History and Traditional Use

     Native to Southwest China and Vietnam, Illicium Verum takes on the familiar star- shaped pericarp structure, which is found to grow on small evergreen trees of the Magnoliaceae family, see Figure 1 (Garden Action, 2000). 

       Figure 1- Star anise and tree of the Magnoliaceae family.
        Ref: http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/211118/

Also known as Chinese Star Anise, it has been historically used by Ancient Greeks, Romans and East Asians both as a spice in cooking as well as a traditional pharmacopoeia, see Figure 2. However, it only became common in the 17^th century when it was widely sold at grocery and hardware stores. Traditionally, the French who imported Anise from India, incorporated it as a main ingredient in their infamous ‘liqueur d’Arabie’ as early as the 14^th century. The Greeks however prescribed it for coughs while the Romans used it to make cakes for special occasions as it has a licorice flavor (MDidea, 2010).

Figure 2- Szechuan Beef and Star Anise Noodle Soup
Ref: http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=10000001879901

The Chinese and Europeans had also used it as a warm stimulating herb mainly to facilitate digestion, combat stomachaches, as a breath freshener and as an anti- emetic. More specifically, the Chinese prescribed it as a carminative (flatulence) remedy, a stimulant, as well as a diuretic (Bottom Line Monograph, 2010). Early English populations however had utilized the herb for a broader range of biological processes and ailments such as hiccups, increase milk production for nursing mothers, treatment for water retention, headaches, asthma, Bronchitis, rheumatism, insomnia, lice, infant colic, cholera and even cancer (Agrisources, 2008). Anise seeds were typically crushed or bruised (Figure 3) and administered in the form of lozenges, placed in tea, mixed with wine, chewed after meals or smoked, where the latter was to induce coughing for phlegm removal. Anise-oil is also harvested from the pericarp for similar medicinal properties (MDidea, 2010).

Figure 3- Anise seeds being crushed and bruised with mortar and pestle.
Ref: http://www.kitchenexperiments.net/2009_05_01_archive.html