ANISEED OIL 
Main constituents of Aniseed Oil
The aroma of the essential oil (up to 3% in the fruits) is dominated by trans-anethole (max. 90%). Additional aroma components are estragol (iso-anethole, 2%), anise aldehyde (less than 1%), anise alcohol, p-methoxy-acetophenone, pinene, limonene, ?-himachalene (2%). An unusual compound is the phenol ester 4-methoxy-2-(1-propene-yl)-phenol-2-methyl-butyrate, which is characteristic for anise (5%).
Older books (e.g., Melchior and Kastner) mention that anise, especially of Italian origin, may contain small amounts of highly toxic hemlock fruits. This warning seems now to be obsolete; you'll probably not share Sokrates' fate just after enjoying one anise biscuit.
| Name | Aniseed Oil |
| Botanical Name | Pimpinella Anisum |
| Source | Characteristic fruity odour, Sweet smell |
| Color | Colorless liquid |
| Specific Gravity | 0.9806 G / ml |
| Referactive Index | 1.5510 |
| Optical Rotation | -1 |
| Solubility | Sparingly soluble in water freely soluble in alcohol, Others |
| Active Content: | 94.18% (TRANS ANETHOLE BY GLC CAPILLARY COLUMN |
Origin
Eastern Mediterranean (Egypt?) or West Asia. Turkey is still an important producer in our days, but still better qualities come from India.
In Far Eastern cuisines (India, Iran, Indonesia), no distinction is made between anise and fennel (see below). Therefore, the same name is usually given to both of them. On the Philippines, star anise is a popular spice and referred to as “anise” for short. 
Anise or Aniseed, less commonly anís (stressed on the second syllable) (Pimpinella anisum) is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae, native to the eastern Mediterranean region and southwest Asia. It is a herbaceous annual plant growing to 50 cm tall. The leaves at the base of the plant are simple, 2-5 cm long and shallowly lobed, while leaves higher on the stems are feathery pinnate, divided into numerous leaflets. The flowers are white, 3 mm diameter, produced in dense umbels. The fruit is an oblong dry schizocarp, 3-5 mm long.
Pimpinella species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species, including the lime-speck pug and wormwood pug.
