Botanical name:Illicium verum hook
English name: Star anise seeds
Indian name: Anasphal, chakar phool
Family name: Magnoliaceae
Other name: Anis de la chine
Origin: india

Star anise is the unusual fruit of a small oriental tree. It is, as the name suggests, star shaped, radiating between five and ten pointed boat-shaped sections, about eight on average.These hard sections are seed pods.

A star-shaped, dark brown pod that contains a pea-size seed in each of its eight segments, available in whole or grounded and is a native to china.

Star anise plays a key role in the slow cooked dishes that characterize eastern chinese cuisine. Its licorice flavor enhances red cooked dishes, as well as eggs simmered in black tea. Star anise is one of the spices in five-spice powder.

Benefits of star anise

Star anise are not only popular for their rich flavor, but for several health benefits as well.

One of the most important star anise seed benefits is that, it can alleviate gastrointestinal problems by improving digestion.

In india, star anise are chewed after meal to ensure proper digestion of food, besides using in the preparation of many dishes.

You can get relief from any kind of gastrointestinal or digestive problems like, indigestion, bloating and gas by using star anise seed. It is also used as a home remedy for treating colic in infants.