anethole

This flavor comes from the essential oil, anethole, which both have in their seeds, even though they're totally unrelated.

"The most important thing about arak is that our grandfathers used herbs to treat illness, not medicine. They believed in herbs, so they chose to make arak with green anise because it has anethole, a compound that aids digestion," said Issa, the company's administrative manager.

“The most important thing about arak is that our grandfathers used herbs to treat illness, not medicine. They believed in herbs, so they chose to make arak with green anise because it has anethole, a compound that aids digestion,” said Issa, the company’s administrative manager.

One such phytonutrient is called anethole which, in animal studies, has been shown to reduce inflammation and fend off chronic disease.

One suggestion of PMA's recent prominence is that the main precursor chemical to it, anethole, is currently easier to get hold of than the precursor to MDMA, safrole but there could be other reasons.