Anise (Pimpinella anisum) is an annual herbaceous plant in the carrot family, native to the eastern Mediterranean and southwest Asia, though today cultivated worldwide across warm, temperate climates. It grows some 30 to 60 centimetres tall, with finely feathered, pale green leaves and small white umbels of flowers, from which develop, after pollination, the ridged, oval, greyish-brown seeds — botanically, split fruits called schizocarps — that carry the plant's characteristic licorice-like fragrance. This is due chiefly to the essential oil anethole, which anise shares with the entirely unrelated star anise of East Asia, a coincidence that makes the two easy to confuse by scent despite their botanical distance. Besides the seeds, the plant's delicate, finely feathered leaves are occasionally used fresh as a culinary herb, though their flavour is considerably milder. Today Turkey, Spain, Egypt, Mexico, and India rank among the most significant growing regions.

Anise has been cultivated since ancient Egypt for both culinary and medicinal purposes, with seed remains found in grave goods dating to around 1500 BC. In ancient Greece and Rome it was valued as a digestive and breath-freshening aid and served in spiced cakes known as mustaceum, traditionally offered at the end of lavish feasts to settle the stomach. In medieval Europe, anise was so sought after that King Edward I of England levied a dedicated tax on imported anise in the 13th century, using the proceeds to repair a bridge. To this day, anise defines numerous cuisines and spirits across the Mediterranean and Middle East — from Greek ouzo and Turkish raki to Italian sambuca and French pastis, all relying on the milky louche effect produced when their anise oil clouds on contact with water. In ancient China and India too, the plant found an early place in traditional spice blends and healing recipes, though the unrelated star anise was generally preferred there.

Burned as incense, anise releases a sweet, warm, unmistakably licorice-like scent with a faintly spicy, warming sharpness. It is traditionally associated with digestive comfort and inner calm, and in various European folk traditions was also considered protective: a sprig or small sachet of anise seed placed under the pillow was once believed to ward off nightmares and encourage restful sleep. In blends, anise is often paired with other sweet or resinous ingredients, to which it lends a bright, almost confectionery-like top note. In modern perfumery, anise oil is also valued as an affordable, readily available substitute for costlier sweet spice notes, and appears in numerous orientally inspired fragrance compositions.