Studies on the Toxic Components of Illicium Anisatum L. I

Abstract

Of the four kinds of crystals reported as poisonous component of Japanese star anise (fruit of Illicium Anisatum) (Table I), Lane's anisatin alone seems to be a unity and others must be a mixture. Extraction of anisatin is best effected by using the fruits from which seeds have been removed. A good result was obtained by the countercurrent distribution method with water and ethyl acetate in isolating pure anisatin and pseudoanisatin from crude crystals (Fig. 1). Toxicity of various parts of this plant was compared by measuring LD₅₀ with mice (Table II).