What is star anise oil？
Star anise oil is an essential oil extracted from the fruit and leaves of the plant, Illicium verum. It is a clear, colorless or pale yellow liquid with a distinctive licorice or anise aroma. Its main component is trans-anethole. It is widely used as a flavoring and fragrance in food, beverages, cosmetics, and perfumes. It is also used in pharmaceuticals and health supplements, and is noted for its antioxidant, antibacterial, and insecticidal properties.
What is star anise essential oil used for？
1. Applications of Star Anise Oil in Food
Star anise oil can be used directly in food as a flavoring and seasoning. High-quality, natural star anise oil has a distinctive aroma and sweet taste, making it versatile and easy to use. Star anise oil has excellent antibacterial properties and can therefore be used as a food preservative. As a food preservative, star anise oil offers advantages such as minimal toxicity and side effects, and preserves the natural flavor of food.
2. Applications of Star Anise Oil in Medicine
Due to its antibacterial, analgesic, and leukocyte-enhancing properties, star anise oil is clinically used as an antibacterial and anti-inflammatory drug to combat fungal and bacterial infections of the skin, hair, and nails. It can also be used as an analgesic and clinical medication for treating low white blood cell counts. The presence of anethole, anise ketone, and anisaldehyde, the main components of star anise, contribute to its ability to promote qi circulation, dissipate stagnation, warm the stomach, and relieve pain, resulting in rapid and effective results. et al. studied the therapeutic effects of anise essential oil on primary dysmenorrhea and found that star anise essential oil can be used as a safe and effective herbal remedy for primary dysmenorrhea. Star anise oil significantly reduced uterine contractions induced by benzoyl peroxide and benzoyl peroxide, and also reduced the frequency of uterine contractions induced by benzoyl peroxide. Star anise oil also inhibited benzoyl peroxide-induced liver toxicity in mice, effectively protecting against liver damage.
3. Application of Star Anise Oil in Daily Cosmetics: Star anise oil is isolated and purified to yield monomeric fragrance compounds such as anethole and anisaldehyde, which can be used to formulate a variety of floral fragrances, such as chypre, fennel, and sandalwood, for use in perfumes, cosmetics, perfumes, toothpaste, and other daily chemical products. The resulting shampoo emulsion not only treats seborrheic dermatitis and cleanses hair, but is also relatively mild to the skin, eyes, and hair at typical doses, with minimal irritation.
What are the star anise essential oil benefits？
1. Antioxidant Effect
Star anise oil is a natural free radical scavenger with excellent antioxidant activity. Star anise volatile oil exhibits excellent antioxidant activity, and studies have shown that ethanol- and water-extracted star anise oils exhibit the highest antioxidant activity.
2. Antibacterial Effect
The antibacterial effects of star anise oil have been extensively studied, and its antibacterial mechanisms have been explored and analyzed. Antibacterial testing of star anise oil using plate diffusion and filter paper diffusion methods has shown that ethanol-extracted star anise oil exhibits potent inhibitory effects against common pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Bacillus subtilis. It also exhibits significant antibacterial activity against Hansenula and Aspergillus niger. Star anise oil exhibits similar antibacterial activity against common clinical pathogenic Candida species. Studies have shown that star anise oil and fluconazole combination preparations exhibit synergistic effects against Candida species. Star anise oil also exhibits similar antibacterial activity against azole-resistant Candida krusei and Candida glabrata. Star anise oil has a strong inhibitory effect against dermatophytes in vitro. Star anise essential oil exhibits strong antifungal activity, which may be related to the presence of anethole in its chemical composition.
3. Insecticidal Effect
Star anise oil has a strong fumigant effect against Tribolium castaneum, achieving 100% mortality against adult Tribolium castaneum. This demonstrates its excellent insecticidal activity and its ability to compensate for the environmental impact of chemical insecticides. When star anise oil is applied at a dose of 50 mg/L for 24 hours, it achieves 100% mortality against adult Tribolium castaneum. Even when the dose is reduced to 10 mg/L, the mortality rate remains at 80%. Star anise oil has high insecticide activity, low toxicity to humans and animals, low residue levels, and no environmental pollution, making it a promising natural insecticide for controlling stored grain pests.
4. Analgesic Effect
At a concentration of 100 mg/kg, star anise oil exhibits highly potent effects on the central nervous system. It is non-addictive and exhibits anti-inflammatory properties.
5. Leukocyte Enhancement
The main component of star anise oil is anisic acid, whose preparations are medically known as shengbaining and shengxuening. These compounds promote the migration of mature white blood cells from the bone marrow to the peripheral blood, thereby increasing white blood cell count. Clinically, it is commonly used to treat leukopenia caused by chemotherapy and radiotherapy in cancer patients, as well as leukopenia due to other causes.
6. Other Effects
The anisole in star anise oil has estrogen-like effects and a strong sensitizing effect. The in vitro percutaneous permeability of star anise oil and its effect on the percutaneous absorption of ibuprofen were studied using a diffusion cell method using infant skin as an in vitro permeability barrier. The results showed that star anise oil and various concentrations of ibuprofen could penetrate human skin in a concentration-dependent manner. However, star anise oil had no promoting effect on the permeability of ibuprofen and even had an inhibitory effect.
How to use star anise essential oil？
Star anise oil is primarily used in cooking as a seasoning, deodorizing and enhancing the flavor of meat, similar to seasonings like five-spice powder and thirteen-spice powder. It can also be used as an essential oil, diluted and applied topically for pain relief, or diffused in a diffuser to relieve respiratory symptoms. In household chemicals, it is used in perfumes, toothpaste, and to treat fungal skin infections.
In cooking:
Flavor and flavor enhancement: Star anise oil is used in various sauces, curries, and blends like five-spice powder and thirteen-spice powder, adding a unique spicy flavor to dishes.
Deodorizing and enhancing flavor: When stewing meat dishes, star anise oil effectively removes fishy odors, enhancing the flavor of the meat.
Ingredients: Can be used with other spices for seasoning, or fried in hot oil before adding other ingredients to a dish.
As an essential oil:
Respiratory Soothing: Dilute star anise essential oil and diffuse it through a diffuser or steam it in a mug to help relieve respiratory symptoms such as colds, flu, and coughs. (International Vanilla Essential Oil Meridian Society)
Topical Massage: Dilute star anise essential oil with a carrier oil and massage it into a topical area to promote circulation and relieve rheumatic pain or skin inflammation.
Anti-Insect Repellent: Dilute star anise essential oil and apply it to the skin to effectively repel insects, making it suitable for summer use. Digestive System Tonic: Combining star anise essential oil with sweet orange essential oil, cinnamon essential oil, and other essential oils and massaging it around the navel area can help relieve stomach discomfort, such as stomach cramps and indigestion.
In Daily Cosmetics and Pharmaceuticals:
Skin Care: Components such as anethole in star anise oil have potent antifungal properties, making it useful for treating common candidal infections. It can also be used in shampoos to cleanse the scalp and treat seborrheic dermatitis.
Ragrance Blending: After isolation and purification, star anise essential oil can be used to create floral fragrances such as orchid and frangipani, which are widely used in daily consumer products such as perfumes, cosmetics, and toothpaste.
