Basil seeds aren’t just for growing basil plants — you can also eat them.

They look similar to sesame seeds but are black. The type that you eat typically comes from sweet basil, Ocimum basilicum, which is the plant commonly used to season foods.

For this reason, the seeds are typically referred to as sweet basil seeds. They also go by many other names, including sabja and tukmaria seeds.

Here are 12 fascinating benefits and uses of basil seeds.