Anis (Pimpinella anisum L.)

Abstract

This monograph deals with anise as a medicinal and aromatic plant. It has an extensive application in traditional medicine as a remedy for indigestion, as a sedative and as natural estrogen. By using a modern scientific method its benefits are confirmed. Anise is a plant often used in medicine too, as well as in food industry, especially in beverage industry. In this monograph, we get familiar with morphological characteristics of anise plant and fruit. The fruit, which is the main part of the plant, is rich in essential oil. Special attention was paid to its chemical composition, as well as the factors that influence it. The dominant volatile component is trans-anethole that gives off the pleasant, aromatic odour. This monograph deals with the analysis of agro-ecological growing conditions for the plant, the phenological stages and the need for heat, humidity and light throughout the development cycle. This author describes in detail the growing practices for anise, in which the emphasis is on crop rotation, tillage and fertilization in both conventional and organic cropping system. Since anise reproduces exclusively by direct sowing, the time of sowing, sowing rate as well as the quality of seed (germination energy and total germination) is analyzed. Cultivation technique, harvest, yield and postharvest processing are also a subject, as well as the calculation of production costs. The monograph presents star anise as well, which grows as an evergreen tree in China, whose fruit has a very characteristic shape and is also rich in trans-anethole and often used in the same way as anise. The monograph presents the author’s results in addition to the results of a number of researchers who have studied all aspects of the plant, so it provides a synthesis of the current knowledge of anise and is an important literary source for other scientists, but also those who want to learn more about this plant.

U ovoj monografiji prikazan je anis kao lekovita i aromatična biljka, koja se širom sveta koristi kao tradicionalni lek kod poremećenog varenja, za smirenje i kao prirodni estrogen. Savremenim naučnim metodama potvrđena su mnogobrojna blagotvorna dejstva anisa, te je on često korišćena biljka i u modernoj medicini, kao i u prehrambenoj industriji, posebno u proizvodnji alkoholnih pića. U monografiji su date detaljne informacije o morfološkim karakteristikama biljke i ploda. Kako se kod ove biljke pretežno koristi plod, koji je bogat etarskim uljem, posebna pažnja je posvećena njegovom hemijskom sastavu, kao i faktorima koji utiču na njega. Dominantna isparljiva komponenta etarskog ulja je trans-anetol koji uslovljava prijatan, aromatičan miris. Monografija se bavi i analizom agroekoloških uslova uspevanja ove biljke, i fenološkim fazama, ali i potrebama za toplotom, vlagom i osunčanošću tokom razvojnog ciklusa. Autorka detaljno opisuje gajenje anisa, pri čemu je naročita pažnja posvećena plodoredu, obradi zemljišta i đubrenju kako u konvencionalnom tako i u organskom sistemu ratarenja. Pošto se anis razmnožava isključivo direktnom setvom, analizirani su vreme setve, setvena norma i kvalitet semenskog materijala (energija klijanja i ukupna klijavost). Nega useva i žetva, prinos i prerada i kalkulacija proizvodnje ove biljke takođe su tema monografije. U monografiji je prikazan i zvezdasti anis, koji raste kao zimzeleno drvo u Kini, a čiji su plodovi vrlo karakterističnog oblika, i takođe bogati trans-anetolom, te se često koriste na isti način kao i anis. U radu su prikazani autorski rezultati, kao i rezultati većeg broja istraživača koji su proučavali ovu biljku, tako da ova monografija predstavlja sintezu dosadašnjih saznanja o anisu, i samim tim je značajan literaturni izvor za druge naučnike, kao i za one koji žele da saznaju više o ovoj temi.