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Star anise
A spice from the fruit of certain Chinese evergreens. It's called star anise because of the fruit's star shape and its similarity in flavor to regular anise, which is the main ingredient in absinthe.
It has some medicinal properties, too. It's one of the main ingredients in Tamilflu, a preferred treatment for curbing the effects of bird flu. It's also believed to help colic and rheumatism. On the other hand, the United States Food & Drug Administration recently warned that teas made with star anise can cause "serious neurological effects, such as seizures."
Ordinary star anise is harvested in China. There is also a Japanese variety which is extremely toxic and normally used just as incense. |
| | Posted 7/23/2006 2:02 AM - 36 Views - 2 eProps - 1 Comment
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