All About Aniseed | Know Your Spice Aniseed (Pimpinella anisum)

Health benefits of aniseed, benefits of vilayati saunf

All About Aniseed | Know Your Spice Aniseed (Pimpinella anisum) or Vilayati Saunf | Health Benefits of Aniseed – Aniseed is an annual flowering plant native to the eastern Mediterranean region and Southwest Asia.

It is known for its flavor, which resembles liquorice, star anise, caraway, fennel and tarragon. It is a member of the parsley and carrot family Apiaceae.

Aniseed seeds are tiny and ovoid, with fine lines marked against pale brown to greenish grey background. Anise often has a bit of its stem attached.

Anise or Aniseed has delicately sweet and aromatic bouquet with distinctly liquorice flavor. The spiciness is similar to fennel. The flavour is heightened by dry frying the seeds.

Aniseed or Vilayati Saunf is used as an ingredient in savory and sweet Indian dishes. It flavours fish soups, sauces, bread, cakes, biscuit and confectionery.

Oil from the seeds is used in cough mixtures and lozenges as well as antiseptic. Aniseed is also used in perfumes and soaps.

The Indian name for aniseed is Vilayati Saunf. It is also differentiated by it’s smaller and leaner shape when compared to fennel seeds (saunf).

This characteristic has also named it choti saunf (smaller) and patli saunf (thinner).

In Biblical times, anise was so highly prized that it was often used for tithes, offerings and payment of taxes in Palestine. It is mentioned in both the gospels of Luke and Mark.

Many of the well known Greek and Roman authors, including Dioscorides, Theophrastus, Pliny and Paladus spoke of the cultivation and uses of anise.

The Romans often served spiced cakes at the close of ‘rich entertainment’ to avoid indigestion and flatulence that could befall dinner guests.

Anise was also believed to act as an aphrodisiac and was used to prevent nightmares and ward away the evil eye.

In the early history of the United States, colonizers of Virginia were each required to plant six anise seeds.

Anise is an herb. The seed (fruit) and oil, and less frequently the root and leaf, are used to make medicine.

Anise is used for upset stomach, intestinal gas, “runny nose,” and as an expectorant to increase productive cough, as a diuretic to increase urine flow, and as an appetite stimulant.

Women use anise to increase milk flow when nursing, start menstruation, treat menstrual discomfort or pain, ease childbirth, and increase sex drive.

Men use anise to treat symptoms of “male menopause.”

Other uses include treatment of seizures, nicotine dependence, trouble sleeping (insomnia), asthma, and constipation.

In foods, anise is used as a flavoring agent. It has a sweet, aromatic taste that resembles the taste of black licorice.

It is commonly used in alcohols and liqueurs, such as anisette and ouzo. It is also used to make Raki – The National Drink of Turkey which I sampled while holidaying in Turkey.

In line with restrictive laws on alcohol sales, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, leader of the socially conservative Justice and Development Party, announced in 2013 that Turkey’s national drink isn’t Raki but Ayran – a yogurt-based refreshment.

Anise is also used in dairy products, gelatins, meats, candies, and breath fresheners.

Aniseed has a licorice flavor that is sweet, mildly spicy, and very aromatic. The aroma is sweet and fragrant.

It is similar to fennel and often used interchangeably. Out of all the herbs and spices that pack a hint of licorice – fennel, caraway, tarragon – aniseed is the sweetest.

Store aniseed like you store your other spices: in an airtight container and away from heat and light. Whole aniseed usually last three to four years. Ground aniseed powder usually lasts two to three years.

Aniseed or anise powder from seeds is easy to make. Just dry roast anise till it is aromatic. Then, grind it in a pepper grinder or spice grinder and you are done.

The best substitute for anise is star anise. One star anise pod is equivalent to half a teaspoon of ground anise seeds.

If you don’t have star anise on hand, fennel seeds, although a little woodier and less sweet than anise, are an acceptable substitute.

Caraway seeds can be used in place of anise seeds but are better suited for savory dishes.

Aniseed is used both in cooking and in baking. It pairs well with seafood, meat, fruit, and chocolate. Anise blends well with other spices and herbs like caraway seeds, cloves, mace and tarragon.

Anise is commonly used in baked goods like Italian biscotti and pizzelles.

Anise is also used to flavour liqueurs from around the world, such as absinthe, anisette, pastis, sambuca, arak, raki, and ouzo.

Anise tea is thought to aid in digestion, relieve stomach cramps, and stimulate the appetite. It can be used to flavour your morning coffee as well.

Use it for flavouring curries, bread, soups, baked goods, desserts, cream cheese, pickles, egg dishes, fish curries.

Health benefits of Aniseed or benefits of vilayati saunf – Throughout history, people have used Aniseed to treat a variety of ailments.

The pale brown seeds of Pimpinella anisum were a highly-prized commodity in ancient Greece and Rome.

The seeds were so valuable in the East that they were often used to pay taxes. Today, anise continues to help people around the world with ailments ranging from digestive issues to low libido.

• Health benefits of aniseed as an carminative – It can relieve gas, bloating, and stomach upset. Its eugenol may ease diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, bloating, gas, and even constipation.
• Health benefits of vilayati saunf as an antioxidants – The spice’s many antioxidants have anti-inflammatory properties that prevent disease and support health.
• Health benefits of aniseed as an antimicrobial – Aniseed and its compounds possess potent antimicrobial properties that prevent infections and block the growth of fungi and bacteria.
• Health benefits of vilayati saunf in regulating menstruation – Anise assists in managing menstruation cycle in females and helps their healthy reproductive health. Estrogenic effect of anise is liable for this particular health benefit.
• Health benefits of aniseed in preventing lice – It really is utilized outwardly just as one insecticide towards small pests just like lice, mites as well as vermin. Additionally, it has got fungicidal qualities.
• Health benefits of vilayati saunf as an expectorant – Aniseed has got outstanding expectorative qualities, and therefore it’s great for the management of cough, along with asthma.
• Health benefits of aniseed for insomnia –Aniseed tea is incredibly valuable in the management of sleeping disorders, if used after meals or even before you go to bed.
• Health benefits of vilayati saunf for metabolism – When it comes to maintaining metabolism, aniseed is an absolute powerhouse because of the many minerals it contains.
• Health benefits of aniseed as an antiepileptic – Aniseed oil transfers a narcotic as well as sedative effect. As a result, it may relax epileptic as well as hysteric assaults.