The history of aniseeds

Anise has been cultivated in Egypt for at least 4,000 years. A reference was found in an Egyptian papyrus dating around 2000 BCE. Paranoiac medical tests indicate that the seeds were used as a diuretic, to treat digestive problems, and to relieve toothache.

Anise is mentioned in the works of Hammurabi. Hippocrates recommended it to clear the respiratory system. Discords listed it as a medicinal plant and wrote, in the 1st century CE, that anise "warms, dries, and dissolves".Although mainly used in food, its liquorice flavour has been used medicinally as a treatment for abdominal upsets and intestinal gas, as well as for a breath freshener. William Turner recorded in 1551 that "anise makes the breath sweeter and swageth Payne".Although rooted historically in the Mediterranean area, it is widely available in South America. Spanish colonists brought it to the New World in the 16th century; and Latin Americans have used it ever since, both as a culinary item and a medicinal herb.Its fragrance was said to have been as valuable as a perfume.In medieval times, anise was used as a gargle with honey and vinegar to treat tonsillitis.Pliny recommended chewing it upon awakening to get rid of "morning breath", but he also advised keeping it near the bed to stave off bad dreams.The Romans used it as a form of currency; and Hippocrates used it to treat coughs, as did the healers before him.In the 16th century, Europeans discovered mice were attracted to anise and baited their traps with it.