[2] Chemical studies of Illicium have developed rapidly over the last 20 years, and merrilactone A has been shown to have neurotrophic activity in fetal rat cortical neuron cultures.

[4] Merrilactone A occurs naturally in Illicium merrillianum, a plant indigenous to southern China and Myanmar.

The fruits of Illicium merrillianum also have an aromatic odor, bland taste and cause numbness of the tongue when chewed.

[2] The only economically important product from this genus is the fruit of Illicium verum, or Chinese star anise, which is widely used as a spice for flavouring food and beverages.

Merrilactone A was found to exhibit a significant neurotrophic activity, such as greatly promoting neurite outgrowth in the primary cultures of fetal rat cortical neurons at concentrations from 10 to 0.1 μmol/L.