Envoy at 05:39, 29 October 2007

2007-10-29T05:39:23Z

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{{Taxobox
| color = lightgreen
| name = Star anise
| image = IMG 1076aw.jpg
| image_width = 250px
| image_caption = [[Star anise]] fruits (''Illicium verum'')
| regnum = [[Plant]]ae
| divisio = [[flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]]
| classis = [[dicotyledon|Magnoliopsida]]
| ordo = [[Austrobaileyales]]
| familia = [[Illiciaceae]]
| genus = ''[[Illicium]]''
| species = '''''I. verum'''''
| binomial = ''Illicium verum''
| binomial_authority = [[Hook.f.]]
}}

'''Star anise''', '''star aniseed''' or '''Chinese star anise''', ([[Chinese language|Chinese]]: [[wiktionary:八角|八角]], [[pinyin]]: ''bājiǎo'', lit. "eight-horn") is a [[spice]] that closely resembles [[anise]] in flavor, obtained from the star-shaped [[fruit|pericarp]] of ''Illicium verum'', a small native [[evergreen]] tree of southwest [[China]]. The star shaped fruits are harvested just before ripening. It is widely used in [[Chinese cuisine]], in [[Indian cuisine]] where it is a major component of [[garam masala]], and in [[Indonesian cuisine]]. It is widely grown for commercial use in [[China]], [[India]], and most other countries in Asia. Star anise is an ingredient of the traditional [[five-spice powder]] of Chinese cooking. It is also one of the ingredients used to make the broth for the [[Vietnamese cuisine|Vietnamese]] noodle soup called ''[[phở]]''.
It is used as a spice in preparation of Biryani in [[Andhra Pradesh]], a south Indian State.

Star anise contains [[anethole]], the same ingredient which gives the unrelated [[anise]] its flavor. Recently, star anise has come into use in the [[Western world|West]] as a less expensive substitute for anise in baking as well as in [[liquor]] production, most distinctively in the production of the liquor [[Galliano (drink)|Galliano]]. It is also used in the production of [[Sambuca]] and [[pastis]].

Star anise has been used in a tea as a remedy for [[colic]] and [[rheumatism]], and the seeds are sometimes chewed after meals to aid digestion.

[[Shikimic acid]], a primary [[feedstock]] used to create the anti-flu drug [[Tamiflu]], is produced by most [[autotrophic]] organisms, but star anise is the industrial source. Tamiflu is regarded as the most promising drug to mitigate the severity of [[Avian_flu|bird flu]] ([[H5N1]]); however, reports indicate that some forms of the virus have already adapted to Tamiflu.

In 2005, there was a temporary shortage of star anise due to its use in making Tamiflu. Late in that year, a way was found of making shikimic acid artificially. A drug company named [[Hoffmann-La_Roche|Roche]] now derives some of the raw material it needs from fermenting [[e-coli]] bacteria. There is no longer any shortage of star anise and it is readily available and is relatively cheap.

Star anise is grown in four provinces in China and harvested between March and May. The shikimic acid is extracted from the seeds in a ten-stage manufacturing process which takes a year. Reports say 90% of the harvest is already used by the [[Swiss]] pharmaceutical manufacturer [[Hoffmann-La Roche|Roche]] in making Tamiflu, but other reports say there is an abundance of the spice in the main regions - [[Fujian]], [[Guangdong]], [[Guangxi]] and [[Yunnan]].

'''[[Japanese star anise]]''' (''Illicium anisatum''), a similar tree, is not edible because it is '''highly toxic'''; instead, it has been burned as [[incense]] in [[Japan]]. Cases of illness, including "serious [[neurological]] effects, such as seizures", reported after using star anise tea may be a result of using this species. Japanese star anise contains [[anisatin]], which causes severe [[inflammation]] of the [[kidneys]], [[urinary tract]] and digestive organs.

== References ==
* [http://www.itis.usda.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=505892 ITIS 505892]
* [http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2003/NEW00941.html FDA Issues Advisory on Star Anise "Teas"]

==External links==
{{commons|Oseltamivir}}

[[Category:Chinese ingredients]]
[[Category:Dietary supplements]]
[[Category:Austrobaileyales]]
[[Category:Medicinal plants]]
[[Category:Spices]]

Star anise - Revision history

Envoy at 05:39, 29 October 2007