is for Anise–
no, it’s not licorice

And it’s not star anise (Illicium verum) either, which actually looks like a woody, dark brown star, is a member of the magnolia family, and is often used in Asian cooking. No, the anise we’re discussing here is an ancient spice that has been cultivated for thousands of years by the Egyptians and Greeks, and the Romans used it in wedding cakes as a symbol of continuing love. Often referred to as aniseed, its flavor is similar to licorice, but the two plants are not even remotely related. Anise is part of the Umbelliferae family, which includes parsley and carrots; licorice is a member of the Leguminosae family, or the pea and bean family. I am amazed at the similarity of flavors (including that of star anise), and yet, anise has a flavor all its own. While the feathery leaves are edible, the seed is the part most often used in cooking and home remedies.

This tiny seed seems to be just the thing for mama and baby. Anise has been used as a galactagogue, an herb that helps bring on mother’s milk, and it has also been used as a gentle antispasmodic and carminative, useful for relieving gas and baby’s colic. You can simply chew on a few of the seeds to aid digestion, which gives sweet breath in the process. One of my favorite remedies is hot milk and honey with crushed aniseed as a sleepytime toddy, which I’ve read is an old Dutch remedy. Heat 1 pint milk with 2 teaspoons crushed aniseed until piping hot (do not boil), then strain into a large mug with a scant teaspoon of honey. Anise has been used to make cough-suppressant lozenges.

The leafy fronds are said to protect you from bad dreams if you tuck them into a soft pillow. See page 294, “X is for Xanadu,” to learn more about dream pillows.

Anise is an ingredient in several popular liqueurs, including Ouzo, Pernod, Chartreuse, and of course Anisette, as well as an unusual anise and rosehip combination. It is also one of thirty ingredients in a centuries-old concoction called Trenterbe, which, with herbs ranging from anise, bay leaf, and coriander seed to rhubarb stalk, orris root, and Fuller’s teasel, has “a distinctive taste and bouquet as well as excellent digestive qualities.” You can find this and many other unusual and intriguing recipes, some of which include anise, in Liqueurs for All Seasons by Emilio Cocconi, which was originally published in Italy in 1974. All these tasty sipping treats may be why some call anise an aphrodisiac. Anise is also said to attract dogs the way catnip does cats, which can’t say much for the aphrodisiac effect since dogs sniff out things we really don’t want to discuss in mixed company.