Sweet cicely has long seeds, up to a foot in length, ridged and black with an aniseed flavour. They can be used in salads when young or as a spice as they grow older. The leaves have a smell reminiscent of myrrh and aniseed and can be added to soups, omelettes, drinks and liquors. The fruits, collected before they ripen and then dried, can be used to give meats a liquorice-like flavour, and the roots can be used as a vegetable.