On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. This article is about culinary, medicinal, and spiritual herbs. For herb aioli botanical usage, see herbaceous plant. A variety of herbs are visible in this garden, including mint.

In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal purposes, or for fragrances. Herbs have a variety of uses including culinary, medicinal, aromatic and in some cases, spiritual. 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”.

The friend of physicians and the praise of cooks. Herb garden at Hardwick Hall, Derbyshire, England, originally planted in the 1870s by Lady Louisa Egerton, recreated by the National Trust, largely following the original design. Another sense of the term herb can refer to a much larger range of plants, with culinary, therapeutic or other uses. Ancient Greek philosopher Theophrastus divided the plant world into trees, shrubs, and herbs. 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.

Perennial herbs are usually reproduced by stem cuttings, either softwood cuttings of immature growth, or hardwood cuttings where the bark has been scraped to expose the cambium layer. A cutting will usually be approximately 3 to 4 inches in length. Plant roots can grow from the stems. 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.