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Mama To Many (Tennessee) on 02/13/2016: 
When my 4 year old had a coughing fit, I gave him 1/2 teaspoon of the tincture in a couple of ounces of water and it helped him a lot! I gave a dose to anyone who was coughing at bedtime and it seemed to keep the nighttime cough (when it tends to be worse) at bay quite well.
I did use other cough remedies (homemade chest salve and essential oils on the bottom of the feet) that worked well too, but those were not new remedies to me. I love to find something new that works!
I gave middle sized children 1/2 teaspoon of tincture in 2 ounces of water.
If I still had toddlers I would use 1/4 teaspoon in 1 ounce of water.
For adults I would use 1 teaspoon (2 for a large adult) in 3 ounces of water.
It tastes like licorice. :)
~Mama to Many~
Ed2010 (Canada) on 10/15/2013:
Before I was using Flax Seed Tea, but star anise seed tea works even faster and easy to make than Flax Seed Tea. Make sure you treat for your underlying cause as well bronchitis, allergies, mold, lung infection, copd.
To Make Star Anise Tea
When it is drinking hot, add honey or other sweetner.
Drink it once an hour till your cough subsides. Usually it works in 1 tea.
Honey and Eucalyptus Oil are optional.
Star Anise Seeds and Anise Seeds both are same.
You can get Star Anise Seeds in Desi Stores, but it is availabe in most of the stores.
The best part is it is very tasty and children will like it.
Please give feedback if it worked for you.
Good Health
Brigitte (Houston, Texas) on 01/11/2008:
A nonproductive cough is another name for a dry cough which does nothing to move phlegm from the throat and lungs. This is often a precursor to a more serious ailment like pneumonia. It is of the utmost importance that you remove the excessive phlem from your system.
I have found that the best expectorant that I can find is made by placing five tablespoons anise seeds into 1 cup of rum. (Allow seeds to soak in rum for 2 weeks and then strain out the seeds. The anise infused rum will last for a long time.)
I take no more than 2 teaspoons of this as needed to induce a cough which allows for the mucus to be removed from the body. A note to nursing mothers who have problems with milk production; a good side affect of anise is that it increases milk production in lactating mothers. I know this for a fact as my last child was born when I was 40 and I had problems producing milk sufficient to meet my child's needs. Be cognisant of the fact that you do not want to over do it with alcohol if you are nursing as this would be counter productive to the health and well being of the child who depends on you for nourishment. I used an anise tea when I was nursing it works well for increasing milk production.
