An herb is a plant that is valued for qualities such as medicinal properties, flavor, scent, or the like.
Herbs have a variety of uses including culinary, medicinal, or in some cases even spiritual usage. The green, leafy part of the plant is often used, but herbal medicine also makes use of the roots, flowers, seeds, root bark, inner bark , berries and sometimes the pericarp or other portions. General usage differs between culinary herbs and medicinal herbs. In medicinal or spiritual use any of the parts of the plant might be considered "herbs" .
Culinary use of the term "herb" is more restricted. Culinary use typically distinguishes between herbs, from the leafy green parts of a plant, and spices, from other parts of the plant, including seeds, berries, bark, root, fruit, and even occasionally leaves. Culinary herbs are distinguished from vegetables in that like spices they are used in small amounts and provide flavor rather than substance to food..
