FDA advises against drinking star anise tea: 40 reports of illness

OB/GYN News,  Oct 15, 2003  by Diana Mahoney

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Tea made with star anise can cause illness in infants and adults ranging from seizures to jitteriness, according to a Food and Drug Administration advisory warning all consumers to avoid drinking teas containing the Asian spice.

Approximately 40 individuals, including 15 infants, have become ill during the past 2 years as a result of ingesting tea brewed with star anise powder. Symptoms have included seizures, vomiting, jitteriness, and rapid eye movement, according to the FDA. All of the infants and adults involved in the reported cases of star anise poisoning recovered without complications.

The initial cases were identified retrospectively through a chart review at Miami Children's Hospital, after a resident physician at the hospital notified the Florida Poison Information Center that an infant under his care was experiencing seizures after being given star anise tea. Subsequently the FDA learned of similar reports from Illinois, New Jersey, Texas, and Washington, D.C., as well as the Netherlands, France, and Spain.

Popular belief holds that teas containing star anise can help treat colic in infants, although no such claims have been scientifically validated or reported on the product labels, according to the FDA. The advisory is meant to serve as an interim guideline until more information about the products and resultant illnesses becomes available.

The specific type of star anise associated with the reported illnesses has not yet been determined. The FDA is concerned that in some cases, the commonly available Chinese star anise (Illicium verum)--which is generally recognized as safe--may contain Japanese star anise (Illicium anisatum), a substance that has been recognized as toxic in many countries. Because the two products in dried or processed form are indistinguishable from each other by visual examination, the FDA is recommending that consumers not brew tea from any star anise.

BY DIANA MAHONEY New England Bureau

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