SC - Anise, Fennel (and a bit of dill)

[Ron and Laurene Wells]

At 06:22 PM 7/23/2000 -0500, you wrote:
>Date: Sun, 23 Jul 2000 19:18:32 -0400
>From: Philip & Susan Troy <troy at asan.com>
>Subject: Re: SC - Anise seeds -some toxic, some not!!!
>
>Ron and Laurene Wells wrote:
> >
> > Only the seeds from that one species of anise are toxic.  The seeds from
> > Star Anise are NOT toxic, and they are what we commonly use in
> > cooking.  Sorry for not typing out ALL the species references so that you
> > could see the difference.
> >
> > You can see it here on page 551.
> > http://www.dk.com/us/shared/product_m_spread.asp?isbn=0789419432
> >
> > I didn't mean to confuse you.  I'm sorry.
> >
> > -Laurene
>
>Okay, I've just got home from a weekend event and am probably only
>semi-coherent, but you've got me confused. Star Anise I'm eminently
>familiar with, and you say it isn't toxic, which doesn't surprise me.
>The standard European, umbelliferous anise, with seeds resembling
>caraway, fennel, and/or cumin in shape, these are toxic? If so, what
>exactly do you mean by "toxic"? That they contain a deadly poison, or
>that they contain some chemical component, which, if overingested, can
>have adverse effects? I confess I've never eaten large quantities of
>anise seeds of either type, but I think the FDA, or some agency like
>that, would be interested to learn that the anise favored by, say, the
>makers of anisette liquers and cookies, is toxic.
>
>Perhaps you could provide a bit more info on this? I ask in part because
>I'm planning to teach a class on anise confits, I don't want to poison 
>anybody.
>
>Adamantius
>- --

As you will see on the link to that page, there are over 40 species of 
plants in the Anise family.  STAR ANISE is the one we most commonly think 
of when we think of ANISE.  I suspect the other speices are left to grow in 
the wild or are not widely cultivated, so that we need not worry about them 
much!  :)

Someone else explained on the list what "anise seed" really is - apparently 
it is a true relative of Fennel (whereas STAR ANISE is NOT a relative of 
Fennel) or possibly even the fennel seeds being sold as anise.  I think the 
most serious problem here has less to do with the study of plants and more 
to do with the problem of grocery marketing!!!  The GROCERS do NOT know 
what they are selling, so how in the world are WE supposed to know what we 
are buying?

On a side note, I have read universally in gardening books that if you want 
to collect the seeds for replanting the following year, you should not grow 
fennel and dill anywhere near one another.  They can and will cross pollenate.

- -Laurene