-IBIS-1.5.0-
rx
herb
Pimpinella anisum (Anise)
botanicals

definition

botanical name(s): Pimpinella anisum
synonyms: anise, aniseed, common anise, anis
part(s) used: fruit (commonly known as seed), volatile oil of seed
qualities: aromatic, pungent, sweet, warm, dry; with secondary qualities of stimulating, restoring and relaxing
affinities: cardiovascular system, intestine, lungs, uterus
actions: carminative, bronchial dilator, emmenagogue, expectorant, galactagogue, parasiticide, rubefacient, spasmolytic, stimulant
dosage:
» oil: 0.05 -0.2 ml.
» tincture: 2 - 4 ml.
specific indications: flatulence, with colicky pain (Felter and Scudder, p. 189)
therapy:
» internal: flatulent colic of infants; nausea (Felter and Lloyd, p. 210); bronchial catarrh; pertussis; spasmodic cough
» external: pediculosis; scabies (British Herbal Pharmacopoeia, p. 160)
AHPA Botanical Safety Rating: 2b
toxicity: fresh/dried herb: 1; essential oil: 2
» contraindicated in allergic hypersensitivity due to potential for occasional reaction (De Smet)
» contraindicated during pregnancy (McGuffin)
» essential oil is a mild skin irritant, and an oro-mucosal irritant; its chief constituent, anethole, is dermatitic, causing scaling, erythema, and vesiculation; cis-isomer is 5 - 38 times more toxic than the trans-isomer (Duke, pp. 374-375)
» oil or seed may cause cheilitis and stomatitis (Duke, pp. 374-375); 1-5 ml. has been noted to cause pulmonary edema, respiratory disturbances
constituents: volatile oil, coumarins, flavonoid glycosides, miscellaneous lipids, fatty acids, sterols, proteins
» major active ingredient is anetholglycol
» also contains creosol, anethol, acetylaldehyde, isoamyaline, umbelliferone, bergatene, isopimpinellin, isobergapene and sphondin
» contains quercetin, a flavonoid
» minerals (per 100 g): calcium (646 mg); phosphorus (440 mg); iron (37 mg); sodium (16 mg); potassium (1441 mg); and zinc (5.3 mg)

footnotes

British Herbal Medical Association. 1983. British Herbal Pharmacopoeia. West Yorks, England: The British Herbal Medical Association.

De Smet PAGM et al. (eds.). 1993. Adverse Effects of Herbal Drugs 2, Berlin: Springer-Verlag

Duke, J.A. 1985. C.R.C. Handbook of Medicinal Herbs. Boca Raton, FL: The C.R.C. Press.

Felter, H. W., and Lloyd, J. U. 1983. King's American Dispensatory, Vols. I and II. Portland, OR: Eclectic Medical Publications.

Felter, H.W. & Scudder, John K., 1922. The Eclectic Materia Medica, Pharmacology and Therapeutics. Cincinnati, Ohio. Reprinted in 1985 by Eclectic Medical Publications, Portland, OR.

Leung, AY. Encyclopedia of common natural ingredients used in food, drugs, and cosmetics. New York: John Wiley and Sons Inc., 1980. p.32.


McGuffin, Michael, ed. 1997. American Herbal Products Association’s Botanical Safety Handbook. Boca Raton, FL: The CRC Press.

Moerman, DE. Medicinal Plants of Native America. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Museum of Anthropology, Technical Reports, Number 19, 1986, Vol. 1, p.340.