Star anise

Illicium verum, also called star anise, badian, Chinese star anise, star anise seed, star aniseed, or star of anise, is a medium-sized evergreen tree that grows naturally in South China and northeast Vietnam. Its fruit, a star-shaped pericarp picked just before it ripens, is a spice with a flavor very close to that of anise. China is the main producer, followed by Vietnam and other Southeast Asian countries. The oil from star anise is strongly fragrant and appears in cooking, perfumery, soaps, toothpastes, mouthwashes, and skin creams. Until 2012, Roche Pharmaceuticals used up to 90% of the world's annual star anise harvest to make oseltamivir (Tamiflu) through shikimic acid; after that, they switched to using genetically modified *E. coli*.

The genus name *Illicium* comes from the Latin *illicio*, meaning "entice" or "seduce," and *verum* means "true" or "genuine." The name "badian" likely comes, through French *badiane*, from the Chinese name for the plant, 八角 (pinyin: *bājiǎo*), which means "eight horns." However, there is also a possible derivation from the Persian *bādiyān*, meaning "fennel," and the Oxford English Dictionary notes that its origin before that is unknown.

The tree's leaves are aromatic, simple, and lanceolate, obovate-elliptic, or elliptic, measuring 5–15 cm by 2–5 cm, and are leathery to very leathery. They are 5–15 cm by 1.5–5 cm, with a pointed tip and a hairy underside. The flowers grow alone, are bisexual, and range from pink to dark red. They appear in the leaf axils or near the branch tips. The perianth has 7–12 lobes arranged in a spiral; there are 11–20 stamens, also spirally arranged, with short, thick filaments; and usually 8 free carpels arranged in a single whorl. The flower stalk is 1.5–4 cm long, the tepals number 7–12 and are broadly elliptic to broadly ovate, the anthers are 1–1.5 mm, and the pollen grains are trisyncolpate. The fruit is a capsule-like follicetum, star-shaped, reddish-brown, made up of 6 to 8 follicles in a whorl. Each follicle is boat-shaped, 1–2 cm long, rough and rigid, reddish-brown, with one seed, and splits open along the inner edge when ripe. The carpels are 10 mm long, boat-shaped, hard and wrinkled, each containing one seed. The seeds are brown, flattened oval, smooth, shiny, and brittle, about 8–9 mm by 6 mm.

*Illicium anisatum* has smaller fruits that do not form a regular star because some carpels fail to develop. Its fruit follicles are not swollen in the middle and have a more pointed tip. It usually has more than 8 follicles, and its fruit has a weaker odor. The seeds of *Illicium anisatum* are flat or nearly spherical.

In cooking, star anise contains anethole, the same compound that gives anise (an unrelated plant) its flavor. In the West, it has become a cheaper substitute for anise in baking and in liquor production, most notably for the liqueur Galliano. It also enhances the flavor of meat. In parts of the Indian subcontinent, it is used as a spice in biryani and masala chai. It is widely used in Chinese cuisine, as well as in Malay and Indonesian cooking. It is grown commercially on a large scale in China, India, and most other Asian countries. Star anise is an ingredient in the traditional Chinese five-spice powder and a major component in making phở, a Vietnamese noodle soup. It is also used in the French recipe for mulled wine, vin chaud. If steeped in coffee, it deepens and enriches the flavor. The pods can be reused multiple times per pot or cup, as hot water penetrates them and makes the flavor easier to extract.

Star anise is the main source of the chemical compound shikimic acid, a key precursor in making the anti-influenza drug oseltamivir (Tamiflu). An industrial method for producing shikimic acid by fermenting *E. coli* bacteria was discovered in 2005 and was used during the 2009 swine flu pandemic to address Tamiflu shortages, eventually reversing price increases for star anise as a raw material. As of 2018, fermenting *E. coli* was the preferred manufacturing method for shikimic acid used in Tamiflu synthesis.

*Illicium verum* is not toxic. However, other related species are. Japanese star anise (*Illicium anisatum*) is highly toxic and inedible; in Japan, it has been burned as incense instead. Cases of illness, including serious neurological effects such as seizures, reported after drinking star anise tea may be due to deliberate adulteration with this species for economic reasons. Japanese star anise contains the neurotoxin anisatin, which also causes severe inflammation of the kidneys, urinary tract, and digestive organs when ingested. Swamp star anise (*Illicium parviflorum*), a similar tree found in the southern United States, is also highly toxic and should not be used in folk remedies or cooking.

ISO 676:1995 contains information on the nomenclature of the variety and cultivars. For identification, refer to the 4th edition of the European Pharmacopoeia (1153). To distinguish species, Joshi et al. used fluorescent microscopy and gas chromatography, while Lederer et al. employed thin layer chromatography with HPLC-MS/MS. ISO 11178:1995 provides a specification for its dried fruits.