Star Anise Illicium verum Native to China, the sue of star anise by Man has been traced back to around 100BC. Its generic name is derived from the Latin verb illicere, to attract, because of its pleasant smell. An evergreen, related to the Magnolia family, the tree only produces its small, compound fruits after 15 years and then yielding just three annual harvests. The fruit itself is unique. Eight rough, dark brown carpels, around 1cm long, containing a shiny, light brown, almost bronze, seed, radiate from a central stalk to produce a ‘star’. Cultivation is difficult and transplantation problems mean that it is almost exclusively grown in South China and northern Southeast Asia. It is said to have first been brought to Europe by an English sailor sometime in the 16th century, and was soon adopted for use in jams, puddings and syrups. Although totally unrelated, it contains the same essential oils as anise, (anethole and anisole), but with a spicier, warmer flavour, with just a hint of bitterness. Ayurveda and herbal medicine use star anise as a digestive, relieving flatulence and stomach disorders and Oriental medicine use it in a linked way to cure colic. In Chinese cooking, it is one of the ingredients in five-spice powder, which consists of equal quantities of star anise, cassia or cinnamon, fennel seeds and Sichuan peppercorns, ground to a fine powder with a half-quantity of cloves.