Anise tea: useful properties, recipe, reviews
Anise tea: useful properties, recipe, reviews
Anonim

Anise tea is a fragrant and unique drink that can be enjoyed all year round. It is filled with many nutrients and is beneficial to he alth. What are its advantages? Is it really good for everyone, or can it hurt some?

anise plant
anise plant

What is it?

The anise plant is a wild herb. Seeds (fruits), oil, sometimes leaf and root are used to produce medicines.

Anise is used to treat indigestion, intestinal gas, runny nose, and as an expectorant to aggravate productive coughs. It is used both as a diuretic and as an appetite stimulant. At the same time, women use anise to increase the flow of milk during feeding, to establish menstruation, cure menstrual discomfort or pain, facilitate childbirth and increase sexual desire. Men use this plant to treat the symptoms of male menopause. Other options include treating seizures, nicotine addiction, sleep problems (insomnia), asthma, and constipation.

In food, this plant is used inas a fragrance. It has a sweet taste reminiscent of black licorice. The seeds are most commonly used in liqueurs and spirits, as well as jellies, dairy products, candies, meats, and breath fresheners. Aniseed spice (dried seeds) is also widely used and added to various dishes.

tea with anise
tea with anise

In industrial production, anise is often used as a flavoring agent in soaps, creams and perfumes.

What is this tea?

Anise tea is an herbal drink made from the seeds and leaves of the plant, scientifically named Pimpinella anisum. Anise has been cultivated and widely used in the Middle East and the Mediterranean region for thousands of years, both as a culinary ingredient and as an element of traditional medicine. As a medicinal component, it is consumed in the form of tea, less often - the essential oil of seeds.

Anise has a very recognizable taste similar to licorice, tarragon and fennel, and while this makes it unappealing to some people, it remains widely popular.

Benefits of anise drink

What is useful anise tea? The most important he alth benefits of the drink are the relief of digestive problems, the treatment of coughs, asthma and sore throats, boosting immunity, stimulating appetite and alleviating inflammatory conditions.

anise seasoning
anise seasoning

For digestion

One of the oldest reasons for drinking anise tea is its mild laxative. Drink this drinkas soon as you begin to observe a violation of the chair. It will help to quickly stimulate the movements in the colon and relieve the symptoms of constipation.

Reduces inflammation

Anise tea contains a range of active ingredients and anti-inflammatory compounds that make it soothing and relaxing (both mentally and physically). Therefore, its use is recommended for conditions such as arthritis, gout, headaches and the consequences of injuries.

Improves the immune system

With powerful antiviral and antibacterial properties in the seeds, a cup of this tea provides excellent immune system boost in addition to the various antioxidants it contains. It can be especially useful in the midst of an epidemic of influenza and SARS.

Treats respiratory problems

Functioning as an expectorant and anti-inflammatory, anise tea can soothe any irritation in the respiratory tract, relieve coughs and sore throats, and neutralize the underlying infection or pathogen causing these symptoms. Therefore, the drink is used for colds, along with a decoction of licorice.

benefits of anise tea
benefits of anise tea

To improve lactation

While the use of any herbal remedy during pregnancy or breastfeeding should be cautious, there is strong evidence that anise tea can increase milk production and lactation. Therefore, even doctors recommend it.

Stimulates appetite

There is plenty of anecdotal evidence that anise tea can help stimulate appetite. In doing so, it helps people who are recovering from surgery or illness and suffering from eating disorders.

anise tea reviews
anise tea reviews

Supports hormonal balance

Anise has the ability to regulate hormonal fluctuations in the body, helping to regulate everything from sleep problems to PMS. A drink made from it can even stimulate menstruation.

Some scientific studies show that taking a specific product containing anise, saffron and celery seeds reduces the severity and intensity of pain on certain days of the menstrual cycle.

How else can it be useful?

According to reviews of anise tea, it helps to alleviate well-being in a number of diseases. Some of the properties attributed to it have not been scientifically confirmed, but at the same time it is still actively used in traditional medicine. In particular, a drink from the plant is used for the following diseases and conditions:

  • Asthma. Drinking 1 cup of tea containing anise, saffron, German chamomile, fennel, licorice, cumin and cardamom is believed to reduce coughing and sleep disturbances in people with allergic asthma.
  • Lice. Older research suggested that using a product containing anise, coconut and ylang ylang oils applied to the scalp helped get rid of lice.
  • Scabies.
  • Psoriasis.
  • Convulsions.

However, more evidence is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of using anise for this purpose.

Side effects and safety

Anise is completely safe for most adults when taken by mouth in amounts normally found in foods. However, there are special precautions that should be observed:

  • Pregnancy and lactation. Anise is generally safe for pregnant and breastfeeding women when taken as a tea. However, it is not known if it can be consumed in large quantities, so moderation is key.
  • Children's age. Anise is generally considered safe for most children. It can be consumed both in the form of tea and as an external remedy. However, moderation also does not hurt, since the child's body may not respond to the plant in the best way.
  • Allergy. Anise can cause allergic reactions in some cases. If you are allergic to plants such as asparagus, cumin, celery, coriander, dill and fennel, it is best to refrain from using.
  • Hormone-sensitive condition (for example, breast, uterine, ovarian cancer, uterine fibroids or endometriosis). In this case, anise can act like estrogen. If you have any conditions that may be aggravated by estrogen exposure, do not consume anise.
anise seeds
anise seeds

How to make tea from this plant?

Preparing anise tea at homequite simple and requires only dried seeds. You can also make decoctions or tinctures with dried leaves or fresh seeds. The preparation of the drink is as follows:

  1. Crush the star-shaped anise seeds, but don't grind them into a powder.
  2. Bring a pot of water to a boil and put a handful of crushed seeds into a tea cup.
  3. Let the mixture sit for 10-12 minutes, allowing as much of the active ingredients to be released as possible.
  4. If desired, strain the anise seeds, although they should remain at the bottom of the cup.

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