- Usage - The Greeks, including Hippocrates (who suggested it for coughs); the people of Asia Minor, and the Romans found many health applications for it. It can be used as a breath sweetener and an aphrodisiac, to help support flatulence and colic, to stimulate mother's milk, and to combat giddiness and nausea. By the 16th century, Europeans had discovered that anise was an irresistible bait for mice. The oil of the seed has been used to poison pigeons. - Today anise's famous licorice taste is fo