessert is a handful of roasted seeds, an anise cake, or an after-dinner digestif. And almost every European country seems to have an anise liqueur. In addition to pastis, the French also have anisette and pernod. Italy’s anise-flavored liqueurs are strega and sambucca. In Spain, it is ojen, in Egypt kibib, in Latin America aguardiente, and in the Middle East it’s arrak.

Of course, there are non-alcoholic ways to end your dinner with aniseed. The Portuguese, Germans, and Scandinavians all have specialty cakes and confections made with anise. Anise cookies are a Christmas tradition in Germany and Italy.

Aniseed is popular in Asian cooking, especially Chinese, but it’s used more in savory than in sweet dishes. Scandinavians also favor it in savory dishes, and put it in rye bread and a wide range of processed meats. In India, fennel seed (another licorice-tasting spice) is favored over aniseed.

You might also recognize the taste of anise in cough syrups and lozenges, where—as usual—it’s used both as flavoring and medicine.

How to Buy Aniseed

The majority of aniseeds—oval-shaped, and yellow to green in color—are imported into the US from Turkey. They are sold whole, cracked, or ground. However, the seeds are so small that grinding isn’t necessary—they’re best used whole. In fact, ground aniseed starts to lose its pungency fairly quickly, so if you purchase it ground, use it within a few months. (If you have ground aniseeds that have been sitting around for a long time, throw them away.) The whole seeds will keep in an airtight container in a dark place for about three years.

The anise plant grows in temperate climates.

Aniseed may help prevent and/or treat:

Asthma

Bad breath

Colic

Constipation

Dehydration

Flatulence

Indigestion

Stomachache

Ulcer

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Aniseed pairs well with these spices:

Allspice

Cinnamon

Clove

Coriander

Cumin

Fennel seed

Nutmeg

Star anise

and complements recipes featuring:

Breads and biscuits

Cookies

Cheese

Chicken

Pasta

Pork

Shellfish stews

Tomato sauces

Vegetable dishes

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Other recipes containing aniseed:

Chaat Masala

The anise plant—an annual with white flowers—grows almost everywhere the weather is warm, including Greece, North Africa, Spain, Italy, Malta, Central America, and Turkey. (Be careful if you see fresh anise for sale. Quite often, fresh fennel is mislabeled as anise.)

In the Kitchen with Aniseed

Aniseed’s unmistakable licorice flavor is similar to the taste of fennel seed, but it’s more delicate and doesn’t have an aftertaste.

Anise Kisses

Similar to the popular anise drops found in Germany, these little cookies are a pleasant way to freshen your breath and help digestion after a meal.

3 eggs

1 cup sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon cream of tartar

1½ tablespoons aniseed, slightly crushed

1. Beat the eggs and sugar with an electric mixer for 15 minutes. The mixture should look almost white and be thick enough to ribbon. Stir in the flour, baking powder, cream of tartar, and 1 tablespoon of the aniseed.

2. Grease two baking sheets or spray them with non-stick spray. Drop heaping teaspoons of the dough on the cookie sheet, separating them by an inch. Sprinkle the remaining aniseed on top. Bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 20 minutes or until the cookies are lightly browned. Remove them to a clean tea towel to cool.

Makes about 80 cookies.

Aniseed is popular in the United States in sweets, but it can also be used in savory dishes. You can roast and sauté it with other spices to enhance roasts, curries, tomato sauces, and stewed vegetables. You can use it to flavor cakes, relishes, marinades, salad dressings, and sausages.

Here are a few other ways to enjoy anise:

• Add a few crushed seeds to help balance rich sauces and gravies.

• When baking, slightly crush the seeds before adding to batter.

• Add a pinch or two of aniseed to vegetable soup, chicken potpie, and shellfish stews.

• Sprinkle the seeds on top of bread batters, sweet rolls, or into pancake batters.

• Put a small bowl of aniseed as a condiment on cheese trays.