# List of Herbs

URL: https://tastessence.com/herbs/list-of-herbs
Category: Herbs & Spices
Published: 2011-02-10T03:23:00
Updated: 2026-08-08T15:20:20
Image: https://tastessence.com/_astro/list-of-herbs.CeW27GrO_Z22seUA.webp
Herbs and spices are important in cooking as well as in making many medicines. There are many different types of herbs which have many different uses.

If you love to cook, then you know how essential herbs and spices are for cooking. They might look small but they pack quite a punch. Herbs and spices are used for flavoring food and without it a dish will simply not taste the same. However not all herbs are culinary in nature. Some herbs are used for their medicinal and therapeutic properties too.

When the leaves of a herbaceous plant is used for flavoring food or for medicinal purposes it is known as a herb. On the other hand, if the roots, bark, seeds, and fruit are used in food or medicine it is known as a spice. Spices are more potent and have a greater intensity than herbs and as such are used in lesser quantity. Sometimes a particular herb can also be a spice. For example the dill leaves are herbs that is used in garnishing soups and salads. But at the same time dill seeds are spices that has many culinary uses.

**Herb Name**

**Uses**

Angelica

Used for flavoring baked goods, stalks used for medicinal properties

Arugula

Used as a salad green

Bay leaf

Used for flavoring meat, poultry, and vegetable dishes, used for treating headaches and migraines, has antifungal and anti-inflammatory properties

Basil

Used in making pesto and flavoring soups, it is used for treating asthma and stress related disorders

Bergamot

Begamot oil is used for making perfume

Chervil

Used for flavoring dishes, lowering blood pressure, as well as a blood purifier

Cicely

Used for flavoring dishes in Scandinavian cuisine

Chamomile

Used in making tea, has sedative properties, helps cure insomnia, as well as for treating skin rashes

Calendula

For treating skin infections and flavoring tea

Catnip

Used in teas and in salads

Chives

For garnishing food

Coriander

Flavoring dishes, aids in digestion

Dandelion

Stimulates the digestive system, helps to remove toxins from body

Dill leaves

Used for garnishing, aids to soothe stomach, and provide relief from indigestion

Fennel

Flavoring in food, herbal teas, oil is used in perfumes

Hyssop

For stimulating appetite, aids in digestion

Lavender

For flavoring tea and pastries, Lavender oil used in aromatherapy, aids in sleep

Curry Leaves

Used in South East Asian cuisine, as an antiseptic

Lemon Balm

Flavoring herbal teas and candies

Lemon Verbena

For making flavored teas, essential oil used in aromatherapy

Lemongrass

Used extensively in Thai cuisine

Marjoram

Flavoring soups and stews

Mint

Used in teas, for making relishes and flavoring food

Oregano

Flavoring meat and poultry dishes, also used as an antiseptic

Parsley

Used in many cuisines for garnishing as well as flavor

Pandan leaves

Used in South East Asian cuisines

Rosemary

Used in meat and poultry dishes as flavoring, as an astringent, for making essential oil

Sage

Used in Italian and Mediterranean cooking

Savory

Used as an expectorant, also for flavoring soups and stews

Sorrel

Used in salads, soups and stews

Thyme

Used in many cuisines for flavoring meat and poultry dishes

Tarragon

For flavoring meat and poultry dishes

  
  
Having a handy list of herbs and spices helps you to decide which herbs to use while preparing a dish. Medicinal herbs and spices should be used for treating a particular disease only under expert guidance.