Page 81 - Pharmacognosy 02-06203

Dried ripe fruit of Illicium verum Family Magnoliaceae Constituents

• Volatile oil containing 80-90% of the phenolic ether anethole the same ingredient
which gives the unrelated anise its flavor.

• The oil is official (Oleum Anisi) Medicinal uses

• Tea as a carminative and sedative for the treatment of infant colics.
• Commission E monographs: Catarrhs of respiratory tract (Flucalm®), peptic

discomfort.
• Industrial source of shikimic acid (extracted from the seed) => in Tamiflu®

(Oseltamivir) Point of interest

• Currently, the most satisfactory commercial route for production of Tamiflu® is
based on extraction of shikimic acid from fruits of Chinese star anise.

• The plant is difficult to cultivate, also matures at a very slow rate, flowering only
after 6 years.

• Roche commands about 90% of the world’s supply of Chinese star anise.

Tamiflu and Star Anise: Securing Adequate Supplies of the Oral Antiviral for Avian and
Swine Flu Treatment

• A shortage of star anise is one of the key reasons why there is a worldwide
shortage of Tamiflu (as at 2005).

• The shikimic acid is extracted from the seeds in a ten -stage process. Thirteen
grams of star anise make 1.3 grams of shikimic acid, which can be made into 10
capsules.

Adulterant: Japanese Star anise = Sacred anise = Bastard star anise

Dried ripe fruit of Illicium anisatum (religiosum) Family Magnoliaceae

• Contains: anisatin, shikimin and sikimitoxin (cause severe inflammation of the
kidneys, urinary tract and digestive organs)

• It is highly toxic, therefore it is not edible; instead, it has been burned as incense
in Japan in religious rituals.

FDA Issues Advisory on Star Anise "Teas"

"The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today is advising consumers not to consume
"teas" brewed from star anise. It has come to FDA’s attention that brewed "teas"
containing star anise have been associated with illnesses affecting about 40 individuals,
including approximately 15 infants. The illnesses, which occurred over the last two years,
ranged from serious neurological effects, such as seizures, to vomiting, and rapid eye
movement".

79