Use sparingly (1/4 to 1/2 oz. or 1 to 5 "stars") in the boil or in the secondary for a pronounced anise or black licorice flavor. Star Anise has a very pleasant licorice anise flavor and smell, and is often used to flavor liquors such as Sambuca, Pastis, or Absinthe. It will produce a pronounced licorice flavor especially pleasing in a licorice stout. It is also a popular flavor in many Christmas ales. Star anise is the dried fruit or seed pod from a small evergreen tree that grows in southwest china. In traditional medicine star anise has been used in tea form to treat colic and rheumatism, and chewing the seeds after meals can aid in digestion.