It is also known as ajowan, carom, anis, or anise seed. it has a bitter, pungent taste with notes of anise and oregano. Ajwain seeds are olive green to brown in color, have similarity in appearance to cumin or caraway seeds, marked with vertical stripes on their outer surface.

Ajwain seeds contain health benefiting essential oils such as thymol, a monopterone derivative class of chemical compound which gives aromatic fragrances to seeds. Thymol, the essential oil obtained from ajwain has local anesthetic, antibacterial, and antifungal properties.