Star Anise Essential Oil Recipes, Uses and Benefits Spotlight – Loving Essential Oils (2024)

Jennifer Lane - Certified Aromatherapist on

Star Anise Essential Oil has a warm, sweet aroma that is similar to black licorice. This blog post is about star anise essential oil blends that will help you to rebalance and feel comforted. It contains recipes for a roller blend, a massage oil, diffuser blend, and more. You will also learn more about this underutilized essential oil. I hope this information proves useful!

Star Anise Essential Oil has a warm, sweet aroma that is similar to black licorice. Learn more about this spice oil. Find out how to use and benefit from this wonderful oil plus get Star Anise Essential Oil Recipes you can make to help spice up your life.

This warm and energetic oil can be used to lift stagnation. Star anise essential oil blends well with Lavender, Cypress, Orange, Rose, Pine, Clove, Peppermint, and Cinnamon.

Star anise is a popular spice essential oils, in a class with oils like cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg. These spices are commonly used to flavor food and baked goodies. The spice essential oils offer a wide variety of health benefits, including improve digestion, relieve pain, and boost immunity. They can also be used to treat respiratory problems, skin conditions, and headaches. Read more about spice essential oils.

What is Star Anise is Good For?

Star Anise is a common spice used in cooking and for its therapeutic benefits. Star Anise (Illicium verum) is an evergreen tree, the essential oil is steam distilled from the star-shaped fruits it produces or the leaves. It has antiseptic, antibacterial, and antifungal properties.

Botanical NameIllicium verum
Botanical FamilyZingiberaeae
AkaAnise Star
AromaWarm, spicy, licorice-like
NoteTop to Middle
Extraction MethodSteam distilled
Plant Part UsedSeeds
Shelf Life3-4 years
Kid Safe?No
Pregnancy Safe?No
Adult Max Dilution1.75%
Safety ConcernsKeep out of reach of children. Do not use if pregnant or nursing. Avoid contact with eyes. Do not use internally unless instructed by a licensed aromatherapist or physician. Avoid use if you have endometriosis or estrogen-dependent cancers.

DIY Star Anise Essential Oil Recipe Guide

Star Anise Essential Oils Guide with 10 DIY Recipe Blends by Jennifer Lane, Loving Essential Oils Owner & Certified Aromatherapist:

7 Benefits of Star Anise Essential Oil

This essential oil is a fabulous oil to help when feeling fatigued or overwhelmed. Here are more benefits of Star Anise Oil:

  1. Helping digestive discomfort
  2. Easing menstrual cramps
  3. Soothing coughs and colds
  4. Relieving pain and stiffness
  5. Restoring physical and emotional energy
  6. Helping anxiety-related sleep problems
  7. Combating body odor

Star Anise Essential Oil Safety Precautions

  • Possible skin sensitivity, maximum dermal use 1.75%
  • Estrogenic, should not be used in endometriosis, estrogen-sensitive cancers
  • Don't use if pregnant or breastfeeding
  • Not suitable for young children
  • Don't use if old or oxidized
  • Best if used in moderation

The International Federation of Aromatherapists does not recommend oral ingestion of essential oils unless under the supervision of an appropriately qualified medical practitioner. Listed precautions do not include ingestion precautions.

Star Anise Essential Oil Recipes, Uses and Benefits Spotlight – Loving Essential Oils (2)

5 Star Anise Essential Oil Recipes

Here are 5 simple blends to add the amazing benefits of Star Anise into your aromatherapy routine.

1. Fall Dreams Roller Blend

The sweet aroma of this blend is just a dream, make this roller recipe today.
  • 3 drops Star Anise essential oil
  • 3 drops Sweet Orange essential oil
  • 2 drops Roman Chamomile essential oil
  • Jojoba Oil
  • 10 ml Roller Bottle

Directions: Add essential oils to the bottle, fill the rest of the bottle with jojoba oil. Place roller top on and roll back and forth between your palms to mix oils together. Be sure to label the bottle. 4% dilution, good for occasional use.

2. Move Easy Massage Oil

Use this blend of pain relieving essential oils to ease discomforts.

  • 4 drops Star Anise
  • 3 drops Cardamom
  • 3 drops Copaiba
  • 2 drops Sweet Orange
  • 1 oz Jojoba Oil or Trauma Oil
  • 1 oz Lotion Pump Bottle

Directions: Add all ingredients into the glass essential oil bottle. Use trauma oil if you have it, jojoba oil will work well too. Place pump top on and roll bottle between palms of hands to mix well. 12 drops in 1 oz of carrier oilis 2% dilution.


Star Anise Essential Oil Recipes, Uses and Benefits Spotlight – Loving Essential Oils (3)

3. Winter Warmth Diffuser Blend

We all know that feeling when we wake up in the morning and can't get out of bed. We're just not ready to face the day yet, but we have to go anyway. Try waking up to this winter warming star anise diffuser blend. Star anise creates a warming atmosphere, you can try this recipe even if it isn't winter too.

  • 3 drops Star Anise oil
  • 3 drops Himalayan Cedarwood oil
  • 2 drops Clary Sage oil

Directions: Add essential oils to a diffuser with the recommended water amount.

Star Anise Essential Oil Recipes, Uses and Benefits Spotlight – Loving Essential Oils (4)

4. Rebalanced Energy Body Oil

Here is a lovely body oil blend, try applying after your shower for uplifting.

  • 6 drops Star Anise
  • 5 drops Frankincense
  • 5 drops Lavender
  • 4 drops Himalayan Cedarwood
  • 4 drops Sweet Orange
  • 2 oz Jojoba Oil
  • 2 oz Glass Pump Bottle

Directions: Add ingredients to the glass essential oil bottle. Place pump top on and shake the bottle to blend oils together. 24 drops in 2 oz of carrier oil is 2% dilution.

5. Cough Soothing Steam

Inhale the star anise steam to help a cough.

  • 2 drops Star Anise
  • Bowl of steaming water

Directions: Add essential oil drops to a steaming bowl of water and inhale the steam. Keep face at a comfortable distance back to avoid burning from steam.

Where to Buy Star Anise Essential Oil?

Star Anise essential oil can offer many health and wellness benefits. To obtain these benefits ensure your oil is pure and high quality without fillers or toxins added. Never mistake perfume oils or fragrance oils as essential oils.

Know the company you are purchasing from, ask questions, and ensure they are 100% pure essential oils. You will be inhaling and applying to your body, you need to be sure. Here are three brands I like:

General Essential Oil Precautions

Never use essential oils undiluted, in eyes or mucous membranes. Do not take internally unless working with a qualified practitioner. Keep out of reach from children.

Use essential oils with extreme caution on children, be sure you have researched the oil and that it is safe for use on kids. Plant Therapy clearly labels their oils "KidSafe" on the bottle if the oil can be used for children ages 2–10).

If applying an essential oil topically (on your skin), you may perform a small patch test to an insensitive part of the body, use 1-2 drops in a teaspoon of carrier oil like jojoba oil, read more here.

If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, epileptic, or under a doctor’s care, consult your physician. For more information on oil safety issues here.

Newbie to Oils? Read More: Essential Oils for Beginners

Star Anise Recipes DIY Guide

Want our Star Anise Guide? Get our Printable Recipe Guide for amazing DIY blends using Star Anise.

Frequently Asked Questions About Star Anise Essential Oil

Here are a few FAQs about star anise oil:

How to Make Star Anise Essential Oil?

It's made through steam distillation, where plant material is heated with water, and the oil rises with steam droplets that are then separated. While making it at home might not be possible, you can create a fragrant hydrosol water that offers many of the same therapeutic benefits.

Can I use Star Anise essential oil in cooking?

It's not the best idea as essential oils are highly concentrated, and the whole pods offer more nutrients. Plus, the oil can be more expensive than the plant itself. Stick to using star anise pods in your cooking instead.

What does Star Anise essential oil smell like?

Its warm, spicy, and exotic aroma of licorice and spice can keep you calm and level-headed in the face of life's challenges. Perfumers describe it as true to Star Anise and often blend it with spices like Allspice, Cinnamon, Clove, Ginger, Black Pepper, Pink Pepper, and Fennel.

Is Star Anise essential oil safe to use?

When used as directed, it can be safe to use. However, it's contraindicated for people with estrogen-dependent cancers due to its high trans-anethole content. Pregnant or nursing women and young children should also avoid it.

Do not ingest star anise oil. Additionally, it can increase bleeding when taken internally and should not be consumed before or after surgery.

Always dilute essential oils before use on the skin and use in low doses.

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Star Anise Essential Oil Recipes, Uses and Benefits Spotlight – Loving Essential Oils (6)

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Star Anise Essential Oil Recipes, Uses and Benefits Spotlight
      – Loving Essential Oils (2024)

FAQs

What essential oils blend well with anise? ›

In the present day, because of its expectorant properties, it is frequently added to lozenges, cough syrups, and other medicines. Anise essential oil blends well with sweet orange, spearmint, black pepper, patchouli, lavender, ginger, geranium, clove, cinnamon, and more.

What is star anise good for? ›

Star anise is spice that has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years. It has powerful bioactive compounds that may help treat fungal, bacterial, and viral infections. Star anise is a spice made from the fruit of the Chinese evergreen tree Illicium verum.

How do you make star anise oil for your skin? ›

Here you grind the anise and add to a boiling almond oil for a few minutes and strain when it cools down. The last would be via a cold infusion where you add the stars to oil of your choice and allow it to soak in the oil for a few days. After 7 days when the oil becomes fragrant then it is good to use.

Can you drink star anise tea everyday? ›

But star anise is possibly unsafe when consumed as a tea. Star anise teas may be contaminated with Japanese star anise (Illicium anisatum), which is poisonous. It may not be possible to tell if a specific product contains only star anise. Star anise can also cause serious side effects when used in large doses.

What does anise oil do for your stomach? ›

Anise contains malic acid, a bioactive compound that reduces stomach acid. It also contains digestive and carminative action which can improve digestion and relieve nausea, gastritic and gastric ulcers. Learn about other teas for nausea and indigestion that you can prepare at home.

Does star anise remove wrinkles? ›

Star Anise, if taken naturally by adding it to meals, helps in balancing the jangled hormones as it mimics the effects of estrogen in the body thereby reducing the effects of menopause and revealing a glowing and moisturised skin. Want to keep wrinkles at bay? Try this DIY anti-aging serum using star anise.

What pairs well with star anise? ›

Star anise is one of the key ingredients of both Chinese 5 Spice and Garam Masala, so it certainly gets a lot of use! It is also key for pho and masala chai, as well as pairing well with fish, chicken, beef, pork, figs, pumpkin, root vegetables, tropical and citrus fruits, eggs, tomatoes, pomegranate, soups and stews.

What medications does anise interfere with? ›

Interactions ?
  • Birth control pills (Contraceptive drugs) interacts with ANISE. ...
  • Estrogens interacts with ANISE. ...
  • Tamoxifen (Nolvadex) interacts with ANISE. ...
  • Medications for diabetes (Antidiabetes drugs) interacts with ANISE. ...
  • Caffeine interacts with ANISE. ...
  • Codeine interacts with ANISE. ...
  • Diazepam (Valium) interacts with ANISE.

Who should not use star anise? ›

anisatum. 4 Given the difficulty of distinguishing between these species, star anise should not be administered to children. In all infants with acute neurological or digestive symptoms with no known cause, we should inquire about the use of star anise in tea or as gripe water.

Is star anise good for kidneys? ›

Contamination risk: Illicium verum can be contaminated with Japanese star anise. The seeds of Japanese star anise are highly toxic and can cause inflammation in the kidneys, urinary tract, and gastrointestinal tract.

What is the difference between anise and star anise? ›

Both seasonings contain anethole, the licorice flavoring found in minor amounts in other plants such as fennel and caraway. The major culinary difference between anise and star anise is that anise seed is potent, with an almost spicy flavor, while star anise is subtly milder.

What to mix with star anise essential oil? ›

This warm and energetic oil can be used to lift stagnation. Star anise essential oil blends well with Lavender, Cypress, Orange, Rose, Pine, Clove, Peppermint, and Cinnamon.

What spice makes wrinkles disappear? ›

To firm wrinkles, use nutmeg.

The spice contains a small amount of vitamin A, which spurs collagen production to help wrinkly skin appear more taut. Pairing it with hydrating and skin-plumping avocado oil speeds results while leaving skin looking instantly more healthy and youthful overall.

What can I use star anise oil for? ›

You can use anise oil to make natural fragrances adding products like incense, perfumes, and candles or for its aromatherapy properties. It's also not limited to the number of ailments it can heal and prevent like skin diseases, constipation, menopausal periods, diabetes, sedative action, nausea, and extra.

How do you use anise oil? ›

Anise is commonly used as a spice in foods or as a tea. As medicine, anise seed powder has most often been used by adults in doses of 5 grams by mouth daily for up to 2 months. Anise oil has most often been in doses of 200 mg by mouth three times daily for up to 4 weeks.

Can you put anise oil on your skin? ›

If you suffer from dry skin, eczema or psoriasis, then using products that contain vital anise oil can help to improve your condition. The oil is known for its soothing and anti-inflammatory properties, which can help to alleviate the symptoms of these skin conditions.

What are the emotional benefits of anise essential oil? ›

The Emotional Benefits:

Uplifts, encourages, empowers, and nurtures. Comforting when we're overworked and emotionally fatigued. Helps you tap into the sacred feminine of strength, warmth, compassion, self-care, and expansion.

How do you use star anise for a cough? ›

Its antifungal and antibacterial abilities can keep you away from flu and other viral infections in this season. If you are suffering from a sore throat or a bad cough, drink tea made with this star-shaped spice. Add two anise seed pods in boiling water for over 15 minutes. Strain the tea and add a few drops of honey.

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