Safety Information
According to Tisserand & Young, Anise Seed essential oil can be potentially carcinogenic, based on estragole & safrole content, may inhibit blood clotting & reproductive hormone modulation.
Anise Seed essential oil is contraindicated during pregnancy, breastfeeding, for those with endometriosis, estrogen dependent cancers & children under 5 yrs old
Indicated cautions: Diabetes & anticoagulant medication, peptic ulcer, hemophilia, major surgery & other bleeding disorders.
(E)-Anethole inhibits platelet aggregation. Essential oils high in (E)-anethole should therefore be avoided, especially in high or oral doses, before major surgery, and in anyone taking blood-thinning medication, or with blood coagulation issues. Essential oils with a high (E)-anethole content should be avoided during pregnancy. (E)-Anethole is weakly estrogenic in yeast cells. It is not estrogenic in breast cancer cells, but a metabolite of (E)-anethole is estrogenic. Given orally to female rats at 80 mg/kg/day for three days, (E)-anethole significantly increased uterine weight, suggesting estrogenic activity. In carcinogenesis studies, (E)-anethole did not cause breast cancer in either rats or mice.
Avoid old or oxidized oils.
Maximum daily oral dose: 53mg
Maximum dermal level per Tisserand & Young: 1.75% (based on 6.6% estragole & 0.1% safrole content) and dermal limits of 0.12% for estragole and 0.05% for safrole
References
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A.W. Smith. "A Gardener's Handbook of Plant Names:",(1997)
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Battaglia S. The Complete Guide to Aromatherapy. 2nd edition, The International Centre of Holistic Aromatherapy, Australia, 2003
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Mojay, Gabriel. Aromatherapy for Healing the Spirit, Healing Arts Press, Rochester, VT 1997
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Price S. Aromatherapy for Health Professionals, Churchill Livingstone, 1995
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Tisserand, Robert, et al. Essential Oil Safety: a Guide for Health Care Professionals. Churchill Livingstone/Elsevier, 2014.