Asia's Apothecary - Star Anise

About Star Anise

Star anise is the dried fruit of an evergreen tree from the mountain forests of southern China and northern Vietnam. Picked just before it ripens and dried in the sun, each fruit opens into a star of usually eight woody arms, every arm holding a single seed. It is best known as the backbone of Chinese five-spice and Vietnamese pho, yet in the magical herbal tradition it holds a quieter role: an incense for psychic work, a luck charm for the pocket, and a guardian pod hung near the door.