Properties: Pungent, warm
Meridans Entered:
Primary: Liver, Kidney, Spleen and Stomach
Traditional Actions/Indications:
- Warm Yang and disperses Cold, moves Qi and alleviates pain
Abdominal pain due to Cold hernia
Lumbago due to Kidney deficiency
Vomiting due to Stomach Cold.
Also the principle source of shikimic acid, the primary ingredient of Tamiflu.
Suggested Daily Dosage: 3-6g in decoction.
Cautions: Must not be confused with Japanese star anise (Illicium anisatum) which contain anisatins that are noncompetitive agonists of GABA receptors and causes serious neurological effects such as seizures, severe inflammation of the kidneys, urinary tract, and digestive organs.
Notable Constituents:
- Estragole
Phenylpropanoid with the odour of anise that has been identified as genotoxic and carcinogenic. target="_blank">European Medicines Agency recommends to limit safe exposure to 1 mg/person/day. It is insoluble in water so is primarily a concern in ground herbs or ethanol extracts. Star anise has a maximum of 0.25% estragole content.
Does not appear in any formulae listed on this site
Research Links & References: (click to display)
Research Links:
Reference Notes:
Individual herb information has sourced mainly from TCM Wiki and American Dragon for basic data and then updated manually with my own notes. Zhou, Xie and Yan (2011): Encyclopedia of Traditional Chinese Medicines, Vol. 5, and A+ Medical Encyclopaedia have been used for entries not available from those sources with additional material searched for and filled in where available. Western herbs not appearing in the Chinese literature have used Ross (2010): Combining Western Herbs and Chinese Medicine: A Clinical Materia Medica, White Rabbit Institute of Healing and therapeutika.ch. Choices of which source to use or combine have been my own.
These pages are intended to assist clinicians and are not intended for self-diagnosis or treatment for which a qualified professional should be consulted. Actions and indications are taken from traditional uses and do not necessarily reflect the evidence base which should be researched independently. Dosages are for guidance only and will vary dependening on the potency of the batch and the tolerance of the individual so should be evaluated by a professional based on individual needs.
