A herb is a plant grown for culinary, medicinal, or in some cases even spiritual value.

The green, leafy part of the plant is typically used.

General usage differs between culinary herbs and medicinal herbs.

A medicinal herb may be a shrub or other woody plant, whereas a culinary herb is a non-woody plant.

By contrast, spices are the seeds, berries, bark, root, fruit, or other parts of the plant, even leaves in some cases; although any of these, as well as any edible fruits or vegetables, may be considered "herbs" in medicinal or spiritual use..

For more information about the topic Herb, read the full article at Wikipedia.org, or see the following related articles:

Herbal tea — An herbal tea, tisane, or ptisan is an herbal infusion not made from the leaves of the tea bush. Tisanes can be made with fresh or dried flowers, ...  > read more

Vegetable — Vegetable is a culinary term. Its definition has no scientific value and is somewhat arbitrary and subjective. All parts of herbaceous plants eaten ...  > read more

Peppermint — Peppermint is a (usually) sterile hybrid mint, a cross between watermint and spearmint. Being sterile, it spreads by rooting. Peppermint has a high ...  > read more

Ginger — Ginger root is used extensively as a spice in many if not most cuisines of the world. Though called a root, it is actually the rhizome of the ...  > read more

Related Stories

Researchers Call Herbs Rich Source Of Healthy Antioxidants; Oregano Ranks Highest (January 8, 2002) — Better health may be only a dash and sprinkle away: Researchers with the U.S. Department of Agriculture have found that herbs, in addition to making food tastier, are an abundant source of ...  > read more

Spices May Protect Against Consequences Of High Blood Sugar (August 7, 2008) — Herbs and spices are rich in antioxidants, and a new study suggests they are also potent inhibitors of tissue damage and inflammation caused by high levels of blood ...  > read more

Herbal Extract Found To Increase Lifespan (December 10, 2007) — The herbal extract of a yellow-flowered mountain plant indigenous to the Arctic regions of Europe and Asia increased the lifespan of fruit fly populations, according to a UC-Irvine ...  > read more

Edible Urban Plants Found To Contain Lead (November 24, 2003) — Chicago has one of the highest rates of lead poisoning in the United States, an extremely persistent health problem that particularly plagues urban areas. Now a new study by Northwestern University ...  > read more

Majority Of Herb Users Don't Follow Evidence-based Indications, Researchers Find (May 10, 2007) — Sales of herbal dietary supplements have skyrocketed by 100 percent in the United States during the last 10 years, but most people don't consider evidence-based indications before using them, ...  > read more

Search ScienceDaily

Cloned Apples