Sweet fennel (Anise) adulterated with umbelliferous fruits of close resemblance.

The Anise fruits or Anisoon is commonly used in the many traditional system of medicine (Ayurveda, Yoga and naturopathy, Unani and Siddha) as single drugs or along with other ingredients to form compound formulations. The drug anise or anisoon consists of the dried mature fruits of Pimpinella anisum; family Apiaceae (Umbelliferae) In the market, this drug found adulterated with Cuminum cyminum (jeera) black variety  or with Trachyspermum ammi (Ajwain) black variety in bulk in the market. A Pharmacognosist can easily able to diagnose the adulteration but the adulterated material can not be segregated due to their small sizes and close resemblance on the morphological point of view. 

The adulteration in Pimpinella anisum with other umbelliferous fruits of close resemblances cannot be caught without minute observations. The adulterated material though belongs to the same family of the plant but no doubt, every type of fruit  of the same family also has their own therapeutic value. 

It requires more skilled and experiences persons to find out authentic material without adulteration. However, here I would like to provide some tips for easy identification that can surely helps up to an extent to escape from adulterated material and to procure good and authentic material to manufacture medicines of high quality.

Pharmacognostically, the Pimpenella anisum fruits should be pear - shaped, yellowish green , somewhat compressed, cremocarp with persistent pediciles. Each fruits measuring 3-4 mm long and 1.5 -3.0 mm broad with 4 to 5 ridges arranged longitudinally, The fruits should have sweet aromatic taste and gives an aromatic odor when crushed. Wherease, the the black jeera Cuminum cyminum or black ajwain Trachyspermum ammi fruits comparatively small with short pedicel (stalk) or apedicillate (without stalk) the ajwain rounded to oval and black jeera Cuminum cyminum measuring 2.5 - 3.5 mm long and 1.0-2.5 mm broad with characteristic bitter odor. 

For better results, an small quanity from bulk  (5-10 grams fruits) may be taken then spread on white paper uniformly and then separated with the help of forceps and handlens. After segregation of fruits, it may be tasted separately, the anise fruit gives sweet aromatic and characterisitc taste at the same time the black jeera and ajwain has bitter and characteristic taste.

Hope, this may help to get rid of adulteration while procuring Aniseed or anise or anisson fruits in bulk for medicinal purposes.