Plant Profile

Anise

Compiled by the Omnia Sana editorial team from the plant database ·Last updated August 15, 2026
Pimpinella anisum
Family: Apiaceae  ·  Parts used: Fruit, Seed  ·  Also known as: Aniseed, Anise seed

Common names in 11 European languages →

The complete database record: 3 documented constituents, 6 pharmacological actions, 5 traditional / indicated uses, with 15 cited sources.

Botanical Description

Annual herb (Apiaceae), 30-60 cm tall, with an erect, downy stem. Lower leaves are rounded and toothed or shallowly lobed, while upper leaves are finely feathery and pinnately divided. Small white flowers are borne in compound umbels, followed by small, ridged, downy fruit ('aniseed') with a strong, sweet, liquorice scent.

Height: 30-60 cm
Habit: Erect, downy annual herb
Leaves: Lower leaves rounded/toothed; upper leaves finely feathery, pinnately divided
Flowers: Small, white, in compound umbels
Stem: Erect, downy
Root: Slender taproot
Fruit: Small, ridged, downy, sweetly liquorice-scented fruit ("aniseed")
Flowering Period: July-August

Habitat & Distribution

Native to the eastern Mediterranean and south-west Asia, widely cultivated as a spice and medicinal crop in warm-temperate regions worldwide, needing a long, warm growing season and well-drained soil.

Harvesting

Fruit ('seed') is harvested in late summer once the umbels have dried and turned brown, then threshed and dried further.

Parts: Fruit, Seed
Season: Late summer, once umbels have dried

Key Constituents

Essential oil (trans-anethole)[3, 10]

Trans-anethole typically makes up the great majority of the volatile oil and gives anise its characteristic liquorice aroma and much of its digestive and antimicrobial activity.

Essential (volatile) oil
Flavonoids and phenolic compounds[5]

Contribute to antioxidant activity.

FlavonoidsPhenolic compounds
Fixed oil and fatty acids[8]

The fruit's lipid fraction.

Pharmacological Actions

Analgesic (pain relief)
Anti-inflammatory[2, 9]
Anticancer (preclinical)[9]
Antimicrobial[7, 8]
Antioxidant[3, 4, 5, 10]
Digestive aid[6]

Traditional & Indicated Uses

Cancer (anticancer research)[9]Preliminary · 2/10

inferred from anticancer action

Evidence: 2
Label: Cancer (anticancer research)

more plants for cancer (anticancer research) →detailed sources →

Infection (general)[8]Preliminary · 2/10

inferred from antimicrobial action

Evidence: 2
Label: Infection (general)

more plants for infection (general) →detailed sources →

Inflammation (general)

inferred from anti-inflammatory action

Evidence: 1
Label: Inflammation (general)

more plants for inflammation (general) →detailed sources →

Skin irritation[2]Preliminary · 2/10

inferred from anti-inflammatory action

Mechanistic Exclude Ids: REF-1415
Evidence: 2
Label: Skin irritation

more plants for skin irritation →detailed sources →

Wounds[2]Preliminary · 2/10

inferred from antimicrobial action

Mechanistic Exclude Ids: REF-1414
Evidence: 2
Label: Wounds

more plants for wounds →detailed sources →

Traditional Use & History

Anise has a long Mediterranean and Middle Eastern tradition as a carminative digestive remedy for bloating and indigestion, an expectorant for coughs and catarrh, and a traditional galactagogue (milk-promoting) herb for nursing mothers. Commission E and WHO both approve its traditional use for catarrh of the upper respiratory tract and gastrointestinal spasms.

Safety, Cautions & Contraindications

Safety noteCaution

Generally safe when consumed in food amounts. Doses up to 20g daily considered safe for adults. May cause allergic reactions in some people. Caution advised during pregnancy and breastfeeding - stick to food amounts. Anethole can be toxic at high concentrations, particularly to the nervous system. Not enough safety data for medicinal use in children.

Safety note[12]Info

Duke (2002) provides clinical evidence (score 2) for anise as an antibacterial, antiseptic, antispasmodic, and expectorant. It has demonstrated estrogenic activity and is used as a clinically supported lactagogue to promote milk production. Commission E and WHO have both approved its use for catarrh and gastrointestinal spasms. Typical dosages are 0.5–1 g crushed seed three times per day in tea, or 0.05–0.2 ml of the fruit essential oil (Duke, 2002).

Dangerous Lookalikes

Conium Maculatum[13, 14, 15]Fatal
Confused Part: The plant's foliage - lower leaves broad and parsley-like, upper leaves fine and lace-like - and the umbels of small white flowers, plus the aromatic seeds, which resemble poison hemlock; and hemlock seedlings volunteering among planted anise.
Confusion Context: Anise (Pimpinella anisum) is a parsley-family herb that poison hemlock (Conium maculatum) is documented to resemble. King County (Washington) lists anise among the edible parsley-family plants poison hemlock can be confused with, and the North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox lists Pimpinella anisum among the plants commonly confused with poison hemlock. Conium contains coniine and kills by ascending paralysis and respiratory failure - a few leaves or seeds can be fatal. Documented anise-specific poisonings are sparse, so the value of this record is the rock-solid tests below rather than a claim that this exact swap is common.
Distinguishing Features: SMELL (decisive): crushed anise foliage and seed smell sweet and strongly of licorice/aniseed. Poison hemlock smells rank, musty and mouse-like, with no sweet licorice note., Stem: poison hemlock has a hairless, hollow stem conspicuously blotched and streaked with red-purple, especially near the base. Anise stems are plain green and never carry purple blotches., Stature: poison hemlock is a tall (often 1.5-3 m) branching biennial; cultivated anise is a small annual usually under 0.6 m. A large fern-leaved umbellifer with a purple-blotched stem is not anise.
Key Test: Crush a leaf or seed and smell it, and look at the stem. A sweet licorice/aniseed scent with a plain green stem = anise. A musty/mousy smell and/or a hairless stem with red-purple blotches = poison hemlock - do not eat. If either warning sign is present, discard it.
Reviewed By: Omnia Sana (owner-authorized)
Reviewed Date: 2026-07-07

Harvest Readiness

[11]

Part: seed
Signals: Cut the whole plant when the seed is ripe (late summer), then dry and thresh out the seeds.
Basis: traditional
Source Quote: The seed is harvested by cutting the whole plant when the seed is ripe.
Species Confirmed: 1
Notes: PFAF (REF-3310); the whole plant is cut when the seed is ripe (seeds ripen August-September), then threshed. Single lineage -> provisional. SAFETY: anise is an Apiaceae - confirm identity against the fatal Conium maculatum (poison hemlock); see Dangerous Lookalikes.

External Identifiers

GBIF ›Wikidata ›

References & Sources

  1. Samojlik, I., Petkovic, S., Stilinovic, N., Vukmirovic, S. and others (2016) 'Pharmacokinetic Herb-Drug Interaction between Essential Oil of Aniseed (Pimpinella anisum L., Apiaceae) and Acetaminophen and Caffeine: A Potential Risk for Clinical Practice', Phytotherapy Research, 30(2), pp. 253-259. doi:10.1002/ptr.5523 Preclinical
    https://doi.org/10.1002/ptr.5523
  2. Hashemnia, M., Nikousefat, Z., Mohammadalipour, A., Zangeneh, M.M. and others (2019) 'Wound healing activity of Pimpinella anisum methanolic extract in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats', Journal of Wound Care, 28(Sup10), pp. S26-S36. doi:10.12968/jowc.2019.28.Sup10.S26 Preclinical
    https://doi.org/10.12968/jowc.2019.28.Sup10.S26
  3. Samojlik, I., Mijatovic, V., Petkovic, S., Skrbic, B. and others (2012) 'The influence of essential oil of aniseed (Pimpinella anisum, L.) on drug effects on the central nervous system', Fitoterapia, 83(8), pp. 1466-1473. doi:10.1016/j.fitote.2012.08.012 Preclinical
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fitote.2012.08.012
  4. Changizi-Ashtiyani, S., Seddigh, A., Najafi, H., Hossaini, N. and others (2017) 'Pimpinella anisum L. ethanolic extract ameliorates the gentamicin-induced nephrotoxicity in rats', Nephrology (Carlton), 22(2), pp. 133-138. doi:10.1111/nep.12953 Preclinical
    https://doi.org/10.1111/nep.12953
  5. Mushtaq, A., Habib, F., Manea, R., Anwar, R. and others (2023) 'Biomolecular Screening of Pimpinella anisum L. for Antioxidant and Anticholinesterase Activity in Mice Brain', Molecules, 28(5), pp. 2217. doi:10.3390/molecules28052217 Preclinical
    https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28052217
  6. Alotaibi, M.F (2020) 'Pimpinella anisum extract attenuates spontaneous and agonist-induced uterine contraction in term-pregnant rats', Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 254, pp. 112730. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2020.112730 Preclinical
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2020.112730
  7. Dawoud, T. and Ameen, F (2023) 'Unveiling the bioactive potential of Pimpinella anisum L. leaf extracts: Chromatographic profiling, antimicrobial efficiency, and cytotoxicity analysis', Biomedical Chromatography, 37(12), pp. e5739. doi:10.1002/bmc.5739 Preclinical
    https://doi.org/10.1002/bmc.5739
  8. Alrasheid, A.A., Kabbashi, A.S., Ali, A.O., Alrasheed, A.A. and others (2024) 'Nutritional Value and in vitro Antigiardial Activity of Anise (Pimpinella anisum L.) Seeds', Chemistry & Biodiversity, 21(3), pp. e202301254. doi:10.1002/cbdv.202301254 Preclinical
    https://doi.org/10.1002/cbdv.202301254
  9. Almaimani, G., Jabbar, A.A.J., Ibrahim, I.A.A., Alzahrani, A.R. and others (2024) 'Anise (Pimpinella anisum L.) attenuates azoxymethane-induced colorectal cancer by antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-apoptotic pathways in rats', Environmental Science and Pollution Research International, 31(3), pp. 4439-4452. doi:10.1007/s11356-023-31349-z Preclinical
    https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-31349-z
  10. Shrief, A.I., Abdel-Hamid, A.A.M., Moustafa, A. and El-Mohandes, E (2022) 'The possible protective role of Pimpinella anisum oil versus selenium on aspartame induced changes in rat cerebellar cortex', Ultrastructural Pathology, 46(6), pp. 497-510. doi:10.1080/01913123.2022.2136809 Preclinical
    https://doi.org/10.1080/01913123.2022.2136809
  11. Plants For A Future 'Pimpinella anisum (Anise, Aniseed)'. Available at: https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Pimpinella+anisum Traditional / reference
    https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Pimpinella+anisum
  12. Duke, J.A (2002) 'Handbook of Medicinal Herbs, Second Edition'. Traditional / reference
    https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Handbook%20of%20Medicinal%20Herbs%2C%20Second%20Edition
  13. King County Noxious Weeds (2024) 'Poison hemlock (Conium maculatum) identification and control'. Available at: https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/dnrp/nature-recreation/environment-ecology-conservation/noxious-weeds/identification-control/poison-hemlock Traditional / reference
    https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/dnrp/nature-recreation/environment-ecology-conservation/noxious-weeds/identification-control/poison-hemlock
  14. North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox (2024) 'Conium maculatum (Poison Hemlock)'. Available at: https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/conium-maculatum/ Traditional / reference
    https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/conium-maculatum/
  15. Dayan, A.D (2024) 'Death of Socrates: a likely case of poison hemlock (Conium maculatum) poisoning', Clinical Toxicology (Philadelphia, Pa.), 62(1), pp. 56-60. doi:10.1080/15563650.2024.2309328 Clinical study
    https://doi.org/10.1080/15563650.2024.2309328

This fact sheet is generated automatically from the Omnia Sana plant database and reflects its latest synced data. It is provided for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. How this site is built.

Selected studies & references

PreclinicalAnise (Pimpinella anisum L.) attenuates azoxymethane-induced colorectal cancer by antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-apoptotic pathways in rats source↗ (2024)
PreclinicalNutritional Value and in vitro Antigiardial Activity of Anise (Pimpinella anisum L.) Seeds source↗ (2024)
PreclinicalBiomolecular Screening of Pimpinella anisum L. for Antioxidant and Anticholinesterase Activity in Mice Brain source↗ (2023)
PreclinicalUnveiling the bioactive potential of Pimpinella anisum L. leaf extracts: Chromatographic profiling, antimicrobial efficiency, and cytotoxicity analysis source↗ (2023)
PreclinicalThe possible protective role of Pimpinella anisum oil versus selenium on aspartame induced changes in rat cerebellar cortex source↗ (2022)
PreclinicalPimpinella anisum extract attenuates spontaneous and agonist-induced uterine contraction in term-pregnant rats source↗ (2020)
PreclinicalWound healing activity of Pimpinella anisum methanolic extract in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats source↗ (2019)
PreclinicalPimpinella anisum L. ethanolic extract ameliorates the gentamicin-induced nephrotoxicity in rats source↗ (2017)

All 11 studies in the Knowledge Finder →

Educational use only. This profile summarises traditional and scientific sources for reference. It is not medical advice and not a substitute for a qualified practitioner. Some plants carry safety cautions and drug interactions - always check before use.
This profile is assembled automatically from the Omnia Sana plant database, which we curate by hand. How this site is built.

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