In Europe it is found in dry open habitats in the south and east, and has been cultivated throughout the continent where it is naturalized in almost all countries, except Scandinavia. Licorice was always harvested from the wild until the first European plantings of the herb were established almost a thousand years ago. The first century Roman naturalist Pliny mentions that licorice is native to Sicily. Theophrastus notes the sweet flavor of the roots and says it is used for asthma, dry cough, and all diseases of the lungs. Though not native to Germany, it was well-known there by the eleventh century and extensively grown in Bavaria by the end of the sixteenth century.
Cultivation is recorded in Spain by the thirteenth century.
Edward the First of England placed a tax on licorice imports in the year 1305 to finance the repair of the London Bridge. Licorice stick is the sweet, earthy- flavored underground stem of the plant, which may travel up to twenty feet from the main root. Cut into sections about 8 inches long, these underground stems or stolons are widely available in the herb market. They can be chewed to impart their sweet flavor. Napoleon chewed licorice sticks and that's what is said to have turned his teeth black.