For Immediate Release

Austin, TX (September 12, 2003)

On September 10, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a Consumer Advisory regarding the agency’s concerns about some cases of poisoning related to the substitution of the toxic Japanese star anise for the safe Chinese star anise.

The following day many news outlets reported the story. Unfortunately, many consumers, reporters, and even natural foods and grocery industry members have become confused over FDA’s actions and the ensuing publicity, incorrectly suspecting problems with all commercially manufactured herbal teas containing star anise.

Chinese star anise (scientific name Illicium verum) is a safe and flavorful component of some popular herbal tea blends, and it is also a flavor component of spice mixes used in food products. It has the same star-shape as Japanese star anise (Illicium anisatum), but the Japanese species contains some toxic compounds. The herbal tea industry has long used the safe Chinese star anise, not the Japanese material. Chinese star anise is recognized as safe for food use by the FDA, as acknowledged in FDA’s advisory.

Because the two plants’ star-shaped seedpods look so much alike, the herbal tea industry many years ago developed laboratory techniques to be able to distinguish the safe Chinese star anise from the unsafe Japanese star anise. In-house quality control laboratories at herb tea companies in the U.S. employ microscopic analytical techniques as well as chemical tests to ensure that the herbal material they receive is the proper, safe herb before it is processed into herbal teas released to the commercial market. Several authoritative reference books and European pharmacopeias have published analytical methods to help make the proper distinctions.

“Herbal teas sold by reputable companies in the United States are quite safe,” said Mark Blumenthal, founder and Executive Director of the American Botanical Council (ABC). “People in the herb industry have known about the problem with the two kinds of star anise for many years and have developed quality assurance programs to ensure that commercial herb teas use the safe Chinese star anise.”

The cases of poisoning with Japanese star anise that the FDA cited were not related to herbal teas produced by reputable tea companies, Blumenthal added. Most of the poisoning cases probably involved cases where consumers purchased the toxic Japanese star anise in bulk and made their own teas. Japanese star anise has been sold for many years for its use as an ingredient in potpourris because of its shape and fragrance. It is not intended for internal use.

ABC also pointed out that the public should not confuse star anise with anise, sometimes called aniseseed (Pimpinella anisum), a member of the carrot family. Anise is a safe, commonly used food flavoring that is also generally recognized as safe by the FDA. Because of its licorice-like taste, anise oil is the main ingredient used in making “licorice” candies in the U.S.

About the American Botanical Council

The American Botanical Council is the nation's leading nonprofit organization addressing research and educational issues regarding herbs and medicinal plants. The 14-year-old organization occupies a 2.5 acre campus in Austin, Texas where it publishes HerbalGram, a peer-reviewed journal on herbal medicine, and published in 2003 a book and continuing education course for healthcare professionals, The ABC Clinical Guide to Herbs. In 1998 ABC published The Complete German Commission E Monographs, a 715-page reference book that was ranked second of all medical books published that year. Information contact: ABC at P.O. Box 144345, Austin, TX 78714-4345, ph: 512-926-4900, fax: 512-926-2345. Website: www.herbalgram.org.