Phytochemical and chemotaxonomic investigations on the fruit parts of Illicium verum Hook. f

Abstract

Phytochemical studies on the fruits of Illicium verum Hook. f., also known as star anise (Magnoliaceae), resulted in the isolation of thirty-five compounds, including ten phenylpropanoids (1–10), eight phenolic glycosides (11–18), five benzoic acids (19–23), four flavonoids (24–27), four lignans (28–31), three organic acids (32–34), and one monoterpenoid (35). The structures of these metabolites were determined through NMR spectroscopy analysis and comparison with existing literature. This is the first confirmation of the presence of eight compounds (1, 4–7, 13, 34 and 35) isolated from the family Magnoliaceae, one compound (11) from the genus Illicium, and three compounds (12, 28, 30) from I. verum. Furthermore, the taxonomic significance of these compounds was discussed.