When and how available
| Month | Availability |
|---|---|
| January - June | Off season (regrowth starts in April) |
| July | Bloom starts mid-month |
| August - September | Peak - heavy bloom |
| October | Blooms until the first frost |
| November - December | Off season |
In trials in western Ukraine, the variety 'Pochatok' resumed growth April 10-19 and bloomed 88 days later, in mid-July. US references give the same rhythm: bloom from July to frost. Dried flowers for tea are available year-round.
| Form | How to use |
|---|---|
| Fresh | Flowers stripped from the spike: garnish for desserts, fruit salads, drinks |
| Dried | Flowers and leaves for tea; hang spikes in bunches to dry in the shade |
| Flavored sugar | Layer flowers with sugar in a closed jar; the sugar takes on the anise scent |
| Syrup | Pour hot sugar syrup over the spikes; for lemonade, ice cream, fruit |
Taste, aroma & texture
Sweet, strongly anise, with a licorice note. That is how the Colorado State University edible flower table describes it. A single flower is tiny, so the flavor comes from a pinch of flowers stripped from the spike. The leaves carry the same anise scent and go into salads and tea, but the flowers are sweeter and work better in desserts.
Anise and licorice. The scent comes from estragole, the same compound found in tarragon, basil, and fennel. It makes up roughly three quarters or more of anise hyssop essential oil, so you smell it as soon as you pick a spike.
The flower head is a dense spike 3 to 6 inches long, with small two-lipped flowers packed in whorls. The flowers themselves are soft and melt on the tongue. The spike with its calyces is coarser, so strip the flowers for the plate and save whole spikes for tea and syrup.
Safety & edibility
Edible flowers are not the same as florist flowers. Only flowers grown specifically for food use without synthetic pesticides are suitable.
Edible
- Flowers - the main culinary part, fresh or dried
- Leaves - in salads and tea
- Seeds - in cookies, cakes, and muffins
Do not eat
- Anise hyssop essential oil - a concentrate of estragole; do not add it to food yourself
- The calyces and the spike axis are dry and coarse; strip the flowers and discard the rest
Are all varieties edible: Culinary sources describe Agastache foeniculum specifically. Ornamental agastaches from garden centers ('Black Adder', 'Tangerine Dream', and others) are often other species or hybrids, so for cooking choose a plant labeled A. foeniculum. Do not confuse anise hyssop with hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis), a different, bitter plant.
Estragole: what to know
The anise scent comes from estragole. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) considers it a naturally occurring genotoxic carcinogen, while noting that the effect drops off markedly at low exposure. The same compound is in tarragon, basil, fennel, and anise, and an ordinary diet supplies 0.5 to 5 mg of it a day.
- A few flowers as a spice or garnish is ordinary culinary use, the same as with basil or tarragon
- For medicines containing estragole, the EMA advises minimizing exposure for young children and for people who are pregnant or breastfeeding. For these groups we suggest not drinking anise hyssop tea every day
- Do not take the essential oil internally
This information is general in nature and is not medical advice. Sources: EMA public statement on estragole (2023), Colorado State University Extension, NC State Extension.
Culinary use
Anise hyssop works as a sweet spice. Its anise and licorice flavor goes with whatever anise goes with: fruit, cream, honey, tea. The flowers are small, so as a garnish they add lavender specks, and the flavor does most of the work.
In North America the leaves have long gone into salads and tea, and the seeds into cookies, cakes, and muffins. The flowers go everywhere the leaves do, plus desserts, where you would rather not put leaves.
Tea
the simplest: pour hot water over a fresh spike or a spoonful of dried flowers and leaves.
Flavored sugar
layer the flowers with sugar in a closed jar for a few days, then sift. Use the sugar in baking and frosting.
Syrup
pour hot sugar syrup over the spikes, let it cool, and strain. For lemonade, ice cream, and fruit salads.
Infused cream
warm the spikes in cream without boiling, then strain; a base for panna cotta and ice cream.
Fresh garnish
strip the flowers just before serving and scatter them over a dessert or salad.
Drying
tie the spikes in bunches and dry them in an airy, shaded spot, then rub the flowers off.
- Do not buy anise hyssop for eating from florists or garden centers - only from edible flower growers or your own garden
- Do not use ornamental agastaches without a species label - for cooking you want Agastache foeniculum
- Do not confuse it with hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis) - a different, bitter plant
- Do not add anise hyssop essential oil to food
- Do not use plants with rust or powdery mildew on the leaves
- Do not drink anise hyssop tea daily while pregnant or breastfeeding, and do not give it to young children - see the estragole section
Perfect pairings
peaches, apricots, melon, berries - anise brings out the sweetness of ripe fruit.
ice cream, panna cotta, cake frosting, yogurt - steep the flowers in cream or sprinkle them on top.
herbal tea, lemonade, iced tea - fresh or dried flowers.
green salad, fennel or carrot salad - a few flowers and leaves in place of anise seed.
Dishes and serving ideas
- Grilled peaches with ice cream - anise hyssop flowers on top just before serving
- Panna cotta made with anise hyssop cream - warm the spikes in the cream and strain
- Lemonade with anise hyssop syrup - spike syrup, lemon, sparkling water
- Herbal tea - one spike or a spoonful of dried flowers per cup
- Fruit salad - strip the flowers and toss them with berries and honey
How to select & store
- A dense spike with most flowers open and an even lavender color
- Leaves free of rusty spots and white coating: anise hyssop gets rust and powdery mildew, and affected plants are not for eating
- A strong anise smell when you rub the spike between your fingers
From growers who raise flowers for food, or grow your own. Flowers from florists and garden centers will not do: they are not grown for eating and may have been treated with products that are unsafe to consume. Anise hyssop grows easily from seed, overwinters well in well-drained soil, and reseeds on its own.
Freshness after cutting: 2-3 days
- Fresh spikes - in the refrigerator in a closed container with a paper towel; use as soon as you can
- Dried flowers and leaves - in a tight jar away from light
- Rinse right before use, not in advance
Composition & properties
Anise hyssop is valued for its essential oil, which carries the anise flavor. USDA FoodData Central has no nutrition data for anise hyssop flowers, so the table covers the oil rather than vitamins.
| Component | Value |
|---|---|
| Estragole (methyl chavicol) | about 74% of the essential oil per the EMA compilation; 88-93% in US samples (Lawson et al., 2021) |
| Role in flavor | estragole gives the anise and licorice scent, as in tarragon and basil |
| Calories | negligible - eaten in small amounts |
Anise hyssop grows wild in the US Midwest and the North American prairies. It is a drought-tolerant perennial 3 to 5 feet tall, and NC State Extension lists it among 20 key pollinator plants blooming in August.
In Ukraine it is grown as a culinary and medicinal herb. In 2021-2025 the Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Development compared Ukrainian varieties, new breeding lines, and ornamental agastaches in the Transcarpathian region. The standard variety 'Pochatok' bloomed on day 88, ahead of most entries.
This information is general and is not medical advice. Oil composition: Lawson, Satyal, Setzer, Plants 2021, EMA 2023.
