Review of Pharmacological Properties and Chemical Constituents of Pimpinella anisum

Abstract

Pimpinella anisum (anise), belonging to Umbelliferae family, is an aromatic plant which has been used In Iranian traditional medicine (especially its fruits) as carminative, aromatic, disinfectant, and galactagogue. Because the wide traditional usage of Pimpinella anisum for treatment of diseases, in this review published scientific reports about the composition and pharmacological properties of this plant were collected with electronic literature search of GoogleScholar, PubMed, Sciencedirect, Scopus, and SID from 1970 to 2011. So far, different studies were performed on aniseeds and various properties such as antimicrobial, antifungal, antiviral, antioxidant, muscle relaxant, analgesic and anticonvulsant activity as well as different effects on gastrointestinal system have been reported of aniseeds. It can also reduce morphine dependence and has beneficial effects on dysmenorrhea and menopausal hot flashes in women. In diabetic patients, aniseeds showed hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic effect and reduce lipid peroxidation. The most important compounds of aniseeds essential oil were trans-anetole, estragole, γ-hymachalen, para-anisaldehyde and methyl cavicol. Due to broad spectrum of pharmacological effects, and very few clinical studies of Pimpinella anisum, more clinical trials are recommended to evaluate the beneficial effects of this plant in human models and synthesis of new drugs from the active ingredients of this plant in future.

The comparison of archaeobotanical data and the oldest documentary records (14th–15th century) of useful plants in medieval Gdańsk, northern Poland

“…In the Middle Ages its cultivation spread to central Europe (Grieve 1971). P. anisum has a sweet flavour, and is considered to be a very good herbal remedy (Shojaii and Fard 2012). I. verum is a tree, a member of Magnoliaceae family, native to southwest China.…”

Activity of phenolic compounds from plant origin against Candida species

“…More and more, people worldwide use medicinal plants as first priority to maintain a good health, to prevent or even treat some health conditions. Linked to this, some studies have been conducted, using a wide variety of plants, towards the identification of bioactive molecules, their properties and mechanisms of action (Agarwal et al, 2010;Alves-Silva et al, 2013;Asgarpanah and Kazemivash, 2012;Asl and Hosseinzadeh, 2008;Bakkali et al, 2008;Kanafani and Perfect, 2008;Rana et al, 2011;Sher, 2009;Shojaii and Fard, 2012;Silva et al, 2011b;Singh et al, 2010). In fact, natural matrices, in particular, plants, are extremely rich sources of biomolecules that have sparked an increasing interest for scientific researchers, in different areas of knowledge.…”

Plants used in folk medicine: The potential of their hydromethanolic extracts against Candida species

“…In the last years, those natural matrices have sparked an increasing interest for scientific researchers, who have proved their extremely richness in natural biomolecules, conferring a multitude of biological properties. Their phytochemical potential, synergistic effects, and mechanisms of action have been studied, in different areas of knowledge (Alves-Silva et al, 2013;Shojaii and Fard, 2012;Singh et al, 2010). However, many extracts/compounds from plant origin remain unstudied.…”