To prepare anise powder at home, choose good quality anise seeds from organic herb stores for purity and authenticity. The seeds should be bright olive-green to grey-brown in color and the ones with broken tips must be avoided. When buying anise powder from the store in packaged form, make sure it is well sealed as loose powder may lose its taste and aroma. Go for pale brown colored anise powder with mild fragrance. Also, make sure that the powder is free-flowing and contains no clumps.
Intake of Anise seed powder can cause allergic reactions (red or inflammed skin and itching) to people that are already allergic to plants of the same family like celery, parsley, fennel or dill. It can also mimic the effects of estrogen in the body that could worsen symptoms of hormone-sensitive conditions such as breast cancer or endometriosis (tissues that otherwise lines the uterus, grows outside the uterus).(2)
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Description
Anise is a perennial, flowering plant that belongs to the Apiaceae family in the genus Pimpinella and is native to Middle-East and Mediterranean region. It produces flowers and a small white fruit called anise seed. Anise powder is a fine, brown powder obtained from crushed anise seeds obtained from Pimpinella anisum plant, which has been cultivated in Egypt, the Middle East, and Europe. The seeds are tiny, about 3-4 mm long and oblong or curved, comma-shaped. They are brownish-grey in color with fine strips over its outer surface that produce brown anise powder when ground. The powder has an aroma of licorice.