The aniseed is star anise; the petals have neat angles, usually 8 angles, the petals are pure and thick, the tips are straight, and the stems and handles are curved upward. It tastes sweet and has a strong and special aroma.

But beware of counterfeiting: Mangcao (fake aniseed) has irregular petal angles, most of which have more than 8 petals. The petals are long and thin, with olecranon-shaped tips, extremely shrunken appearance, and straight stems and handles. Slightly bitter, without the unique aroma of star anise.

It is best to take a little coarse powder and add 4 times of water, boil for 30 minutes, filter and then heat and concentrate. The star anise solution will be brown and the mango solution will be light yellow.