In the last few days, I have made use of star anise in creating healthy cough recipes for my kids & myself but wait I was able to do that because I knew that star anise is loaded with so many benefits.
I know you also want to know them, so grab a cup of tea & keep reading.
Star Anise is native to the Chinese and it’s largely used as a spice in culinary as well as an important ingredient in the Chinese medicinal herb.
It’s mainly potent for its antimicrobial properties which are believed and proven to be gotten from the anethole compound present in its fruits.
Imagine, It has been used by mothers in the treatment of colic pain in babies, so if you need to know about various star anise benefits & facts then stay glued to the end.
STAR ANISE QUICK FACT
BOTANICAL NAME
Star anise is known as Illicium verum Hook f
OTHER NAMES
It’s also referred to as Chinese anise, Badian anise or Siberian anise.
STAR ANISE FLAVOR
The main flavour compound is anethole. The fruit is aromatic and has a strong, pungent warm and mildly sweet taste.
ORIGIN OF STAR ANISE
Star anise is native to the Chinese, it’s the seedpod of an evergreen tree that was first found in China & Vietnam. In the modern days, it’s now found in places like Japan, India & the Philippines.
STAR ANISE IS GOTTEN FROM
The common Chinese star anise is gotten from an evergreen fruit that is native to the Chinese, it’s closely related to the Magnolia family and it’s believed that its plant can bear from 100 years after its first fruit is germinated six years or more after planting.
The seed & seed pod are cultivated early and sundried.
SIDE EFFECT
The popular star anise is classified into two which are the Chinese & Japanese star anise. The latter is known for its neurotoxic & intestinal toxic effects when consumed especially for infants.
RECOMMENDED FOR
Star anise is highly recommended for the treatment of bronchitis, dry cough and stomach pain.
MEDICINAL USES
It’s considered a stimulant, and a diuretic is also occasionally used as an antiseptic. It’s widely used for the relief of rheumatism ache, colic pain & fresh breath by chewing the spice.
It’s also great for aiding digestion.
Star anise is also used in soap making, toiletries & perfumery as a non-culinary use.
SPICE THAT PAIRS WELL WITH STAR ANISE
Star anise pairs perfectly with the following spice: allspice, cumin, fennel, cinnamon, honey, cardamom, ginger, sesame seed, cassia, basil etc
HEALTH BENEFITS OF STAR ANISE.
The health benefits of star anise are so enormous, It contains bioactive compounds, as well as phenolic, flavonoids, antioxidants, preservatives, hypolipidemic, antidiabetic & antimicrobial properties.
- The anti-bacterial & antifungal properties of Chinese star anise are useful in the treatment of dry cough, asthma & bronchitis.
- It can be used to secure good sleep due to its sedating properties.
- The shikimic acid present in Chinese star anise is useful for the preparation & curing of influenza & flu virus.
- Linalool is a great antioxidant which helps elevate overall health.
- Star anise is widely used as a stomachic, stimulant, tonic, expectorant, gastroprotective, and carminative.
- It’s also a great source of calcium, iron, potassium, manganese, zinc & magnesium.
- Star anise contains a good amount of antioxidant vitamins like Vitamin C & Vitamin-A.
- It can be used as a natural breath freshener.
WHAT DOES STAR ANISE TASTE GOOD WITH
Star anise makes an awesome spice blend taste if it’s properly blended with spices that anise, fennel, licorice, bay, grain of Selim, cardamon, nutmeg, cinnamon, and ginger.
If you need to substitute Chinese star anise in your spice blend, it’s advised to substitute it with the Anise seed with at least 1/2 half tablespoon of allspice.
HOW TO USE STAR ANISE IN COOKING
Much of the flavour of star anise is locked in its pods which protect the seeds, so to get the flavour in cooking either you do the following:
Toasting: This is the process of heating star anise at around 130-180 degrees to emit its flavour and create a nutty pyrazine compound.
Slow cook: This is the process of cooking the whole pod for a while to allow flavour to escape the wood husk.
Cook with allum ( onions/garlic): create meaty flavour by cooking star anise seed with garlic or ginger
Infuse in oils: Pour in oil to get fermented so as to dispense its anethole.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN STAR ANISE & ANISEED
Star anise & anise are completely different they are often confused with each other because of their similar taste and name. Star anise is gotten from magnolia while the anise seed is from the parsley family.
They are both non-related in appearance, star anise has a star shape with a reddish-brown colour seed while the aniseed has two variants jet brown colour and light brown.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ANISEED & LICORICE.
LIcrorice exhibit a sweet,warm taste also belonging to the leguminous family plant. The licroorice has a dark brown outer skin and a yellow inner flesh while aniseed is has a sweet.camphprous,warming taste. The popular aniseed has an oval,small,cresent shaped ridged seed.
Anise has a pale brown to a greenish gray colour,it is largely confused with licorice because it has a distinct licorice flavour which makes it a great option for many licorice flavoured liqueuries.
ARE STAR ANISE & FENNEL THE SAME THING
Absolutely No, but both star anise & fennel has the same main compound known as anethole. With a distinct shape, the star anise has a star like shape with light brown seeds while fennel has a greenish oval,ridged shape.
WHERE TO BUY STAR ANISE
Chinese star anise can be purchased from local grocery stores around you but I highly recommend you buy Chinese star anise here & always ensure to buy star anise with an unbroken pod.
WHAT COMMON AILMENT CAN CHINESE STAR ANISE CURE
As it’s known I don’t make medical recommendations. Still, research shows that star anise has been used in traditional medicine over a long period of time to cure several ailments like rheumatism, dry cough, colic pain, headache and stomach pain.
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