Star anise. A spice shaped like a star with a strong anise flavor, originating from the Far East and South Asia. It is available whole. It pairs well with pork, chicken, duck, rice, as well as with coffee and tea.

Star anise not only provides beauty and a pleasant aroma but also offers several beneficial properties:

• Enhances digestion.
• Freshens breath.
• Helps with bloating.
• Relieves cough and bronchitis.
• Facilitates rheumatism.
• Heating and stimulating.
• Tones digestion and the functions of vital organs.
• Aids digestion and stomach pain.
• Increases gas expulsion from the intestines.
• Used against asthma.
• Diaphoretic and antipyretic agent.