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Comparison

Japanese Star Anise vs Chinese Star Anise: How to Tell Them Apart

Two species of one genus with near-identical dried fruit, and only one of them is the spice. What differs, why the eye cannot settle it, and what a laboratory and a buyer can do instead.

Last reviewed · 27 sources · How we know

Japanese star anise vs Chinese star anise: how the two species differ, and how much each trait helps
Star anise (Chinese or Vietnamese)Illicium verumJapanese star anise (shikimi)Illicium anisatum
Other namesStar anise, Chinese star anise1Shikimi (Japanese); synonym Illicium religiosum Siebold & Zucc.; also listed as I. japonicum, shikimmi and skimmi2,3
FamilySame genus and family: the fruits “resemble each other closely”.Schisandraceae (Illiciaceae in older references)1,4Schisandraceae (Illiciaceae in older references)2,5
Native rangeOrigin documents help; they do not prove species.Southern China (Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan) and Vietnam1Japan (western Honshu, Kyushu, Shikoku, Ryukyu Islands), South Korea, Taiwan. Does not occur naturally in South-East Asia2,5PROSEA (2001) also lists southern China, wild and cultivated
US food statusListed in 21 CFR 182.10 as “Anise, star” and “Star anise”. FDA: GRAS when used as a spice or flavoring6,7Not GRAS. FDA (2003): “should be used for decorative purposes only”7
FruitA hint only. FDA: not reliable once dried or processed.(5–)8(–13) boat-shaped follicles in a star; each follicle 1–2 cm, rough, rigid, reddish-brown, one seed. TCVN 8852: usually eight boat-shaped follicles, 12–15 mm long4,82.5–3 cm across, 7–8 follicles. Smaller than I. verum; often not a regular star because some carpels abort; follicles not swollen in the middle5
Tip of each follicleA hint only.An acute summit, tapering to a nearly straight beak (1918 description)9More pointed at the apex5
SeedSubcylindrical to compressed ovoid, 8–9 × 6 mm, smooth, glossy, light brown4Obovate-ellipsoid, 6–7 mm long, smooth, glossy, yellowish5
Odour and volatile compoundsSupportive. A laboratory GC-MS profile is decisive; the nose is not.Anise-like. (E)-anethole 57.6–77.1% of the volatiles from the pericarp; foeniculin present4,10Balsamic, not anise-like. (E)-anethole ≤ 16.0%; asaricin, methoxyeugenol and two other eugenol derivatives, found in none of the other 7 species tested5,10
AnisatinThe decisive marker in laboratory testing.A much weaker signal: about 250× (plant-spray MS) to more than 1,000× (DART-HRMS) lower than in I. anisatum11,12Not “anisatin-free”Present: anisatin is isolated from this species, and an official control laboratory measured high levels13,14
Safrole in the essential oilA marker for buyers of essential oil.Not detected in one applicant’s star anise oil (limit of detection 0.01%)15“A typical component of the oil from shikimi fruit”15
Main useSpice and flavouring6,1Leaves burned as incense in Japan; ornamental; flowering twigs used as cut flowers in Japanese cemeteries and Buddhist temples16,2,5
Descriptions are from botanical references (PROSEA 1999 and 2001, GRIN-Global, the 1918 US Dispensatory) and, for compounds, from the abstracts of laboratory studies; the safrole cells quote EFSA (2023), which cites the Ph. Eur. Commentary (2020). Anisatin ratios are signal ratios reported by two mass-spectrometry studies, not concentrations. No row here is enough on its own to identify a dried fruit.

The short version

Japanese star anise (Illicium anisatum, called shikimi in Japan) is a different plant from the star anise sold as a spice, Illicium verum, often called Chinese star anise. In the United States only I. verum is listed as a spice, and the FDA has said that Japanese star anise is not generally recognized as safe (GRAS). Dried, the two look almost the same: the FDA says they cannot be told apart “through visual examination”.

Chinese and Japanese star anise side by side: Illicium verum dried fruit (left) and Illicium anisatum fruit (right), not to scale
Chinese and Japanese star anise side by side: a dried fruit of Illicium verum (left) and a mature fruit of Illicium anisatum on the branch in Japan (right). Not to scale. Two separate photographs, taken under different conditions.Photos: Bff; Alpsdake· CC BY-SA 4.0 · source · Combined from “Illicium verum20170511 7549” by Bff and “Illicium anisatum (fruits s10)” by Alpsdake, both CC BY-SA 4.0 on Wikimedia Commons; cropped to square panels and labelled

Japanese star anise and the spice are two species of one genus, and US rules treat them differently. The federal list of spices names only Illicium verum, under “Anise, star” and “Star anise”.6 The FDA considers Chinese star anise GRAS “when used as a spice or flavoring”; Japanese star anise is not GRAS.7 And in the FDA’s own words, Japanese star anise “in its dried or processed form cannot be distinguished from Chinese star anise through visual examination.”7

This page explains how the two species differ, why a visual check is not enough, which laboratory methods tell them apart, and what a buyer can ask a supplier. It covers species identification and supply-chain quality only, not health effects.

What is the difference between star anise and Japanese star anise?

Japanese star anise vs Chinese star anise is a question of species, not of grade or quality. The difference between Chinese star anise and Japanese star anise is that they are two plants of the genus Illicium with different native ranges, different chemistry and a different legal status as food. The table at the top of this page sets them side by side with a source on every cell; the note under each trait says how far it helps with a dried fruit.

On paper, the botanical split is clear. I. verum is native to southern China (Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi and Yunnan) and Vietnam.1 I. anisatum is native to Japan, South Korea and Taiwan,2 and it does not occur naturally in South-East Asia.5 Both are placed today in the Schisandraceae; older references, including PROSEA, give the family as Illiciaceae.1,2,4 In the hand, the fruits are another matter: EFSA, citing the European Pharmacopoeia commentary, says they “resemble each other closely”.15

The decisive difference is chemical. Anisatin is a neurotoxic sesquiterpene lactone,17,12 and it is isolated from I. anisatum.13 I. verum is not anisatin-free: what separates the species is the size of the signal. In direct mass-spectrometry tests on the fruit, the anisatin signal from Japanese star anise was about 250 times higher than from Chinese star anise in one study,11 and typically more than 1,000 times higher in another.12

Japanese star anise is also not the only look-alike. The official food-control laboratory of Geneva measured high anisatin levels in Illicium lanceolatum and I. majus as well as in I. anisatum.14

Why you can’t reliably tell them apart by eye

Botanical descriptions do list differences between the fruits. Each one is a tendency, though, and none of them survives drying, breaking and grinding well enough to settle a question about a lot.

Fruit shape and the tip of each follicle

A star anise fruit is a star of usually eight boat-shaped follicles, sometimes five to thirteen, each 1–2 cm long, rough, rigid and reddish-brown, with one seed.4 Vietnam’s national standard describes the same fruit as usually eight boat-shaped follicles 12–15 mm long.8 A 1918 US reference describes each follicle as having “an acute summit” that tapers “to a nearly straight beak”.9

Dried star anise fruit (Illicium verum) with eight boat-shaped follicles
One dried fruit of Illicium verum seen from above: eight follicles around a central axis, four of them split open to show a glossy seed. The uploader gives its diameter as about 30 mm.Photo: Bff· CC BY-SA 4.0 · source · Resized

PROSEA describes the fruit of I. anisatum as 2.5–3 cm across with seven or eight follicles, smaller than that of I. verum, and often not a regular star because some carpels abort; its follicles “are not swollen in the middle and are more pointed at the apex”.5 The same account then adds a caution: “Botanical drawings do not corroborate the morphological differences in the fruits.”5

Unripe Japanese star anise fruit (Illicium anisatum) showing the pointed, curved tips of the follicles
Unripe fruit on the plant: green fruits of Illicium anisatum with hooked, curved follicle tips, Botanischer Garten Berlin-Dahlem, 23 June 2022. Dried fruit in trade does not look like this.Photo: Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz· CC BY-SA 4.0 · source · Resized

The hooked tips in that photograph belong to green, unripe fruit on a botanic-garden plant. A mature fruit, split open on the branch, is closer to what a buyer handles, though it is still not a dried trade sample:

Mature Japanese star anise fruit (Illicium anisatum) on the branch
A mature, split fruit of Illicium anisatum still hanging from the branch, Mount Miroku, Tajimi, Gifu Prefecture, Japan, 16 December 2017.Photo: Alpsdake· CC BY-SA 4.0 · source · Resized

Smell

PROSEA records the odour of I. anisatum as “balsamic and not anise-like”,5 against the characteristic anise-like odour of star anise oil.4

A study at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, measured the chemistry behind that difference. In the volatiles released from the pericarps of eight Illicium species, (E)-anethole made up 57.6–77.1% in I. verum and 16.0% or less in every other species. I. anisatum alone contained asaricin, methoxyeugenol and two other eugenol derivatives.10

Those are instrument readings, not impressions. A smell can raise a doubt about a lot, but it is not an identification method, and nothing on this page suggests tasting a sample.

Broken, ground and tea-cut material

The FDA’s statement covers fruit in “dried or processed form”.7 Once the star breaks, the shape clues break with it. A study from Wageningen describes herbal teas containing “star anise fragments too small to be visually recognised”,12 and a US method was developed specifically to detect I. anisatum in “the powdered mixture of I. verum”.18

A pile of dried star anise with whole stars, broken follicles and stalks mixed together
Dried star anise in bulk, uploaded to Commons as Illicium verum: whole stars, broken follicles and stalks mixed together. The file does not record where this lot was grown.Photo: Fumikas Sagisavas· CC0 · source · Resized

Shape and smell can raise a doubt, but they cannot settle it. Fruits vary in size and in the number of follicles, broken pieces lose the star shape, and ground or tea-cut material has no shape at all. That is why the FDA said in 2003 that it was “evaluating chemical analytical methods that will differentiate between the two species of star anise”.7

How laboratories tell them apart

Since 2005, research groups have published at least eight ways to separate the species. Some read a profile of the whole fruit (cells, DNA, volatiles, an infrared spectrum); others measure anisatin itself.

Published laboratory methods for telling Japanese star anise from Chinese star anise
MethodWhat it looks atWorks onReported performance
Fluorescence microscopy + gas chromatography (GC)Differences in the epicarp cells; a GC profilePowdered mixturesDescribed by its authors as “short and rapid” (Joshi et al. 2005)18
Thin-layer chromatography (TLC) + HPLC-MS/MSTLC flavonoid pattern separates the species; HPLC-MS/MS quantifies anisatinStar anise samples, including low admixtures of I. anisatumAnisatin limit of detection 1.2 µg/kg, limit of quantification 3.9 µg/kg (Lederer et al. 2006)17
DNA: PCR-RFLP of the ITS regionSpecies-specific fragment pattern after cutting with the enzymes PstI and BfmIPowdered samplesDistinguished I. anisatum from other Illicium species (Techen et al. 2009)19
Thermal desorption GC-MS (TD-GC-MS)Pericarp volatiles: the (E)-anethole share; asaricin and methoxyeugenolPericarp8 Illicium species compared at Kew (Howes et al. 2009)10
DART high-resolution mass spectrometryAnisatin directly, with no sample pretreatmentWhole fruit; brewed teaAdulteration down to 1% (w/w) still measurable; none of 8 retail teas contained significant anisatin (Shen et al. 2012)12
LC-MS/MS (official control laboratory, Geneva)AnisatinStar anise and other Illicium samplesValidated; quantification range 0.2–8 mg/kg; high anisatin also in I. lanceolatum and I. majus (Mathon et al. 2013)14
Direct plant-spray mass spectrometryAnisatin, sprayed straight from the fruitA single carpelA yes/no answer in seconds, without sample preparation (Schrage et al. 2013)11
Short-wave infrared (SWIR) hyperspectral imagingThe infrared spectrum of each fruitWhole dried fruit; potentially sorting large batches on a conveyor beltIdentity predicted correctly for 98.42% (I. anisatum) and 97.85% (I. verum) in an external data set (Vermaak et al. 2013)20

The profile methods answer “which species is this?”. The anisatin methods answer the question regulators ask, and they work on material that has no shape left: the DART study measured brewed tea, and its authors note that their method “measures the actual biotoxin”.12 Because I. verum gives a small anisatin signal of its own, these methods separate the species by the size of the signal, not by its mere presence.11,12

These are published research methods. Ask your laboratory which one it uses and whether it is validated for star anise.

Why regulators care: anisatin and the 2001–2003 alerts

The species question reached regulators in Europe in 2001–2002 and in the United States in 2003. Every measure below is in the past tense: the EU conditions no longer apply.

Japanese star anise in regulation and trade, 1996–2012
DateEvent
1996A paper in Economic Botany is titled “Confusion of common names for toxic and edible ‘star anise’ (Illicium) species”.21
September 2001Dutch authorities are told of illness after people drank one herbal tea. Inspection suggests it possibly contained Japanese star anise; NMR analysis confirms anisatin in the tea; the supplier is urgently advised to withdraw it from the market.22
1 February 2002Commission Decision 2002/75/EC (OJ L 33, 2.2.2002, p. 31) sets special conditions for star anise from non-EU countries: a health certificate, a report of official sampling and analysis, entry only through designated points, and a code linking each consignment to its papers. Japanese star anise may not be imported for human consumption unless labelled as unfit for it.23,3
16 February 2002England’s Emergency Control Order (SI 2002/334) comes into force, implementing the Decision. It defines Japanese star anise as Illicium anisatum, “also known as Illicium religiosum, Illicium japonicum, shikimmi and skimmi”.3
August 2003Commission Decision 2003/602/EC (OJ L 204, 13.8.2003, p. 60) repeals 2002/75/EC: its conditions are “no longer justified”. Scotland’s matching order is revoked from 9 October 2003.24
10 September 2003FDA press release P03-67, an advisory on “teas” brewed from star anise. The FDA states that Chinese star anise is GRAS and Japanese star anise is not; that the two cannot be told apart visually once dried or processed; that it is evaluating chemical methods; and that it will monitor star anise imports so that Japanese star anise is not labelled for food use. It also states that it “has not yet identified the specific type of star anise associated with the illnesses”.7
2011–2012Trade press reports that the American Herbal Products Association lists Japanese star anise fruit as the known adulterant of star anise fruit (November 2011) and adds identification methods for star anise to its Botanical Authentication Program (January 2012).25,26

Anisatin, a neurotoxic sesquiterpene lactone, is the compound behind these measures: it was the substance confirmed in the Dutch tea, and it is the marker that the anisatin methods above measure.22,17,12 Note what the FDA did not say in 2003: it had not established whether the star anise linked to the US reports was Japanese star anise or a mixture.7

We found no later FDA statement replacing the 2003 advisory in a search on 7 October 2026. The original press release is no longer served at its fda.gov address, so it is cited here from the Internet Archive’s copy.

What Japanese star anise is used for

In Japan, the dried and powdered leaves of I. anisatum are burned as incense,16 and flowering twigs are a popular cut flower in cemeteries and Buddhist temples.5 In the temperate zone it is planted widely as an ornamental.5,2

Japanese star anise (Illicium anisatum) shrub in flower
Japanese star anise (Illicium anisatum) in flower: pale cream-yellow flowers among glossy evergreen leaves, 21 March 2015.Photo: harum.koh· CC BY-SA 2.0 · source · Resized

As food, its US status is plain. The FDA wrote in 2003 that Japanese star anise “should be used for decorative purposes only”,7 and the federal list of spices names only Illicium verum.6

This page does not cover growing Illicium anisatum as an ornamental.

Vietnamese star anise is Illicium verum

Star anise grown and traded in Vietnam is Illicium verum, the same species as Chinese star anise; the plant is native to southern China and Vietnam, while Japanese star anise does not occur naturally in South-East Asia.1,5 Read more about where star anise comes from in Vietnam.

Vietnam’s national standard for whole star anise, TCVN 8852:2011, defines the product as the fruit of Illicium verum.8 Origin is not proof of species, so the checks below apply to every lot, whatever its origin.

Buyer checklist: what to ask a star anise supplier

  1. Name the species on every document. The purchase order, the specification and the certificate of analysis should say Illicium verum Hook. f., the name the US list of spices uses, not just “star anise”.6
  2. Ask how species identity was tested, lot by lot. Ask for the method by name (TLC, HPLC-MS/MS for anisatin, GC-MS or DNA testing of the ITS region), the laboratory’s name and the test date. The methods are in the table above.
  3. Ask for anisatin results when you buy for tea, blends or ground product. Broken, ground and tea-cut material cannot be checked by eye.7,12
  4. Match lot codes. The code on the certificate should match the code on the bags. This is how the EU’s 2002 import rule worked: certificate, analysis report and consignment code had to correspond.23,3
  5. Prefer whole fruit when you need to inspect on arrival. Whole fruit at least allows a first visual screen for shape and follicle tips.4,5 It is not a substitute for testing.
  6. Keep a retained sample from each lot, so that a test can be repeated.
  7. If you buy essential oil, ask whether it was checked for safrole. Safrole is “a typical component of the oil from shikimi fruit”; it was not detected in the star anise oil EFSA assessed in 2023.15

Quality standards such as ISO 11178:1995 and TCVN 8852:2011 set requirements for star anise as a product. We could not confirm from their public text whether they include a species-identity test, so ask for one explicitly.27,8

Not to be confused with anise seed

Star anise is also often confused with anise seed (Pimpinella anisum), an unrelated plant; see star anise vs. anise seed.

What this page does not cover

This page compares two species for identification and supply-chain quality. It gives no health advice: it does not describe what Japanese star anise does to the body, and it does not say who should or should not use star anise. It gives no recipes, no prices and no growing advice. It names no supplier or brand as safe or contaminated, and we have not tested, smelled or sourced any sample ourselves.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between star anise and Japanese star anise?

They are different species. Star anise, Illicium verum, is the spice: native to southern China and Vietnam and listed in 21 CFR 182.10. Japanese star anise, Illicium anisatum, is native to Japan, South Korea and Taiwan; the FDA says it is not GRAS, and it gives a far stronger anisatin signal in laboratory tests. Dried, the FDA says the two cannot be told apart by eye. See the comparison above.

Are there two types of star anise?

More than two Illicium species have star-shaped fruit, but only Illicium verum is listed as the spice star anise in US regulations. Japanese star anise (I. anisatum) is the best-known look-alike. A Kew study compared the fruit of eight Illicium species, and a Geneva food-control laboratory measured high anisatin in I. lanceolatum and I. majus as well as I. anisatum. See how laboratories tell them apart.

Image credits

  1. “Japanese star anise vs Chinese star anise (composite)” by Bff; Alpsdake, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Combined from “Illicium verum20170511 7549” by Bff and “Illicium anisatum (fruits s10)” by Alpsdake, both CC BY-SA 4.0 on Wikimedia Commons; cropped to square panels and labelled. This combined image is licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
  2. “Illicium verum20170511 7549” by Bff, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized; converted to WebP.
  3. “Illicium anisatum kz01” by Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized; converted to WebP.
  4. “Illicium anisatum (fruits s10)” by Alpsdake, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized; converted to WebP.
  5. “Star anise ~ Illicium verum” by Fumikas Sagisavas, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed CC0. Resized; converted to WebP.
  6. “Japanese star anise (Illicium anisatum)” by harum.koh, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed CC BY-SA 2.0. Resized; converted to WebP.

Sources

27 sources · 8 primary · 16 scientific · 3 secondary. Source classes and how we weigh them: methodology.

  1. 1

    Illicium verum Hook. f.

    ScientificUSDA ARS GRIN-Global Taxonomy (nomen 19801)Accessed 2026-10-07Read in full

    Family Schisandraceae; native to China (Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan) and Vietnam; common names; uses.

  2. 2

    Illicium anisatum L.

    ScientificUSDA ARS GRIN-Global Taxonomy (nomen 19797)Accessed 2026-10-07Read in full

    Synonym I. religiosum; Japanese name shikimi; native to Japan, South Korea and Taiwan; ornamental use.

  3. 3

    The Food (Star Anise from Third Countries) (Emergency Control) (England) Order 2002 (SI 2002/334)

    Primarylegislation.gov.uk2002-02-14Accessed 2026-10-07Read in full

    Made 14 February 2002, in force 16 February 2002. Defines Japanese star anise; sets the import conditions of Decision 2002/75/EC.

  4. 4

    Illicium verum Hook.f.

    ScientificVu Ngoc LôPROSEA (Plant Resources of South-East Asia) No. 13: Spices1999Accessed 2026-10-07Read in full

    Botany, cultivation, fresh-to-dry ratio, oil composition, China and Vietnam as the main producers. Production figures in this 1999 text are historical and not used as current.

  5. 5

    Illicium anisatum L.

    ScientificDasuki UAPROSEA (Plant Resources of South-East Asia) No. 12(2): Medicinal and poisonous plants 22001Accessed 2026-10-07Read in full

    Fruit and seed description; how the fruit differs from I. verum; “Botanical drawings do not corroborate the morphological differences in the fruits”; does not occur naturally in South-East Asia; ornamental and cut-flower use in Japan.

  6. 6

    § 182.10 Spices and other natural seasonings and flavorings

    PrimaryElectronic Code of Federal Regulations, Title 21, Part 182Accessed 2026-10-07Read in full

    Lists “Anise, star” and “Star anise” as Illicium verum Hook. f. No other Illicium species is listed. Read through the eCFR renderer API.

  7. 7

    FDA Issues Advisory on Star Anise “Teas”

    PrimaryU.S. Food and Drug Administration, press release P03-67 (Internet Archive copy of 2 October 2003)2003-09-10Accessed 2026-10-07Read in full

    Chinese star anise GRAS “when used as a spice or flavoring”, Japanese star anise not GRAS and “should be used for decorative purposes only”; the two cannot be told apart visually once dried or processed; FDA evaluating chemical methods and monitoring imports; FDA “has not yet identified the specific type of star anise associated with the illnesses”. The original fda.gov address no longer serves the page.

  8. 8

    TCVN 8852:2011 Hoa đại hồi (Illicium verum Hook. f.)

    PrimaryVietnam national standard (summary on hethongphapluat.com)2011Accessed 2026-10-07Title and status only (paid text)

    Scope and definition read; the table of physico-chemical limits is behind a paywall and not reproduced.

  9. 9

    [Illicium entry, The Dispensatory of the United States of America (1918)]

    ScientificRemington JP, Wood HC et al. (eds.)The Dispensatory of the United States of America, 1918 (transcribed by Henriette’s Herbal Homepage)1918Accessed 2026-10-07Read in full

    A historical reference work. Used only for the description of the I. verum follicle tip: “an acute summit” tapering “to a nearly straight beak”.

  10. 10

    Distinguishing Chinese star anise from Japanese star anise using thermal desorption-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

    ScientificHowes MJ, Kite GC, Simmonds MSJournal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 57(13): 5783–57892009Accessed 2026-10-07Abstract read

    Abstract read on PubMed (PMID 19507874). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; pericarps of 8 Illicium species.

  11. 11

    Rapid and simple neurotoxin-based distinction of Chinese and Japanese star anise by direct plant spray mass spectrometry

    ScientificSchrage M, Shen Y, Claassen FW, Zuilhof H, Nielen MW, Chen B, van Beek TAJournal of Chromatography A 1317: 246–2532013Accessed 2026-10-07Abstract read

    Abstract read on PubMed (PMID 23932223).

  12. 12

    Rapid control of Chinese star anise fruits and teas for neurotoxic anisatin by Direct Analysis in Real Time high resolution mass spectrometry

    ScientificShen Y, van Beek TA, Claassen FW, Zuilhof H, Chen B, Nielen MWJournal of Chromatography A 1259: 179–1862012Accessed 2026-10-07Abstract read

    Abstract read on PubMed (PMID 22484123).

  13. 13

    Anisatin, a potent GABA antagonist, isolated from Illicium anisatum

    ScientificKudo Y, Oka JI, Yamada KNeuroscience Letters 25(1): 83–881981Accessed 2026-10-07Abstract read

    Abstract read on PubMed (PMID 6974321). Used only for the fact that anisatin is isolated from I. anisatum.

  14. 14

    Analysis of the neurotoxin anisatin in star anise by LC-MS/MS

    ScientificMathon C, Bongard B, Duret M, Ortelli D, Christen P, Bieri SFood Additives & Contaminants: Part A 30(9): 1598–16052013Accessed 2026-10-07Abstract read

    Abstract read on PubMed (PMID 23802692). Official Food and Veterinary Control Authority of Geneva.

  15. 15

    Safety and efficacy of a feed additive consisting of an essential oil derived from the fruit of Illicium verum Hook.f. (star anise oil)

    PrimaryEFSA Journal 21(7):e08182 (EFSA FEEDAP Panel)2023Accessed 2026-10-07Read in full

    Quotes Ph. Eur. 11.0 for star anise fruit (≥ 70 mL/kg oil, ≥ 86.0% trans-anethole); GC–MS analysis of seven recent batches, all originating from China (Table 3), and GC-FID analysis of four batches against the specification (Table 2); “often used as a cheaper substitute for anise fruit”.

  16. 16

    Illicium anisatum

    SecondaryWikipediaAccessed 2026-10-07Read in full

    Used only for the incense use in Japan (“the dried and powdered leaves are burned as incense”). Replace with a primary source when one is found.

  17. 17

    Combination of TLC and HPLC-MS/MS methods. Approach to a rational quality control of Chinese star anise

    ScientificLederer I, Schulzki G, Gross J, Steffen JPJournal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 54(6): 1970–19742006Accessed 2026-10-07Abstract read

    Abstract read on PubMed (PMID 16536563): TLC flavonoid pattern; anisatin as marker; LOD 1.2 and LOQ 3.9 µg/kg.

  18. 18

    Rapid and easy identification of Illicium verum Hook. f. and its adulterant Illicium anisatum Linn. by fluorescent microscopy and gas chromatography

    ScientificJoshi VC, Srinivas PV, Khan IAJournal of AOAC International 88(3): 703–7062005Accessed 2026-10-07Abstract read

  19. 19

    Detection of Illicium anisatum as adulterant of Illicium verum

    ScientificTechen N, Pan Z, Scheffler BE, Khan IAPlanta Medica 75(4): 392–3952009Accessed 2026-10-07Abstract read

    Abstract read on PubMed (PMID 19145553).

  20. 20

    Hyperspectral imaging in the quality control of herbal medicines — the case of neurotoxic Japanese star anise

    ScientificVermaak I, Viljoen A, Lindström SWJournal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis 75: 207–2132013Accessed 2026-10-07Abstract read

    Abstract read on PubMed (PMID 23277152).

  21. 21

    Confusion of common names for toxic and edible “star anise” (Illicium) species

    ScientificSmall EEconomic Botany 50(3): 337–3391996Accessed 2026-10-07Title and status only (paid text)

    Title and citation read in the reference lists of GRIN-Global and PROSEA. The paper itself was not read.

  22. 22

    An epidemic of epileptic seizures after consumption of herbal tea

    ScientificJohanns ES, van der Kolk LE, van Gemert HM, Sijben AE, Peters PW, de Vries INederlands Tijdschrift voor Geneeskunde 146(17): 813–8162002Accessed 2026-10-07Abstract read

    Article in Dutch; English title and abstract as given on PubMed. Used only for the regulatory sequence of September 2001 (withdrawal of the tea, anisatin confirmed by NMR).

  23. 23

    Commission Decision 2002/75/EC of 1 February 2002 laying down special conditions on the import from third countries of star anise

    PrimaryOfficial Journal of the European Communities L 33, 2.2.2002, p. 312002-02-01Accessed 2026-10-07Cited through another source

    EUR-Lex did not return the text to automated access. Title, date and OJ reference read on EFTA’s EEA-Lex record (“no longer in force”); the import conditions read in the UK orders that implemented it (SI 2002/334 and the explanatory note of SSI 2002/64).

  24. 24

    The Food (Star Anise from Third Countries) (Emergency Control) (Scotland) Revocation Order 2003 (SSI 2003/437)

    Primarylegislation.gov.uk2003-09-17Accessed 2026-10-07Read in full

    Cites Commission Decision 2003/602/EC (OJ L 204, 13.8.2003, p. 60), which repealed 2002/75/EC because its conditions were “no longer justified”. In force 9 October 2003. Decision 2003/602/EC itself was not read.

  25. 25

    AHPA updates adulterants guide for star anise

    SecondaryNutraIngredients2011-11-09Accessed 2026-10-07Read in full

    Trade-press report; the AHPA guidance itself was not read.

  26. 26

    AHPA helps trade differentiate ‘true’ star anise from toxic Japanese variety

    SecondaryWatson ENutraIngredients2012-01-31Accessed 2026-10-07Read in full

    Trade-press report of AHPA adding identification methods for star anise to its Botanical Authentication Program. The AHPA documents were not read.

  27. 27

    ISO 11178:1995 Star anise (Illicium verum Hook. f.) — Specification

    PrimaryInternational Organization for Standardization1995Accessed 2026-10-07Title and status only (paid text)

    Reviewed and confirmed in 2024. Numeric limits not read (paid text).