Botanical Name - Sesamum indicum Category - Super Food Form - Dry Part Used - Seed General Information - Sesamum indicum L., commonly known internationally as sesame, is one of the oldest oilseed crops. Worldwide, it is used for its nutritional, medicinal, and industrial purposes. It is called â??sesameâ?? internationally, while it is called benni seed in West Africa; simsim in East Africa and Till in India. Sesame is the seed of Sesamum indicum L. (Pedaliaceae). The seeds are yellowish white, brown, or gray to black, flat pyriform (2.5 - 3.5 mm by 1.2 - 2 mm by 1 mm), and finely punctate, with four delicate, longitudinal ridges at the edges of the flat faces.