scored 94/100
Also known as five spice powder, wu xiang fen, 5-spice
Chinese five spice is a ground blend of star anise, cloves, cassia cinnamon, Sichuan peppercorn, and fennel seed, rich in manganese and iron and carrying anethole, cinnamaldehyde, and eugenol bioactives.
0.5 g net carbs after fiber.
Representative amounts for this food, not measured for this item. Real content varies widely by variety, ripeness and storage.
These are the scored components, not a sum: the published score also reflects normalisation across the catalog, so the parts above will not add to 94.
Chinese five spice encapsulates the Chinese culinary ideal of balancing sweet, sour, bitter, pungent, and salty in a single ground blend. Star anise dominates with its licorice-sweet anethole, joined by warm cassia cinnamon, pungent cloves, the numbing citrus tingle of Sichuan peppercorn, and the gentle sweetness of fennel seed. As a bark-and-seed blend it lands near 350 kcal per 100 g and is mineral-dense, supplying roughly 18 mg iron, 14 mg manganese, 650 mg calcium, and 1,300 mg potassium per 100 g, with notable fiber. Its teaspoon-scale use makes its micronutrient contribution incidental, but its volatile bioactives are the point: anethole (shared by star anise and fennel), cinnamaldehyde from cassia, and eugenol from cloves are all studied antioxidant aromatics, while Sichuan peppercorn's hydroxy-alpha-sanshool produces its signature mouth-tingling effect. Five spice is best treated as a concentrated flavor-and-aroma agent that adds antioxidant phytochemicals to a dish almost as a side effect.
Anethole, cinnamaldehyde, and eugenol scavenge free radicals and modulate inflammatory signaling pathways
Fennel and star anole carminative volatiles relax gastrointestinal smooth muscle and reduce gas
Manganese is a cofactor for mitochondrial superoxide dismutase, supporting cellular antioxidant defense
No circadian dependency; benefits from regular culinary use.
Fasting-compatible
Negligible calories at culinary doses; compatible with fasting.
Per 100 g of the default form. Bars show how much higher or lower chinese five spice is than the average across 76 peer foods in this category. Green means a favorable direction; amber means the opposite.
Chinese Five Spice is classified as a herbs & spices. Chinese five spice is a ground blend of star anise, cloves, cassia cinnamon, Sichuan peppercorn, and fennel seed, rich in manganese and iron and carrying anethole, cinnamaldehyde, and eugenol bioactives.
Chinese Five Spice scores 94/100 in Formulate, making it an exceptional choice. Its strongest contributions come from Manganese, Iron, Copper. The score blends nutrient density, fiber, healthy fats, protein quality, bioactive compounds, and glycemic impact.
Not particularly. A 2 g serving provides about 0.2 g of protein (~0% of the 50 g daily value).
Not really. A 2 g serving provides about 0.7 g of fiber (~3% of the 28 g daily value).
In a 2 g serving, chinese five spice is highest in Manganese (~12% DV).
Yes — it fits comfortably in most keto plans. A 2 g serving has about 0.5 g of net carbs (1.2 g total minus 0.7 g fiber).
Best any time of day. No circadian dependency; benefits from regular culinary use.
A typical serving is around 2 g (~7 kcal), based on the FDA's Reference Amount Customarily Consumed for this food category. There's no fixed daily target — most adults benefit from rotating chinese five spice alongside several other herbs & spices sources.
Chinese Five Spice pairs nicely with: Pair with fatty meats such as duck or pork belly where the licorice-warm spices cut richness; Combine with soy sauce and ginger in braises and marinades for a classic savory-sweet profile; Use in a dry rub with a little oil so the fat-soluble aromatics adhere and bloom.
Encyclopedia entries that supply the same signature nutrients chinese five spice contributes. Click through to see clinical dose ranges, evidence quality, and bioavailable forms.
These are the nutrients chinese five spicecontributes meaningfully toward (≥10% DV per 100 g serving). Click one to see what it does in the body, which supplements concentrate it, and which other foods are top sources.