Oh, shit, I can't wait for the Black Seed.

And you say us Americans don't get the good shit.

Nigella sativa is an annual flowering plant, native to southwest Asia. It grows to 20-30 cm tall, with finely divided, linear (but not thread-like) leaves. The flowers are delicate, and usually coloured pale blue and white, with 5-10 petals. The fruit is a large and inflated capsule composed of 3-7 united follicles, each containing numerous seeds. The seed is used as a spice.

Nigella sativa seed is known variously as kalonji (Hindi), kezah קצח (Hebrew), habbah elbarakah, حبه البركه (literally seeds of blessing Arabic) or siyah daneh سیاه*دانه (Persian). In English it is called fennel flower, black caraway, nutmeg flower or Roman coriander. Other names used, sometimes misleadingly, are onion seed and black sesame (both of which are similar-looking but unrelated). Frequently the seeds are referred to as black cumin, this is, however, also used for a different spice, Bunium persicum. It is also sometimes just referred to as nigella or black seed. An old English name gith is now used for the corncockle.

This potpourri of vernacular names for this plant reflects that its widespread use as a spice is relatively new in the English speaking world, and largely associated with immigrants from areas where it is well known. Increasing use is likely to result in one of the names winning out, hopefully one which is unambiguous.

Kalonji has a pungent bitter taste and a faint smell of strawberries. It is used primarily in candies and liquors. In herbal medicine, kalonji has hypertensive, carminative, and anthelminthic properties.

Use in folk medicine
Nigella sativa has been used for centuries, both as an herb and pressed into oil, by people in Asia, Middle East, and Africa for medicinal purposes. It has been traditionally used for a variety of conditions and treatments related to respiratory health, stomach and intestinal health, kidney and liver function, circulatory and immune system support, and for general overall well-being.

Modern research has supported the use of the Nigella sativa seeds in medicine.