Product Overview: Star Anise

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Star anise is a spice derived from the dried mature fruit of the Illicium verum plant. It consists of star-shaped fruits made up of 8 segments arranged radially. The best quality is large, reddish, highly oily, and aromatic. Key chemical components include anethole, d-pinene, l-sabinene, α-terpineol, with trace amounts of safrole, methyl chavicol, etc. It is widely used in flavoring, food, and pharmaceutical industries.

Effects and Uses

  • Warms the yang, disperses cold, regulates qi.
  • Treats cold-related vomiting, cold hernia abdominal pain, kidney deficiency back pain, and both dry and wet athlete's foot.

Main Value

  1. Edible Value
    1. Star anise is a commonly used spice that can enhance many delicious dishes.
    2. Braised Dog Meat with Star Anise: Cook 250 grams of dog meat until tender, then add appropriate amounts of star anise, fennel, cinnamon, dried tangerine peel, grass fruit, ginger, salt, and soy sauce, and cook together. Can help treat impotence.
    3. Star Anise Sesame Crispy Chicken: Rub a hen with fine salt, then apply minced ginger, star anise powder, green onion, cooking wine, and soy sauce to the chicken. Steam until 80% cooked, remove used ginger slices, press the chicken flat, coat with egg batter, sprinkle with sesame seeds, and gently press. Heat 1 liter of peanut oil to 80% heat, then slowly fry the chicken over low heat until golden. This can improve pregnant women's appetite, relieve constipation, and enhance skin condition, making it smooth and glowing.
    4. Star Anise Walnut Powder: Smash a walnut, mix with one star anise, and chew until it becomes a paste before swallowing, three times a day. Mild cases of breast lumps can be cured in a month, while severe cases may be alleviated.
  1. Nutritional Value
    1. The primary component of star anise is anise oil, which stimulates the gastrointestinal nerves and blood vessels, promotes digestive juice secretion, and increases gastrointestinal motility, benefiting digestion and relieving pain.
    2. Anise olefin promotes bone marrow cell maturation and release into peripheral blood, significantly increasing white blood cell count, especially neutrophils, which can be used for leukopenia.

Applications: Flavoring, Food

  1. Traditional Chinese Medicine
  2. Seasoning: Star anise seasoning.

Plant Description

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Star anise, also known as Illicium verum, is a tree reaching 10–15 meters in height; with a conical, elliptical, or conical crown; deep gray bark; and dense branches. It primarily grows in western and southern Guangxi.

An evergreen tree with irregular leaves, alternate arrangement, 3–6 leaves clustered or loosely arranged at the tip, leathery, thick, ovate or lanceolate, 5–15 cm long, 2–5 cm wide, with a pointed or short tapering apex and a gradually narrowing or wedge-shaped base; transparent oil dots visible under sunlight; the central vein slightly sunken on the upper side, raised on the underside; leaf stalks 8–20 mm long.

The fruit is a compound fruit consisting of 8 segments arranged radiating on a central axis. Each segment is 1–2 cm long, 0.3–0.5 cm wide, 0.6–1 cm high; with a reddish-brown, irregularly wrinkled surface and a beak-like tip; the inner surface is light brown, smooth, glossy, and brittle. The fruit stem is 3–4 cm long, connected to the central base of the fruit, curved, and often falls off. Each segment contains one seed, which is flattened-oval, about 6 mm long, reddish-brown or yellowish-brown, glossy, with a seed scar at the tip; the endosperm is white and oily. It has a fragrant aroma and a spicy, sweet taste.

Growing Environment

The primary production areas are in Guangxi, Guangdong, Yunnan, Fujian, and Guizhou. In Guangxi, it is found in Shanglin County, Wuzhou, Fangcheng District, and Rongxian; in Yunnan, in Pingbian Miao Autonomous County and Funing County.

These areas are mostly located south of 25°N latitude, with annual precipitation exceeding 1000 mm and relative humidity above 80%. During the dry winter and spring seasons, there are dew and fog. The average annual temperature ranges from 19 to 23°C, with the coldest month having an average temperature above 10°C. The main cultivation regions are in western and southern Guangxi (including Baise, Nanning, Qinzhou, Wuzhou, and Yulin), at altitudes between 200 and 700 meters, although the natural distribution can reach up to 1600 meters. Cultivation has also been introduced to areas such as Yanshan in Guilin (approximately 25°11′N) and Doushui Town in Shangyou, Jiangxi (25°50′N), where it flowers and fruits normally. It is also grown in southern Fujian, southeastern and southern Yunnan, Taiwan, Guangdong, Guizhou, southern Shaanxi Qinling, and Vietnam.

Harvesting and Processing

Harvesting Method

Harvest the fruits in autumn and winter when they turn from green to yellow. After briefly blanching them in boiling water, dry them or dry them directly.

Star anise fruits mature as either spring fruits or autumn fruits. Spring fruits usually account for 20% of the annual yield, while autumn fruits make up 80%. Spring fruits mature in March-April, and autumn fruits mature in September-October. Harvest when the fruits change from green to yellow.

There are two harvesting methods: one involves collecting the fruits that have fully matured and fallen to the ground, which is more suitable for spring fruits; the other involves climbing the tree and picking the fruits when they turn yellow. Harvesting should be done on sunny days.

Processing Method

The harvested fruits should be processed immediately, typically involving two steps: blanching and drying.

  1. Blanching: Place the fresh star anise fruits in a bamboo basket and put them into a pot of pre-boiled water. Stir continuously with a bamboo or wooden stick until the fruits turn yellow (about 10 minutes), then remove and drain.
  1. Drying: After blanching, spread the fruits out in the sun to dry. Turn them regularly and sun-dry for 5-6 days in strong sunlight to produce glossy, bright red star anise. If the weather is rainy, use an oven. Build an indoor drying oven with bricks, measuring 1.2 meters high, 2 meters long, and 1.5 meters wide. Place wooden or steel bars 1 meter above the ground, spaced 20 centimeters apart, and lay bamboo mats with gaps on top. Build the sides up by 20 centimeters. Cut two openings on the long side of the oven, each 3 centimeters high and 25 centimeters wide, for adding fuel and removing ash. Spread 100-150 kilograms of star anise on the bamboo mats, add charcoal to the oven, and roast at around 50°C, turning regularly. It takes about 2 days to dry a batch.

Processing Methods

  1. Ancient Methods:
  2. In the Song Dynasty, there were methods such as stir-frying (as noted in "Boji Fang"), light stir-frying (as noted in "Su Shen"), and "stir-frying until aromatic" (as noted in "Puben"). The Ming Dynasty introduced methods like stir-frying with wine (as noted in "Jufang"), salt stir-frying (as noted in "Pujifang"), stir-frying with salt and wine (as noted in "Mengquan"), and saltwater soaking and stir-frying (as noted in "Huichun"). The Qing Dynasty continued these methods and added the practice of "stir-frying star anise with medicinal saltwater" (as noted in "Haili").
  1. Modern Methods:
  2. (1) Star Anise: Take the raw material, remove impurities, and sift out dust.
  3. (2) Stir-Fried Star Anise: Place cleaned star anise in a hot pan and heat over low flame until slightly darker than the original color. Remove and cool.
  4. (3) Salt-Stirred Star Anise: Mix cleaned star anise with saltwater and let it absorb the saltwater completely. Place in a hot pan and heat over low flame until dry. Remove and cool. Use 2 kilograms of salt per 100 kilograms of star anise.

Storage and Preservation

Dried star anise should be stored in burlap or woven bags and kept in a cool, dry place.

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