The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to herbs and spices:

What type of things are herbs and spices? Herbs – Herbs are plant-based ingredients that primarily come from the leafy green parts of plants, such as leaves, stems, and flowers. They are typically used fresh or dried, and their flavors are often milder and more aromatic than spices. Herbs are commonly added toward the end of cooking to preserve their delicate flavors and are often used in larger quantities compared to spices. They are versatile in both savory and some sweet dishes. Examples of popular herbs include basil, mint, parsley, cilantro, and rosemary, all of which enhance the flavor profile of a dish with their fresh, fragrant qualities.

Spices – Spices, on the other hand, are derived from other parts of the plant, such as seeds, roots, bark, or flowers. They are typically dried and sometimes ground into powders, and they tend to have stronger, more intense flavors compared to herbs. Spices are often used in smaller quantities due to their potency and are known for adding heat, depth, or warmth to a dish. They are used throughout cooking to build flavors and are especially important in creating complex spice blends. Common examples of spices include cinnamon (from bark), ginger (from root), cumin (from seeds), and cloves (from flower buds), all of which bring bold, distinctive tastes to a variety of cuisines.

Types of herbs and spices

Types of herbs Angelica – Angelica archangelica, commonly known as garden angelica, holy ghost, wild celery, and Norwegian angelica, is a biennial plant from the family Apiaceae, a subspecies of which is cultivated for its sweetly scented edible stems and roots. Basil – or Sweet Basil, is a common name for the culinary herb Ocimum basilicum, of the family Lamiaceae, sometimes known as Saint Joseph's Wort in some English-speaking countries. Basil, holy – Ocimum tenuiflorum, Holy Basil, is an aromatic plant in the family Lamiaceae which is native throughout the Old World tropics and widespread as a cultivated plant and an escaped weed. It is an erect, much branched sub-shrub, 30–60 cm tall with hairy stems and simple, opposite, green leaves that are strongly scented. Basil, Thai – Thai basil, or Asian basil is a type of sweet basil native to Southeast Asia that has been cultivated to provide distinctive traits. Bay leaf – refers to the aromatic leaf of the bay laurel. Boldo – Peumus boldus, the only species in the genus Peumus, is commonly known as Boldo. Bolivian Coriander – Bolivian coriander is a herbaceous annual plant whose leaves can be used for seasoning food. Borage – also known as starflower, is an annual herb originating in Syria, but naturalized throughout the Mediterranean region, as well as Asia Minor, Europe, North Africa, and South America. Chervil – sometimes called garden chervil, is a delicate annual herb related to parsley. Chives – Allium schoenoprasum – the smallest species of the edible onions.Allium schoenoprasum factsheet , from Kemper center for home gardening, retrieved on 13 June 2006 A perennial plant, they are native to Europe, Asia and North America. Cicely – or sweet cicely is a plant of the family Apiaceae, native to Central Europe; it is the sole species in the genus Myrrhis. Coriander leaf (cilantro) – also known as cilantro or dhania, is an annual herb in the family Apiaceae. Cress – rather fast-growing, edible herb that is genetically related to watercress and mustard, sharing their peppery, tangy flavor and aroma.Staub, Jack E, Buchert, Ellen. 75 Exceptional Herbs for Your Garden Published by Gibbs Smith, 2008. , 9781423602514 Curry leaf – tropical to sub-tropical tree in the family Rutaceae, which is native to India. Dill – depending on where it is grown, is either a perennial or annual herb. Elsholtzia ciliata – Elsholtzia ciliata, commonly known as Vietnamese balm, is a weed native to Asia, sometimes grown as an ornamental plant. Epazote – also known as wormseed, Jesuit's tea, Mexican tea, Paico or Herba Sancti Mariæ, it is a herb native to Central America, South America, and southern Mexico. Eryngium foetidum (long coriander) – Eryngium foetidum is a tropical perennial and annual herb in the family Apiaceae. Hemp – term reserved mainly for low tetrahydrocannabinol strains of the plant Cannabis sativa. Hoja santa – an aromatic herb with a heart-shaped, velvety leaf which grows in tropic Mesoamerica. Houttuynia cordata – Houttuynia is a genus of two species in the Saururaceae native to Southeast Asia. Hyssop – Hyssopus officinalis is a shrub in the Lamiaceae or mint family native to Southern Europe, the Middle East, and the region surrounding the Caspian Sea, and is sometimes used in the spice blend za'atar. (For the biblical plant usually translated as hyssop, see Ezov.) Jimbu – Allium hypsistum is one of two species of Allium which comprise the herb jimbu, used in cooking in parts of Nepal. Lavender – Lavandula angustifolia is a flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae, native to the western Mediterranean region, primarily in the Pyrenees and other mountains in northern Spain. Lemon balm – not to be confused with bee balm, is a perennial herb in the mint family Lamiaceae, native to southern Europe and the Mediterranean region. Lemon grass – Cymbopogon is a genus of about 55 species of grasses, native to warm temperate and tropical regions of the Old World and Oceania. Lemon myrtle – Backhousia citriodora is a flowering plant in the family Myrtaceae, genus Backhousia. It is endemic to subtropical rainforests of central and south-eastern Queensland, Australia, with a natural distribution from Mackay to Brisbane. Lemon verbena – Aloysia citrodora is a species of flowering plant in the verbena family, Verbenaceae, that is native to Argentina, Paraguay, Brazil, Uruguay, Chile, Bolivia, and Peru. Limnophila aromatica (rice paddy herb) – Limnophila aromatica is a tropical flowering plant in the plantain family, Plantaginaceae. Lovage – tall perennial plant, the sole species in the genus Levisticum, in the family Apiaceae, subfamily Apioideae, tribe Apieae.Downie, S. R., Plunkett, G. M., Watson, M. F., Spalik, K., Katz-Downie, D. S., Valiejo-Roman, C. M., Terentieva, E. I., Troitsky, A. V., Lee, B.-Y., Lahham, J., & El-Oqlah, A. (2001). Tribes and clades within Apiaceae subfamily Apioideae: the contribution of molecular data. Edinburgh Journal of Botany 58: 301-330. Marjoram – somewhat cold-sensitive perennial herb or undershrub with sweet pine and citrus flavors. Mint – MenthaPalaeolexicon , Word study tool of ancient languages is a genus of flowering plants in the family Lamiaceae. The species are not clearly distinct and estimates of the number of species varies from 13 to 18. Hybridization between some of the species occurs naturally. Mugwort – Artemisia vulgaris is one of several species in the genus Artemisia which have common names that include the word mugwort. Mitsuba – Cryptotaenia is a genus of two species of herbaceous perennial plants, native to North America and eastern Asia, growing wild in moist, shady places. Oregano – Origanum vulgare is a common species of Origanum, a genus of the mint family . Parsley – species of Petroselinum in the family Apiaceae, native to the central Mediterranean region, naturalized elsewhere in Europe, and widely cultivated as a herb, a spice and a vegetable. Perilla – Perilla frutescens of the mint family, Lamiaceae. Rosemary – woody, perennial herb with fragrant, evergreen, needle-like leaves and white, pink, purple or blue flowers, native to the Mediterranean region."The month." The Pharmaceutical Journal and Transactions: A Weekly Record of Pharmacy and Allied Sciences. Published by the Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain. April 1887. 804–804 Rue – also known as Herb-of-Grace, is a species of rue grown as a herb. Sage – Salvia officinalis is a perennial, evergreen subshrub, with woody stems, grayish leaves, and blue to purplish flowers. Savory – Satureja is a genus of aromatic plants of the family Lamiaceae, related to rosemary and thyme. sanshō (leaf) – Zanthoxylum piperitum, the Japanese pepper, Japanese pricklyash, is a deciduous aromatic spiny shrub or small tree of the family Rutaceae佐竹（1989年）、p.280Heibonsha sekai daihyakkajiten (Heibonsha's world encyclopedia), 1965 ed., "sansho" Shiso – shisoquery in the New York Times archives shows that "shiso" since 1981 had had 251 hits, and during 1990s – current, 243, with 172 definitely in "+Japanese" context. Since 1981, perilla has 52 hits winnowed to only 12 in "+Japanese" context. Since 1981, occurrence of "beefsteak plant" scored 3 hits. is the now common name, Oriental Vegetables for the Japanese culinary herb, seed, or entire annual plant of Perilla frutescens. Sorrel – or common sorrel, often simply called sorrel, is a perennial herb that is cultivated as a garden herb or leaf vegetable. Tarragon – perennial herb in the family Asteraceae related to wormwood. Thyme – culinary and medicinal herb of the genus Thymus. Vietnamese coriander (rau răm) – Persicaria odorata, the Vietnamese coriander, is a herb whose leaves are used in Southeast Asian cooking. Woodruff – Galium odoratum is a perennial plant in the family Rubiaceae, native to Europe, North Africa and Western Asia.

Types of spices Aonori (ground seaweed) – also known as green laver, is a type of edible green seaweed, including species from the genera Monostroma and Enteromorpha of Ulvaceae. Ajwain (bishop's weed) – Trachyspermum ammi, commonly known as ajowan. Aleppo pepper – variety of Capsicum annuum used as a spice, particularly in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine. Alligator pepper – North African spice which corresponds to the seeds and seed pods of Aframomum danielli, Aframomum citratum or Aframomum exscapum. Allspice – also called Jamaica pepper, pepper, myrtle pepper, pimenta. Amchoor - also called aamchur or amchur, also referred to as mango powder, is a fruity spice powder made from dried unripe green mangoes and is used as a citrusy seasoning. Anise – also called aniseed, is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae native to the eastern Mediterranean region and Southwest Asia. Aromatic ginger – Kaempferia galanga, commonly known as kencur, aromatic ginger, sand ginger, cutcherry or resurrection lily, is a monocotyledonous plant in the ginger family. Asafoetida – alternative spelling asafetida, is the dried latex exuded from the living underground rhizome or tap root of several species of Ferula, which is a perennial herb. Camphor – Cinnamomum camphora is a large evergreen tree that grows up to 20–30 metres tall. Caraway – also known as meridian fennel,Global Crops Database: Meridian Fennel Benefits of Carawy Seeds: Meridian Fennel, a biennial herb with a fleshy root ... or Persian cumin,USDA Plants Classification Report: Apiaceae is a biennial plant in the family Apiaceae, Cardamom – refers to several plants of the similar genera Elettaria and Amomum in the ginger family Zingiberaceae. Cardamom, black – also known as hill cardamom. Cassia – Cinnamomum aromaticum, called cassia or Chinese cinnamon, is an evergreen tree native to southern China, Bangladesh, Uganda, India, and Vietnam. Cayenne pepper – also known as the Guinea spice, cow-horn pepper, aleva, bird pepper, or, especially in its powdered form, red pepper—is a red, hot chili pepper used to flavour dishes. Celery seed – Apium graveolens is a plant species in the family Apiaceae commonly known as celery or celeriac, depending on whether the petioles or roots are eaten: celery refers to the former and celeriac to the latter. Charoli – Charoli are seeds of Buchanania lanzan used as a cooking spice primarily in India. Chenpi – Chenpi or chen pi is sun-dried tangerine peel used as a traditional seasoning in Chinese cooking and traditional medicine.