The History, Uses and Cultivation of Anise

Anise is an herb that has many uses both medicinally and in the kitchen. It is an herb that has a lovely fragrance and taste, and it has been used for many centuries for many purposes. This plant is native to "Egypt and the Mediterranean region," and it is cultivated "in Europe, India, Mexico, Russia, and the United States" (Kowalchik, 1987, p. 14). Anise is an annual herb that has a slight resemblance to Queen Anne's lace.

Anise has been noted very far back in history. It was studied by "Pythagoras," and "Hippocrates" recommended this plant for help with "coughs" (Kowalchik, 1987, p.14). This use is still widely accepted today. The "Roman scholar Pliny" suggested using this herb to get rid of morning breath, and he also thought keeping anise by the bed at night would help rid the sleeper of bad dreams (Kowalchik, 1987, p.14).

My favorite part of anise's history started in Rome. The Romans used this plant for its "flavor, fragrance, and medicinal properties," and they actually made cakes with anise that were called "mustaceum," and they would serve at special events such as weddings (Kowalchik, 1987, p.14). This cake would help aid in digestion and the anise also provided it with a nice taste. Some people believe that the tradition surrounding this cake is how the "modern wedding cake" originated (Kowalchik, 1987, p.14).

Anise has many medicinal uses. The most well known use was for aiding in "digestion and flatulence," and it was often taken as a tea or baked into cookies or cakes (Kowalchik, 1987, p.14). In order to make a tea from anise crush the seeds and steep about a teaspoon of the powder in a cup of boiled water. This tea has a pleasant taste and can help with stomach and intestinal problems. Anise is also used to help alleviate coughs, and it can be found in natural cough syrups.

Anise is another great herb to cook with, and the seeds can be ground up and added to many recipes. The leaves can also be used fresh or chopped in many different meals. The taste of anise is similar to licorice, and it can be found in many liqueurs.

Anise is best propagated through seed, and it likes "poor, light, well-drained soil" and full sun (Kowalchik, 1987, p.16). Anise should be planted in a location where it is blocked by wind because wind can damage this plant easily.

Anise is a plant that has many medicinal and culinary uses; it is strong in history, and it should have a place in your garden.

Reference:

Kowalchik, C. (Ed.). (1987). Rodale's encyclopedia of herbs. Emmaus, PA: Rodale.

Autumn Crocus: History, Uses and Cultivation

 

This pretty plant is not very big, and it has strong medicinal purposes, but it is also so poisonous that it can kill you. This herb flowers in "September," and it has pretty lavender or light pink flowers; it grows to only about "12 inches" in height, and it is native to "Europe and North Africa" (Kowalchik, 1987, p.18). This herb looks very much like a regular crocus, but it is not a part of the iris family like most crocuses; it bears six stamens which is the easiest way to identify it. This herb has strong medicinal purposes, but it can also be deadly.

The history of the autumn crocus started way back in the time of the "Egyptians;" they used this herb to treat "gout 4000 years ago" (Kowalchik, 1987, p.18). The healing popularity of this plant decreased when people started to recognize the deadly powers of this herb. The powder of the bulb f this plant is ground up to create a poison, and it is said the "Greek naturalist Theophrastus wrote that when slaves became angry with their owner, they ingested tiny bits of the corm to make themselves ill and thus unable to work" (Kowalchik, 1987, p.18). This plant was widely used in history as a poison, and the ground up bulb was often added to wine.

This plant is a great healing herb, but it is better not to be experimented with. The most common use of the autumn crocus is still for the gout; it is taken in a "tablet form or intravenously," but this is the only form of arthritis that this herb is used for; the active ingredient in this plant is "colchicines," and this chemical "inhibits cell division" (Kowalchik, 1987, p.18). In the 40's colchicines was considered a possible cure for cancer, but the toxicity level appeared to be too high to be safe. An overdose of this plant will cause "nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, purging, extreme thirst, weak pulse, coldness and pain in the extremities," and this plant can also cause "damage to the kidneys and blood vessels" (Kowalchik, 1987, p.18).

Autumn crocuses easily grown from bulbs, and they enjoy moist, loamy soil. These plants are accustomed to full sun or partial shade, and they live in "zone 5" (Kowalchik, 1987, p.18). The autumn crocus is planted in early fall like many other bulb plants. They enjoy enriched soil, and they like to be planted two to three inches deep. This plant can also be planted from seed, but they will not bloom for several years if started this way.

The autumn crocus is a lovely plant that has an interesting and slightly criminal history. Its medicinal properties do not outweigh its toxicity so leaves this plant out of your
medicine collection.

American Hellebore: History, Uses and Cultivation

 

American hellebore is a plant that has a rich history in medicinal use, but it is not a plant that should be used for such purposes. This plant has the ability to make you very sick if ingested. It can grow up to "eight feet tall in the wild," and it flowers in "midsummer" (Kowalchik, 1987, p.8). This plant is a perennial that has greenish-white flowers. It lives in swamp land, woods, "wet meadows, stream edges," and it is "indigenous from Canada to the Carolinas" (Kowalchik, 1987, p.8). This plant grows well in nature, but it should be left there.

This plant was used for many different medicinal purposes in the past. The root was ground into a powder by the "American Indians" and the "early colonists;" this powder was then used to treat wounds and cavities (Kowalchik, 1987, p.8). This plant has serious side effects and using it for toothaches can produce fatal effects. American settlers boiled the sliced root with vinegar and used it to treat "rashes and sores," and they also used it to remove "head lice" (Kowalchik, 1987, p.8). This plant has very strong implications for poisoning, and it amazes me that people used it so much in the past. This plant was even used to treat "epilepsy, convulsions, pneumonia, and peritonitis" (Kowalchik, 1987, p.8).

The toxicity of American hellebore is so high that it should not be used by the home herbalist. There are some medicinal purposes of this herb though; it contains "alkaloid" that slow down blood pressure, heart rate, and stimulate "blood flow to the kidneys, liver, and extremeties" (Kowalchik, 1987, p.9). The uses of his plant unfortunately do not outweigh the toxicity level of the plant. The toxicity level of this plant is so high it should not be used at home. American hellebore can cause "abdominal pain, nausau, diarrhea, faintness, shallow breathing, spasms, loss of consciousness, paralysis, and sometimes death," and one of the only reasons it is not more fatal is because it quickly induces vomiting (Kowalchik, 1987, p.9). This plant is a serious herb that should not be ingested.

Although the American hellebore is a plant that can dangerous results when consumed; it is a very striking plant to have in a garden. These plants enjoy shade, and they grow very tall. The flowers form beautiful "panicles", and the foliage is a bright green color that is very attractive (Kowalchik, 1987, p.9). This herb enjoys moist soil and a hardiness zone of 4.

The American hellebore is an herb that is rich in medicinal history, but it has such a strong level of toxicity that it should not be used for its medicinal purposes. It is great for growing in the shade, and it is lovely as an ornamental plant.