ANISEED. (FR., Anis ; GER., Anis.)— The seed of the Pimpinella anisum, an annual plant of the natural order Umbelliferce. This plant is characterized by its reticulate fruit and by the short duration of the stem, which is annual. It camo originally from Egypt, and is now largely cultivated in France, Spain, and the East. It does not grow in England, though attempts have been made to cultivate it.
Aniseed is very aromatic, and has an agreeable smell. It is universally used as a wholesome and pleasant ingredient in pastry, and as a flavouring for liqueurs. It has also been used medicinally as a stimulant, to relieve flatulence, and sometimes in pulmonary affections. The chief use of aniseod is iu the manufacture of a volatile, nearly colourless, oil, called oil of anise (oleum One cwt. of seed distilled with water yields about 2 lb. of oil. At Erfurt, in Germany, one of the principal sources of the oil, it is distilled from the stems and leaves as well as from the Anise-water—water flavoured with the oil and sweetened with sugar—is made largely at Bordeaux and at Amsterdam. As a cool and pleasant beverage, it is much esteemed.
Star, or Chinese anise is the seed of the /llicium am:satum, of the natural order Iragnoliacece. It owes its name to the star-like shape of the seed. It very closely resembles common aniseed, and yields an essential oil called oil of star anise (oleum badiani). The Chinese use star anise as a stomachic and as a spice. It has been largely imported into Europe from China and Singapore as a substitute for ordinary aniseed, the qualities both of its seed and of the oil so closely resembling those of common anise, that it may be used instead of the latter for almost every purpose.