Star anise

Lore & Background

The name Illicium comes from the Latin illicio meaning 'entice' or 'seduce', while verum means 'true' or 'genuine'. The common name 'badian' appears to derive, via French badiane, from the Chinese name 八角 (bājiǎo, 'eight horns'), though a derivation from Persian بادیان (bādiyān, 'fennel') also exists, with the Oxford English Dictionary indicating its origin before that is unknown. The tree has aromatic, simple leaves that are lanceolate, obovate-elliptic or elliptic, and its flowers are solitary, bisexual, pink to dark red. The fruit is a capsule-like follicetum, star-shaped and reddish-brown, consisting of six to eight follicles arranged in a whorl.

Reader's Guide

Star anise is significant both as a culinary spice and as a key industrial source of shikimic acid, the primary precursor in the pharmaceutical synthesis of the anti-influenza drug oseltamivir (Tamiflu). coli. The spice contains anethole, the same compound that gives anise its flavor, and is used in Chinese five-spice powder, Vietnamese phở, Indian biryani and masala chai, French mulled wine, and the liqueur Galliano. It is also used in perfumery, soaps, toothpastes, mouthwashes, and skin creams. Care must be taken to distinguish Illicium verum from toxic related species such as Japanese star anise (Illicium anisatum), which contains the neurotoxin anisatin and can cause seizures and kidney inflammation. Identification methods include fluorescent microscopy, gas chromatography, and thin layer chromatography with HPLC-MS/MS.

Did You Know?

• Star anise oil is used in cooking, perfumery, soaps, toothpastes, mouthwashes, and skin creams.
• Japanese star anise (Illicium anisatum) is highly toxic and contains the neurotoxin anisatin.
• The name 'badian' may derive from the Chinese name 八角 (bājiǎo, 'eight horns') or from Persian بادیان (bādiyān, 'fennel').