Seems a strange herb openly used by Ali Baba (6)

I believe the answer is:

sesame

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'herb openly used by ali baba' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this definition defines the answer.

'seems a strange' is the wordplay.
'strange' is an anagram indicator.
'seems'+'a'='seemsa'
'seemsa' is an anagram of 'SESAME'.

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(Other definitions for sesame that I've seen before include "Crop valued for its seeds and oil" , "Seeds used for making oil" , "Plant grown for its seeds" , "Plant cultivated for its seeds - opening word?" , "Oil plant from Ali Baba's cry" .)

I've seen this clue in The Globe and Mail.

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