Innumerable plants used in perfumery are edible. Several common groups are citrus (including lemon, lime, mandarin, sweet orange, tangerine), herbs (sweet basil, spearmint, rosemary, Dalmatian sage, tarragon) and spices (cardamom, cinnamon, clove, pepper, vanilla).

Spices considered fresh are cardamom, coriander, ginger, juniper berries, pink and Timut peppers. Cardamom comes from India and is a member of the same family as ginger and turmeric.