Anise
Archimandrite Nikifor’s Biblical Encyclopedia
(Matt. 23:23) — a plant of the umbelliferous family, used as a seasoning for food and in medicines. It grew abundantly in Judea. Wild anise grows in abundance in Palestine, Egypt, and Asia Minor. The scribes and Pharisees are condemned by the Lord in the passage cited above for their hypocritical zeal in fulfilling the Levitical law in trivial matters, such as tithing cheap herbs — mint, anise, and cummin — while neglecting the weightier matters of the law: judgment, mercy, and faith.