ANISEED or just ANISE - hero herb I don't leave the house without!

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Originally from Egypt and Asia, Anise is a flowering plant that has a lovely flavour and taste similar to that of fennel, star anise and liquorice.
Usually the seeds are used in medicine making. It is an expectorant (helps remove mucous from the body), I like adding a drop of the oil in a tablespoon of honey to help with this.
Why I like to carry it around with me though is because not only is it great to have before a meal as a digestive aid and to help prevent gas (caraway and fennel in combo with anise works well for flatulence! ) but is also great to have afterwards to prevent bad breath, if at anytime of the day I ever feel my breath is off I just chew some Anise seeds! and my stomach thanks me too! (and is often served after meals in India.)
Anise works especially well in hair lice formulations, the oil added to a bit of melted coconut oil works wonders, and it smells nice too, for it to be more effective i would add some tea tree oil too though!
Some people may be allergic to Anise and is contraindicated during pregnancy.
If you don't like chewing the seeds, 1-4ml of tincture, 3 times a day for digestive aid, or 1 cup of boiling water over 1-2 teaspoons of seeds, take one cup three times a day. Drink before meals.
Anise need full sun when grown, but not in a very wind spot, grows best in light well-draining soil, add a little lime if the soil is too acidic. Grow 30cm apart and 1.3cm deep. Seeds usually germinate in 2 weeks, and prefer a temperature of around 21degrees. DO NOT: grow basil, rue or carrots near Anise.
When collecting flower-heads, wait till they are full of brown seeds and let the head dry up completely before removing the seeds, store seed in airtight container, can lasts for years for culinary purposes, but only one year if you want to propagate. :)

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