Overview
With its delicate, white floral bouquets atop long branches, the anise plant adds a lovely touch to any yard or wild field. Related to fennel and Queen Anne’s lace, anise (Pimpinella anisum) is originally native to the eastern Mediterranean region.
Anise Seed & Candida
While the lacy flowers are beautiful, it’s the anise seeds that are most valued for their health benefits. Anise seeds have a subtle licorice flavor and have been used as an after-dinner digestif for centuries. In ancient times, Greeks and Egyptians chewed them to soothe indigestion, balance blood sugar, and as a natural remedy for fungal overgrowth. Later, people created liqueurs from anise and its flavor cousin, licorice. Note that star anise (Illicium verum) is a different species altogether.
Anethole, the aromatic compound in anise seed, helps promote normal blood sugar levels. By balancing blood sugar, it also deters harmful organisms in your body, particularly the yeast Candida albicans, which feeds on sugar. The olive-brown seed is also rich in nutrients such as iron, magnesium, calcium, and B vitamins.
What Is Candida?
Candida is a yeast (fungus) naturally found in your digestive tract and other parts of your body. While it’s normal to have some Candida, it can become problematic if it overgrows. This can lead to discomfort and other common issues, such as:
Oral mucous overgrowth (thrush), fatigue, recurring urinary tract infections (UTIs), chronic sinus infections, and swelling in joints.
If Candida overgrows, it can appear at the corners of your mouth, in the esophagus, or even invade the bloodstream. Women may experience an unusual or itchy white discharge in the vagina, indicating a yeast infection.
Up to seventy-five percent of women will experience some form of Candida infection in their lifetime, with many experiencing them chronically until they can balance their body’s microbiota.
Several factors can lead to Candida overgrowth, including excess sugar intake, high alcohol consumption, eating too many carbohydrates, and antibiotic use. Antibiotics kill bacteria, which can allow fungus to proliferate. Probiotics, on the other hand, can help restore balance to your internal microbiota.
How Anise Seed Helps Candida & Fungal Balance
A Candida diet that eliminates sugar, carbs, alcohol, and yeast-containing foods is ideal for curbing overgrowth. Supplements containing anise or other herbs can also help. Anise seeds contain many helpful nutrients responsible for their health benefits.
Anise seed helps with Candida overgrowth in two ways. It naturally deters harmful organisms, including Candida, helping to keep it in balance. When anise seed extract was tested on seven species of yeast, the yeast did not survive.
Secondly, anise helps balance your blood sugar by stimulating the pancreas, which produces insulin and regulates blood sugar levels. Anise’s active ingredient, anethole, activates enzymes that help the pancreas promote balanced blood sugar levels.
Other Benefits You Need to Know
Anise seed offers a range of other health benefits, making it a popular medicinal herb for thousands of years. Anise provides the following benefits:
Relaxing the body, relieving constipation, supporting endocrine health, easing hot flashes of menopause, relieving discomfort, promoting normal breast milk production, and soothing stomach ulcers.
This seed is an excellent all-around stimulant for women’s health and has been used for centuries to promote hormone balance and calm the body.
Best Ways to Use Anise Seed
Not only is anise good for you, but it also tastes great. There are many ways to incorporate anise into your diet. Some people prefer chewing the seeds raw, while others use the flavor in traditional recipes or take it in supplement form.
Cuisine
With a sweet flavor similar to licorice or fennel seed, anise is found in many baked goods like pastries and cakes. Anise-flavored liqueurs are also popular as a post-meal digestif. Many people also chew anise seeds after meals.
Middle Eastern, Italian, German, and Indian cuisines often use whole or ground anise seed, as well as anise seed oil, often along with cumin, dill, and fennel. Cooking may alter some of the natural, beneficial compounds found in the raw seeds, but you still get the aroma and flavor.
Look for anise seed in the spice section of your local grocery store and store it in a cool, dry, and airtight space for extended shelf life.
Happy Tummy Anise Tea
Another way to add anise to your diet is in herbal tea. This happy tummy tea is perfect after a meal to quell indigestion and leave you feeling relaxed. Your taste buds will thank you!
Ingredients:
1 teaspoon anise seed, 2 teaspoons dried peppermint leaf, 1/4 teaspoon crushed fresh ginger root, 1 teaspoon raw honey (if desired)
Directions:
Crush the anise seeds. Add anise seeds, peppermint, and ginger to a cup and pour in boiling water. Add honey if desired. Enjoy!
Supplementing With Anise
To get the benefits of anise seed, you can take supplements. Most people take anise in capsule form, alone or with other herbs. It works well with several other herbs that have similar effects, such as turmeric, oregano, pau d’Arco bark, garlic, peppermint, fennel, echinacea, fermented foods, and probiotics.
Candida Balance promotes a healthy, balanced digestive system and a body free of fungal overgrowth. We chose the most potent herbal ingredients; Anise seed is complemented by wildcrafted jatoba, pau d’arco bark, enzymes, and other herbal ingredients. Together, they form the most powerful and effective all-natural yeast and fungal cleanser on the market.
Points to Remember
Anise supports the body’s defense against fungus and reduces blood sugar. Egyptians and Greeks once chewed anise seed to freshen their breath and improve digestion, and this still occurs in some Mediterranean cultures. Most people today drink anise tea, use it in recipes, or take a supplement. Anise is a powerful tool in maintaining a balanced internal microbiota.
Candida is a common yeast (fungus) that can easily become overly abundant in the body, especially if you eat a lot of sugar, simple carbs, or consume alcohol. While a Candida diet that eliminates sugar, carbs, alcohol, and yeast-containing foods is the first-line defense against overgrowth, supplements can also help.
Adding anise to your diet can boost your health by helping you detox or deter Candida fungal overgrowth. If you’re interested in taking a supplement, try Candida Balance which combines anise seed with other potent ingredients like jatoba, pau d’arco bark, and enzymes.
Have you tried anise seed or a product with anise seed for Candida? Have you used it in cooking or as a digestive aid? Share your experiences below!
