The Description.

            1. The stalk of Anise is round and hollow, divided into divers small branches, set with leaves next the ground somewhat broad and round: those that grow higher are more jagged, like those of young Parsley, but whiter: on the top of the stalks do stand spoky roundels or tufts of white flowers, and afterward seed, which hath a pleasant taste as every one doth know.

            2. This other Anise (whose umbels Clusius had out of England from Master Morgan the Queen's apothecary, and James Garret; and which were brought from the Philippines by Mr. Thomas Cavendish in his voyage when he encompassed the world) is thus described by Clusius: The umbels were large, no less than those of the Archangelica, made of divers thick stiff footstalks, each whereof carried not double seed as the common Anise, but more, in a round head some inch over, made of cods set star-fashion, six, 8, or more, of a dusky colour, wrinkled, divided into two equal parts, and open above: most of these husks were empty, yet some of them contained one smooth shining ash-coloured seed, of the bigness of that of Orobus; the taste and smell was the same with our common Anise seed, wherefore they which sent it to Clusius called it Anise: yet in the place where it grew it was called Damor; for Mr. Cavendish had the name so written in the China characters, after their manner of writing.

The Place.

            It groweth plentifully in Candy, Syria, Egypt, and other countries of the East. I have often sown it in my garden, where it hath brought forth his ripe seed when the year hath fallen out to be temperate.

The Time.

            It is to be sown in these cold regions in the month of May: the seed is ripe in August.

The Names.

            It is called in Latin Anisum: in High Dutch, Anisz: in Low Dutch, Anissaet: in Italian, Aniso: in Spanish, Matahalva: in French, Anis: in English, Anise, and Anise seed.

The Temperature.

            Galen writeth, That the seed of Anise is hot and dry in the third degree: after others, it is hot in the second degree, and much less than dry in the second degree; for it engendereth milk, which it could not do if it were very dry, as Galen in his chapter of Fennel doth whether he will or no declare and testify; in that it doth engender milk, his opinion is that it is not hot above the first degree: which thing also may be in Anise seed, both by this reason, and also because it is sweet. Therefore to conclude, Anise seed is dry in the first degree, and hot in the second.

The Virtues.

            A. The seed wasteth and consumeth wind, and is good against belchings and upbraidings of the stomach, allayeth gripings of the belly, provoketh urine gently, maketh abundance of milk, and stirreth up bodily lust: it stayeth the lask, and also the white flux in women.

            B. Being chewed it makes the breath sweet, and is good for them that are short winded, and quencheth thirst, and therefore it is fit for such as have the dropsy: it helpeth the yexing or hicket, both when it is drunken or eaten dry: the smell thereof doth also prevail very much.

            C. The same being dried by the fire and taken with honey cleanseth the breast very much from phlegmatic superfluities; and if it be eaten with bitter almonds it doth help the old cough.

            D. It is to be given to young children and infants to eat which are like to have the falling sickness, or to such as have it by patrimony or succession.

            E. It taketh away the Squinancy or Quinsy (that is, a swelling in the throat) being gargled with honey, vinegar, and a little Hyssop gently boiled together.