Star Anise

Star anise, the fruit of Illicium verum, is that eight-pointed star with the sweet, aniseed scent recognisable the world over.

Native to southern China and Vietnam, it is harvested when its follicles open and release their glossy brown seeds.

Used in traditional cookery (five-spice, long-simmered broths, Asian mulled wine) as much as in the orthodox pharmacopoeia, it is one of the most emblematic spices of Asia.

Traditionally used to warm the median sphere and, within the register of transformation (Yun Hua), for when cold settles there.

Star Anise moves the Qi through the Earth Phase and quiets the tensions the tradition ties to cold stagnation.

The kitchen herb of the supplementing register above all others in the cool seasons.

• Decoction: 3 to 6 g, to be added at the end of cooking (10 minutes), as the essential oils are volatile
• Supplementing cooking: one star in a simmered broth, a braised duck or a spiced tea, a classic of winter dishes
• After-meal infusion: 1 to 2 stars in a cup of water at a simmer, 10 minutes covered, after a cold or hearty meal

To be avoided in cases of settled heat or of deficient Yin with dryness. Important: do not confuse it with Japanese star anise (Illicium anisatum, highly toxic).

Our sourcing guarantees the species Illicium verum only, edible and conforming to pharmacopoeia standards.