Essential Oils
Pimpinella anisum
Steam-distilled · Pimpinella anisum
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Aniseed oil smells exactly like liquorice sweets, because both owe their character to the same compound: anethole, which makes up the great majority of this oil. It is one of the sweetest aromas in the essential oil cabinet and one of the most warming.
Traditional use runs in two directions. In chest preparations it is a warming expectorant, rubbed in diluted or inhaled from steam. In digestive blends it is a carminative, massaged over the abdomen for trapped wind and colicky discomfort — the same reasoning behind chewing saunf after a meal.
Anethole-rich oils are potent, so aniseed is a low-dilution oil: 1% is plenty. It also crystallises if it gets cold, which is normal — warm the bottle in your hands and it clears.
Customer voices
Rated 4 stars or more
Bought it from us
I blend my own oils and this has become a staple. I have blended it with lavender and the result is lovely. Docking a star only because I would like clearer batch dates on the pack.
I blend my own oils and this has become a staple. I have blended it with lavender and the result is lovely. Docking a star only because I would like clearer batch dates on the pack.
You can tell immediately that this has not been cut with anything. I follow the dilution advice on the listing and have had no irritation at all. Five stars from me.
This smells like the actual plant, not a fragrance approximation. Two drops in the diffuser is plenty for a whole room. Docking a star only because I would like clearer batch dates on the pack.
I blend my own oils and this has become a staple. Two drops in the diffuser is plenty for a whole room. A genuinely good product at a fair price.
The amber bottle and drop insert are exactly right. I follow the dilution advice on the listing and have had no irritation at all. Good quality, but stronger than I was expecting and I have had to use much less.
The amber bottle and drop insert are exactly right. I use six drops in thirty millilitres of coconut oil for a scalp massage. Very happy, and I will be reordering.
Ask the herbalists
4 of 4 answered
Can I put this straight onto my skin?
Anita R. · 3 weeks ago
No — it's undiluted, and it needs a carrier oil first. A few drops in a tablespoon of a carrier is the usual starting point, and patch-test on a small area before you use it more widely.
HerbasenseOfficial answer· 3 weeks ago
I dilute mine in sweet almond oil and it's been fine, but definitely patch-test first.
Nikhil S.· 2 weeks ago
Is it pure, or blended with a carrier already?
Rachel M. · 2 months ago
Pure and undiluted — nothing added. That's why a small bottle goes a very long way, and why it has to be diluted before it touches skin.
HerbasenseOfficial answer· 2 months ago
Is it safe during pregnancy or while breastfeeding?
Anita R. · 2 months ago
We don't recommend starting any herbal supplement in pregnancy or while breastfeeding without speaking to your midwife or doctor first. Please take the ingredient list to them and follow their advice over ours.
HerbasenseOfficial answer· 2 months ago
How long does one pack usually last if I'm using it every day?
Hassan A. · 3 months ago
It depends on your dose, but at the amount on the pack most people find a standard size lasts between three and six weeks of daily use. If you're using it occasionally rather than daily, expect considerably longer.
HerbasenseOfficial answer· 3 months ago
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