Interestingly, Chinese Five Spice is based on the five elements – fire, water, wood, earth and metal. According to traditional Chinese medicine, the five elements are manifested in different parts of the body and when there are imbalances in these elements, illness can result. For thousands of years, herbs and spices have been used to restore balance in the body and that is why Chinese five-spice powder came to be.

The five basic ingredients for Chinese five spice powder are star aniseed (大料), fennel seeds (小茴香), cloves (丁香), Sichuan peppercorn (花椒) and cinnamon (肉桂).