Star anise

What is Star anise?

Star anise is the dried fruit of an evergreen tree, Illicium verum. It grows in southern China and Vietnam. The star-shaped pods are a kitchen spice with a warm, sweet liquorice taste.

European folk users called it badiane. They brewed the stars as a tea for wind, bloating and coughs. It also flavours anise drinks such as pastis and anisette.

One warning belongs near the top. A close relative, Japanese star anise, is poisonous. It has been found mixed into supplies, and babies have had seizures after star anise tea.

Here is the short verdict. As a food spice, star anise is fine for most adults. As a medicine, good human evidence is missing, and long traditional use is not proof that it works or that it is safe.

How does Star anise work?

No one has shown in people that star anise treats an illness. What follows comes from laboratory work, not from patients.

The main oil compound is anethole. In test tubes and in animals, anethole appears to relax gut muscle and slow some bacteria and fungi. Whether a cup of tea does any of this inside your body is not known.

Star anise is also the world's main source of shikimic acid. Drug makers use that acid as a raw material to build the flu medicine oseltamivir. The spice itself is not a flu treatment, and tea will not act like one.

The poison in Japanese star anise is anisatin. In animal studies it blocks a calming brain signal, which can set off seizures. That is why mix-ups between the two fruits matter so much.

What forms does Star anise come in?

Whole dried stars are the most common form. Cooks drop them into broths, braises and mulled wine, then take them out.

Ground star anise is sold on its own and inside blends. Chinese five-spice powder and some chai mixes contain it.

Tea bags and loose spice teas are sold for wind and digestion. Some are marketed for babies, and those should be left alone.

The essential oil is sold for flavouring and scent. It is very concentrated and is not for swallowing.

You can also find tinctures, capsules and anise-flavoured liqueurs such as pastis, anisette and sambuca.

Where it comes from:

Sea trade brought star anise to Europe from southern China in the 1500s and 1600s. It was sold as badiane.

Apothecaries listed it beside aniseed and fennel. It was given as a warm infusion for wind, griping belly pain and chesty coughs.

It also became a flavour staple. Distillers used it in anise liqueurs, and bakers used it in spiced breads and biscuits.

In several European regions, mothers were once given star anise tea for infant colic. Poisoning cases later led health agencies to warn against that use. The tradition is recorded here as history, not as a suggestion.

What does Star anise help with?

• Wind, bloating and trapped gas: This is the main folk use of badiane in Europe. A warm infusion was drunk after heavy meals. In animal and test tube work, anethole appears to relax gut muscle. There are no good human trials of star anise alone for bloating. Any relief you feel may come from the warm drink itself. That is still relief, but it is not proof the spice acted.
• Mild indigestion after meals: Tradition treated star anise as a warming digestive, much like aniseed and fennel. Human evidence is missing. Star anise has not been tested on its own in trials for indigestion. Indigestion that keeps coming back needs a doctor, not a spice. It can be a sign of something treatable.
• Coughs and chesty colds: European apothecaries sold anise-flavoured syrups for coughs, and star anise was one source of that flavour. The evidence here is weak. Lab tests show the oil slows some microbes, but no trial shows it shortens a cold in people. The link many readers have heard about is with oseltamivir. That drug is made using shikimic acid from the spice. Drinking the spice does not give you the drug.
• Bad breath: Chewing a star or sipping the tea was a folk breath freshener. Anise flavours are still used this way. The effect is a strong taste and smell, and it is short-lived. No trial shows it treats the cause of bad breath. Lasting bad breath often comes from gum disease or dental problems. A dentist is the right first stop.
• Infant colic (old folk use, now advised against): Star anise tea was once given to crying babies across parts of Europe and Latin America. This use caused harm. Babies in Spain, the Netherlands and the United States had vomiting, jitteriness, shaking and seizures after such teas. Most cases were traced to Japanese star anise mixed into the product. Health agencies now warn against giving star anise tea to infants at all.

Which foods are rich in Star anise?

1. Chinese five-spice powder
2. Pho and other slow-simmered broths
3. Braised pork and duck dishes
4. Mulled wine and spiced cider
5. Chai tea blends
6. Anise liqueurs such as pastis, anisette and sambuca
7. Spiced biscuits and festive breads

Practical Tips:

Star anise is a food in its own right. In cooking, the stars sit in the pot and are then taken out.

These food amounts are small and are not a concern for most people.

Buy from a known brand or a busy shop with labelled stock. Loose, unlabelled fruit carries the highest mix-up risk.

What are the side effects of Star anise?

• Allergic rash, itching or hives
• Swelling of the lips, tongue or face
• Skin irritation from the undiluted essential oil
• Nausea or vomiting with large amounts
• Heartburn
• Shaking, jerking, drowsiness or seizures if the product is contaminated with Japanese star anise

Good to know:

At cooking amounts, problems are rare. Most healthy adults use star anise with no trouble at all.

Allergy is the usual mild risk, mainly in people reactive to anise, fennel or related plants.

The serious reports are different in kind. They involve babies, concentrated teas, or supplies mixed with the poisonous look-alike species.

How much Star anise should you take?

• Recommended daily: Used as a spice, one or two whole stars flavour a pot of food, and the stars are removed before eating. Spice tea labels usually suggest one or two stars, roughly 1 to 2 grams, steeped in a cup of hot water. Capsule and tincture labels vary a lot. No amount has been shown to treat any condition. The figures above are the kind of thing a label carries, not advice for you. Never give star anise tea or supplements to babies or young children, at any amount.
• Best time of day: Timing does not matter much. Custom put the tea after meals, when wind and fullness are at their worst. Pick a time you will remember, or follow the label.
• With or without food: Food amounts come with food by definition. Teas are usually taken after eating. If a concentrated product upsets your stomach, taking it with food may help.
• Time to effect: If a warm spiced drink settles your stomach, you would usually notice within 15 to 30 minutes. It may also do nothing at all. There is no trial showing a reliable effect, so no honest page can promise one. If your symptoms are no better after a week or two, stop and get them checked.
• How long to take it: Food use is open-ended, because the amounts are tiny. Medicinal teas were traditionally taken for a few days, around a bout of bloating or a cough. There is no safety data for taking concentrated star anise products daily for months. Estragole in the plant is the reason for that caution. High long-term doses have caused liver tumours in rodents.