
In general use, herbs are plants with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and
garnishing food, for medicinal purposes, or for fragrances; excluding
vegetables and other plants consumed for
macronutrients. Culinary use typically distinguishes herbs from
spices. ''Herbs'' generally refers to the
leafy green or
flowering parts of a plant (either fresh or dried), while ''
spices'' are usually dried and produced from other parts of the plant, including
seeds,
bark,
roots and
fruits.
Herbs have a variety of uses including culinary, medicinal, and in some cases, spiritual. General usage of the term "herb" differs between culinary herbs and
medicinal herbs; in medicinal or spiritual use, any parts of the plant might be considered as "herbs", including leaves, roots, flowers, seeds, root bark, inner bark (and
cambium),
resin and
pericarp.
The word "herb" is pronounced in
Commonwealth English, but is common among
North American English speakers and those from other regions where
h-dropping occurs. In botany, the noun "herb" refers to a "plant that does not produce a woody stem", and the adjective "herbaceous" means "herb-like", referring to parts of the plant that are green and soft in texture".
Definition

In
botany, the term herb refers to a
herbaceous plant,
defined as a small,
seed-bearing plant without a woody stem in which all aerial parts (i.e. above ground) die back to the ground at the end of each
growing season.
Usually the term refers to
perennials,
although herbaceous plants can also be
annuals (where the plant dies at the end of the growing season and grows back from seed next year),
or
biennials.
This term is in contrast to
shrubs and
trees which possess a woody stem.
Shrubs and trees are also defined in terms of size, where shrubs are less than ten meters tall, and trees may grow over ten meters.
The word herbaceous is derived from Latin ''herbāceus'' meaning "grassy", from ''herba'' "grass, herb".
Another sense of the term herb can refer to a much larger range of plants,
with culinary, therapeutic or other uses.
For example, some of the most commonly described herbs such as
sage,
rosemary and
lavender would be excluded from the botanical definition of a herb as they do not die down each year, and they possess woody stems.
In the wider sense, herbs may be herbaceous perennials but also trees,
subshrubs,
shrubs,
annuals,
lianas,
ferns,
mosses,
algae,
lichens,
and
fungi.
Herbalism can utilize not just stems and leaves but also fruit, roots, bark and gums.
Therefore, one suggested definition of a herb is a plant which is of use to humans,
although this definition is problematic since it could cover a great many plants that are not commonly described as herbs.
History
Ancient Greek philosopher
Theophrastus divided the plant world into trees, shrubs, and herbs.
Herbs came to be considered in three groups, namely
pot herbs (e.g. onions), sweet herbs (e.g. thyme), and salad herbs (e.g. wild celery).
During the seventeenth century as
selective breeding changed the plants size and flavor away from the wild plant, pot herbs began to be referred to as
vegetables as they were no longer considered only suitable for the pot.
Botany and the study of herbs was, in its infancy, primarily a study of the pharmacological uses of plants. During the Middle Ages, when
humoral theory guided medicine, it was posited that foodstuffs, possessing their own humoral qualities, could alter the humoral temperaments of people. Parsley and sage were often used together in medieval cookery, for example in
chicken broth, which had developed a reputation as a therapeutic food by the 14th century. One of the most common sauces of the age,
green sauce, was made with parsley and often sage as well. In a 14th-century recipe recorded in
Latin "for lords, for settling their temperament and whetting their appetite" green sauce is served with a dish of cheese and whole egg yolks boiled in watered down wine with herbs and spices.
Culinary herbs

Culinary herbs are distinguished from
vegetables in that, like spices, they are used in small amounts and provide
flavor rather than substance to
food.
Herbs can be perennials such as
thyme, sage or lavender, biennials such as
parsley, or annuals like
basil. Perennial herbs can be shrubs such as rosemary (''Rosmarinus officinalis''), or trees such as
bay laurel (''Laurus nobilis'') – this contrasts with
botanical herbs, which by definition cannot be woody plants. Some plants are used as both herbs and spices, such as
dill weed and dill seed or
coriander leaves and seeds. There are also some herbs, such as those in the
mint family, that are used for both culinary and medicinal purposes.
Emperor
Charlemagne (742–814) compiled a list of 74 different herbs that were to be planted in his gardens. The connection between herbs and health is important already in the European Middle Ages--''
The Forme of Cury'' (that is, "cookery") promotes extensive use of herbs, including in salads, and claims in its preface "the assent and advisement of the masters of physic and philosophy in the King's Court".
Herbal teas
Some herbs can be infused in boiling water to make
herbal teas (also termed tisanes).
Typically the dried leaves, flowers or seeds are used, or fresh herbs are used.
Herbal teas tend to be made from aromatic herbs,
may not contain
tannins or
caffeine,
and are not typically mixed with milk.
Common examples include
chamomile tea,
or
mint tea.
Herbal teas are often used as a source of relaxation or can be associated with rituals.
Medicinal herbs

Herbs were used in
prehistoric medicine. As far back as 5000 BCE, evidence that
Sumerians used herbs in medicine was inscribed on cuneiform. In 162 CE, the physician
Galen was known for concocting complicated herbal remedies that contained up to 100 ingredients.
Some plants contain
phytochemicals that have effects on the body. There may be some effects when consumed in the small levels that typify culinary "spicing", and some herbs are toxic in larger quantities. For instance, some types of herbal extract, such as the extract of St. John's-wort (''
Hypericum perforatum'') or of kava (''
Piper methysticum'') can be used for medical purposes to relieve depression and stress. However, large amounts of these herbs may lead to toxic overload that may involve complications, some of a serious nature, and should be used with caution. Complications can also arise when being taken with some prescription medicines.
Herbs have long been used as the basis of traditional
Chinese herbal medicine, with usage dating as far back as the first century
CE and far before. In India, the
Ayurveda medicinal system is based on herbs. Medicinal use of herbs in Western cultures has its roots in the
Hippocratic (Greek) elemental healing system, based on a quaternary elemental healing metaphor. Famous herbalist of the Western tradition include
Avicenna (Persian),
Galen (Roman),
Paracelsus (German Swiss),
Culpepper (English) and the botanically inclined Eclectic physicians of 19th century/early 20th century America (
John Milton Scudder,
Harvey Wickes Felter,
John Uri Lloyd). Modern pharmaceuticals had their origins in crude herbal medicines, and to this day, some drugs are still extracted as fractionate/isolate compounds from raw herbs and then purified to meet pharmaceutical standards.
There is a record dated 1226 for '12d for Roses for Baron's Chamber and in 1516 for flowers and rushes for chambers for henry the 9th
Certain herbs contain psychoactive properties that have been used for both religious and recreational purposes by humans since the early
Holocene era, notably the leaves and extracts of the
cannabis and
coca plants. The leaves of the coca plant have been chewed by people in northern
Peruvian societies for over 8,000 years, while the use of cannabis as a psychoactive substance dates back to the first century CE in
China and northern
Africa.
Indigenous Australian peoples developed "
bush medicine" based on plants that were readily available to them. The isolation of these groups meant the remedies developed were for far less serious diseases than the western illnesses they contracted during colonisation. Herbs such as
river mint,
wattle and
eucalyptus were used for coughs, diarrhea, fever and headaches.
Sacred herbs

Herbs are used in many
religions. During the monastic era, monks would cultivate herbs alongside vegetables, while others would be set aside in a
physic garden for specific purposes. For example,
myrrh (''Commiphora myrrha'') and
frankincense (''Boswellia'' species) in
Hellenistic religion, the
nine herbs charm in
Anglo-Saxon paganism,
neem (''Azadirachta indica'') leaves,
bael (''Aegele marmelos'') leaves, holy basil or ''tulsi'' (''
Ocimum tenuiflorum''),
turmeric or "haldi" (''Curcuma longa''),
cannabis in
Hinduism, and
white sage in
Wicca.
Rastafari also consider
cannabis to be a holy plant.
Siberian
shamans also used herbs for spiritual purposes. Plants may be used to induce spiritual experiences for rites of passage, such as
vision quests in some
Native American cultures. The
Cherokee Native Americans use both
white sage and
cedar for spiritual cleansing and
smudging.
Herbal cosmetics
Originally there was always doubt in ancient societies, especially in the sceptical medium of western traditions, as to the efficacity of herbal medicines. The use of
herbal cosmetics dates back to around six centuries ago in the European and Western countries. Mixtures and pastes were often concocted to whiten the face. During the 1940s, herbal cosmetics took a turn with the emerging red lipstick color, with every year gaining a more intense red. Herbal cosmetics come in many forms, such as face creams, scrubs, lipstick, natural fragrances, powders, body oils, deodorants and sunscreens. They activate through the epithelium of sebaceous glands to make the skin more supple. Ayurvedic oils are widely used in India, prized for their natural health-giving properties.
One method and perhaps the best, used to extract natural oils from herbs to make lipstick is
partition chromatography. The process involves separation in watery solution, and then the injection of colour under pressure.
Strewing herbs
Strewing herbs are scattered (strewn) over the floors of dwelling places and other buildings. Such plants usually have fragrant or astringent smells, and many also serve as insecticides (e.g. to repel fleas) or disinfectants. For example,
meadowsweet (''Filipendula ulmaria'') was sometimes strewn across floors in the middle ages because of its sweet smell.
See also
*
Apothecary
*
Herb chopper
*
Herb farm
*
International Herb Association
*
Outline of herbs and spices
References
External links
*
§ 182.10 Spices and other natural seasonings and flavorings that are generally recognized as safe US Code of Federal Regulations
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