 In his "Theatrum Botanicum", John Parkinson tells that the king of Portugal prohibited the sale of cubeb to promote black pepper ("Piper nigrum") around 1640.It experienced a brief resurgence in 19th-century Europe for medicinal uses, but has practically vanished from the European market since.It continues to be used as a flavoring agent for gins and cigarettes in the West, and as a seasoning for food in Indonesia.