Anise Oil Uses
Anise oil is a pale yellow essential oil steam distilled from the seeds of Illicium verum, a small evergreen native to China. The oil has a warm, sweet, licorice scent that is sometimes used in perfumes. Anise oil also has been used since ancient times for a variety of other purposes.
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Flavoring
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The licorice scent of anise oil makes it useful as a flavoring agent for candy. It also is used to flavor tobacco products, mouthwashes and toothpaste. The ancient Romans flavored a cake with anise oil and served it after feasts such as weddings; it may have been the flavoring used in the first wedding cakes.
Digestion
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This oil is sometimes used as an herbal remedy for digestive problems such as cramps, nausea and intestinal gas. It is a folk remedy for colic in infants. Anise oil may be added to laxatives to ease the cramping caused by purgatives. It may prevent vomiting and is said to cure insatiable thirst and even hangovers. Anise oil should not be used by people with acid reflux disease.
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Internal
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When its vapors are inhaled or it is taken in a syrup, anise oil may help treat coughs, bronchitis and asthma. It is considered an expectorant, helping loosen phlegm. In Ayurvedic medicine, anise oil is used as an antihistamine. It is thought to stimulate the heart, brain, liver and lungs; to treat fevers and swelling and to raise blood pressure. As an aromatherapy oil, anise oil may be useful for dizziness, motion sickness and vertigo.
Women
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This oil is used to relieve menstrual cramping, as well as the pain of labor and childbirth. It is said to encourage lactation and to bring on menstruation. Anise oil has a mildly estrogenic effect on hormones and should not be used by patients with estrogen-sensitive cancers.
Topical
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Anise oil can be used in such solutions as an eye wash; mixed with eucalyptus as a chest rub; or soaked into a cotton ball to temporarily relieve the pain of dental cavities. The oil is an insect repellent and can be used to treat skin parasites such as scabies, as well as head lice.
Animals
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The scent of anise oil attracts dogs (and sometimes has a catniplike effect on them); it is used to encourage weaning in puppies and to scent the "rabbit"--the padded bait--used in training racing greyhounds. It also attracts fish and can be used as mousetrap bait. Anise oil is sometimes given to dairy goats and cows to increase milk production, and to treat colic in animals. But the oil is poisonous to pigeons and some other birds.
Psychological
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Anise oil is thought to help relaxation and emotional well-being. It also has been used as an aphrodisiac. The ancient Greeks thought anise oil on a pillow would help prevent bad dreams. And some people believe anise oil can keep away the "evil eye."
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit Itinerant trader
