Anise tea mirrors the taste of licorice which makes it a great relaxing, sweet beverage. This herb offers a strong aroma and flavor and is commonly used for food flavoring, perfumes, oils, cosmetics, skincare products. Let’s check out more information about anise tea!
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Anise V.S. Star Anise
Anise and star anise are two different unrelated herbs but are both commonly used to add flavor on food and beverages. Anise, also referred to as anise seeds or aniseed, has an olive-green to grey-brown color and offers a more potent flavor than star anise. It falls under the same family with carrots and celery. While star anise is a seed pod from the fruit of the Illicium verum plant.
Health Benefits of Anise Tea
Anise offers exceptional health benefits whether consumed as a tea or incorporated in food. It contains Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids, dietary fiber, sodium, and potassium.
1. Aids with Digestion and Bloating
It draws back from the medieval times where ancient Romans are caught eating aniseed to avoid indigestion. In herbal medicinal practice, anise is known as the “the comforter of bowels”. The anise plant helps promote healthy digestion, it is a great tea for after meals as it helps avoid constipation and bloating.
2. Increases Sex Drive
Anise tea helps with men-related issues, as it improves testosterone levels especially for older men. It is also said that a cup of anise tea daily helps increase both male and female libido.
3. Lowers Blood Glucose
The property anethole found in this herb is capable of lowering blood sugar by increasing insulin production. Insulin helps the body absorb the glucose, which makes blood sugar manageable.
4. Anti-Aging
Anise tea is rich in Vitamin A, and Vitamin C which supports the production of collagen and antioxidants. This works by keeping the skin firm and elastic.
5. Eliminates of Bad Breath
The anise oil and its flavorful aroma is an effective relief to bad breath, sinus headaches, and nasal congestion.
6. Treats Cataract and Improves Eye Health
Vitamin A and antioxidants found in anise seeds reduce the possible damage on the retina and prevent macular degeneration, night blindness, and cataract.
7. Anti-Depressant
Although research on this is still limited, there have been existing studies that support the claim that anise tea has the capability of treating depression. One of these includes anise showcasing that same effects as a prescribed antidepressant on laboratory mice. Another study showed that regular consumption of anise helped alleviate postpartum depression on women.
8. Treats Iron Deficiency
Aniseeds contain minerals such as calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, copper, and selenium. Drinking anise tea can help increase iron and improve iron absorption of the body which in effect helps prevent anemia.
9. Reduces Inflammation
Anise contains estragole, p-anisaldehyde, anise alcohol, acetophenone, pinene, and limonene which are anti-inflammatory. For individuals suffering from rheumatism, a cup of anise tea can help reduce the swelling and pain on your joints.
10. Treats Respiratory Conditions
Anise seeds are also a common ingredient used for throat and chest lozenges because it helps improve bronchitis, asthma, catarrh, and other upper respiratory conditions.
11. Helps Relieve Flu Symptoms
An oil present in anise contains thymol, terpineol, and anethole which has antimicrobial properties and helps treat cough, sore throat, bronchitis, asthma, anemia, and morning sickness.
12. Remedy for Skin Problems
The antibacterial and antiseptic components in aniseeds are effective in cleansing skin wounds and prevent the spread of viral, fungal, and bacterial infections. With this, anise tea helps heal scabies on the skin.
13. Stimulates Menstruation and Reduces Dysmenorrhea
Anise tea is also effective in regulating a woman’s menstrual cycle. It contains anethole and estrogenic properties that helps enhance the menstrual cycle. Additionally, anise tea also has dianethole and photoanethole and they mimic the female sex hormones which result in relieving hormonal imbalance, menstrual cramps, and body pain.
Proper Dosage and Side Effects of Anise Tea
Household use of anise varies from teas, food, and oils. Everyone should familiarize themselves with the proper dosage to get most out of the plant and enjoy its taste and health benefits.
For teas, one teaspoon of crushed aniseed is recommended for steeping. You can add marshmallows, licorice, fennel, caraway, or chamomile in the blend for more flavor. While mommies can also serve a teaspoon of the prepared tea to infants suffering from indigestion. However, Anise also has significant side effects on its user and it can cause nausea, vomiting, pulmonary edema, seizures, and lightheadedness if it is consumed excessively.
Best Anise Tea Brands
Celebration Herbals Organic Anise Tea
Celebration Herbals started as a distributor in 1997 specializing in spices and organic herbs. It lasted for 10 years and their love for organic resources bloomed into a calling that made them start producing herbal teas that are best-tasting in quality and inexpensive to substitute over-priced supplements.
Their products can be seen in different health food trade centers and they are expanding their market to the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico, and England. Their variety of anise tea is one of the brand’s ace flavors. It is naturally cultivated in temperate areas to make it more potent. No extra flavoring and preservatives were added into this package and it is purely organic, ensuring that the taste will strongly resemble the sweetness and spiciness of anise.
Tadin Herb & Co. Chamomile and Anise Tea
Tadin Tea is a brand that boasts its commitment to health. Originated from Spain, the brand is particular in giving their patrons tea products that are natural for more effective benefits.
Their specialty of anise tea is combined with chamomile. The brand points out that these two herbs are the perfect match to capture that sweet, spicy milky, and aromatic taste of the tea. Tadin’s chamomile anise tea is a suitable beverage to ease the condition of those suffering from insomnia, headaches, upset stomach, and rheumatic pains.
Galil Anise Herbal Tea
For 30 years, Galil has been one of the leading FMCG brands in Turkey. Galil specializes in producing and distributing food products such as cereals, candies, canned vegetables and fruits, buttered cookies, instant soup, nuts and seeds, sardines, honey, coffee, and tea. It’s ethics lie in its dedication to providing the most organic food to its customers and all ingredients are meticulously handpicked by the farmers.
Galil also sells anise tea in package form and they are all-natural in taste and caffeine-free. Each tea bag is made of foil to retain its freshness which makes the tea package a perfect gift to offer to friends and relatives. The tea has been proven to provide relaxation to the consumer and at the same time its selection of dainty flowers mixed to the beverage makes it more low-calorie compared to other tea types.
Davidson’s Organics Tea Bulk Anise Seed
Davidson’s Organics is a brand that houses tea, coffee, spices, and cocoa and all of these products are cultivated in properly tended plantations. Davidson’s has an eco-responsibility and they answer to the usage of sustainable development to their harvesting methods and production process.
They ensure that their customers will get the most rewarding benefits they’ll ever have just by consuming any of their products. Such expertise in natural selection led them to develop products that will let their customers experience the first-hand direction of making teas. Davidson’s sells organic anise seed for tea infusion and it is packed inside a kraft paper stand-up pouch with aluminum foil lining to maintain its taste and freshness. The product is completely caffeine-free and it exudes an aroma and taste similar to licorice.
Chamomile and Anise by Badia
Badia runs with a Hispanic origin and it is one of the top-notched family-owned food companies. Their products of teas, marinades, sauces, seasoning blends, and other health items are widely distributed to 70 countries. They also gain their certification from Safe Foods Quality authenticating their company grounds as sanitized and safely managed. With a price point that is friendly in the pockets, Badia guarantees that the great quality is still present in every product.
Their star anise tea flavor variety claims to be effective in aiding digestion. This particular plant is harvested from a Magnolia tree and it stimulates a strong aroma and a lingering taste of licorice. The beverage can be topped off with a sprinkle of cardamom seed or even a dash of ginger for a more alluring and satisfying taste.
How To Prepare Anise Seeds for Tea
If you’re choosing to work with anise seeds, it offers an option to either work with drieds whole or ground seeds. When grinding the seeds, you can simply use a mortar and pestle and steep this in a pot with hot water. A strainer will be needed when transferring to a teacup. Whole anise seeds, however, can be steeped in a teapot or with a tea infuser for 5 minutes.
Cinnamon Anise Tea Recipe
Ingredients
3 cups of water, 2 teaspoons of anise seeds, 3 inches of cinnamon sticks, ½ teaspoon of sugar, 1 ½ tablespoons of lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of honey, and 2 black tea bags.
Tools
1 saucepan, and strainer
Steps
- Step 1: Put all the ingredients together (except for the teabags) in a saucepan and put it in a boil.
- Step 2: Simmer for 3 minutes.
- Step 3: Use a strainer to separate the liquid. Pour it into the cups with one black tea bag each.
- Step 4: Steep for 3 minutes or to desired strength then serve.
Anise is a delicate herb that is pungent in every aspect of taste and aroma. It is sought out by many culinary experts because of its ability to bring more taste to the dish.
At the same time, herbalists and pharmacists are also reliant on this plant because of its efficiency in giving comfort to those short-term ailments such as indigestion, nausea, and diarrhea. Drinking anise tea can also help individuals combat diseases such as asthma, anemia, and bronchitis. It is still important for the individual to consume anise with moderation while following a nutritious diet and a healthy lifestyle.
