What are Herbs?
Herbs contribute to the enjoyment of food by their addition of scent, flavour and colour, resulting in food that has individual style and taste.
Aromatic plants used in cooking come under this heading, consist of fresh leaves and stems or crumbled or powdered dried leaves. Spices consist of many other parts of the plants—seeds, stems, roots, and berries, which have been dried—and can be whole, ground or powdered. They should be used sparingly and some compliment certain foods better than others.
Herbs have been the source of many of mankind's most basic medicinal therapies, and form the foundation of the modern pharmaceutical industry.

Some Interesting History of Herbs

Black pepper -Peppercorn was once so valuable that it was used as currency. During the Middle Ages, peppercorns were worth their weight in gold. Wealthy aristocrats kept stores of peppercorns as collateral, since all recognized their value as currency. Peppercorns were accepted as payment for rents and debts. Original exploration voyages to the Far East were initiated in search of valuable spices such as pepper. Pepper was considered one of the five essential luxuries upon which foreign trade with the Roman empire was based, the others being African ivory, Chinese silk, German amber, and Arabian incense. The term "peppercorn rent" is often used to denote a pittance, but in medieval times, a pound of pepper was the equivalent of a pound of gold or up to three weeks' labor for trade purposes. When the king of the Visigoths put forth his demands for release of the city of Rome in 408 A.D., three thousand pounds of pepper were on his ransom note.
Black peppercorns were found lodged in the nostrils of Ramesses II, placed there as part of his mummification rituals shortly after his death in 1213 BCE.

Sage - Sage has always held a magical aura most likely stemming from its unique healing and curative properties that were not fully understood long ago. The story of the Four Thieves Vinegar tells of the virulent plague that swept through Toulouse. Four thieves roamed freely among the sick pilfering what they wanted without fear of becoming infected. When finally captured they were sentenced to death. They were offered their lives for the secret formula that spared them the evils of the plague. A solution of thyme, lavender, rosemary, and - most importantly sage, that had been infused in vinegar had been rubbed over their bodies before entering the homes of the ill.

Rosemary - In ancient Greece and Rome rosemary was believed to strengthen the memory, which accounts for its being known as the herb of remembrance and fidelity. A sprig of rosemary was often placed in a bride's bouquet or worn at funerals, and those taking examinations would twine rosemary into their hair or massage rosemary oil into the forehead and temples. This may well have worked, for rosemary stimulates the circulation, increasing the blood supply to the brain. In the original story of "Sleeping Beauty," the young woman was revived from her slumber with a whiff of rosemary-scented water. This potent herb can revive sluggish summer appetites just as well.

Basil - The ancient Romans and Greeks believed that they had to curse and yell while they planted basil in order to get a good crop. In Italy, basil was considered a token of love, and in Crete it was regarded as a "symbol of love washed with tears". Egyptians strewed basil flowers on graves, while in Malaysia basil was planted on the graves of loved ones. On the other hand, the Romans believed that basil represented misfortune and hatred. In India it was thought to be a sacred herb. They believed that if a leaf of basil was buried with them, the basil leaf would be their passport to heaven. The botanical name for Basil, Ocimum basilicum, is derived from the Greek "to be fragrant." Despite that meaning, many Greeks disliked basil and believed that scorpions would breed under pots of basil. In ancient Rome, the name for Basil was Basilescus. This name was in reference to Basilisk, the fire breathing dragon. They thought that ingesting basil would protect them against Basilisk. In Haiti, basil is thought to belong to the goddess Erzulie, and in Italy, basil is thought of as a sign of love. In Romania if a young lady offers a young man a sprig of basil, and he accepts, they are officially engaged. Some people believe if you put some basil in your wallet, you will attract money, success and prosperity.

Parsley - The Greeks believed that parsley was a favourite herb of Hercules and wove it into victors' crowns at athletic festivals. They also wore it to absorb wine fumes and delay drunkenness, and they maintained that parsley seed worn in the hair would prevent baldness. The Greeks held Parsley in high esteem, crowning the victors with chaplets of Parsley at the Isthmian games, and making with it wreaths for adorning the tombs of their dead. The herb was never brought to table of old, being held sacred to oblivion and to the dead. It was reputed to have sprung from the blood of a Greek hero, Archemorus, the forerunner of death, and Homer relates that chariot horses were fed by warriors with the leaves. Greek gardens were often bordered with Parsley and Rue.

Celery - Celery is believed to be the same plant as selinon, mentioned in Homer's Odyssey about 850 B.C. Our word "celery" comes from the French celeri, which is derived from the ancient Greek word.

Chives - The gypsies of ancient times used chives in fortune telling. It was believed that you should hang bunches of dried chives around your house to ward off disease. Ancient Romans believed chives could relieve the pain from sunburn or a sore throat. They also believed that eating chives would increase blood pressure and increase urination. Marco Polo is credited with bringing chives to Europe from China.

Marjoram & Oregano - Marjoram is also known as Origanum which is Greek for "mountain-joy." This herb was considered a favorite of Aphrodite. In Ancient Greece, it was believed that if you anointed yourself with marjoram, you would have dreams of a future spouse. They also believed that planting it on a grave would comfort the dead and ensure eternal peace and happiness. During ancient times, wreaths of marjoram crowned the heads of bridal couples to symbolize love, honor and happiness. Marjoram was used by Hippocrates as an antiseptic. The leaves of the plant were often chewed during the Middles Ages to relieve toothache, rheumatism, indigestion and coughs. In ancient Egypt it was used for healing and disinfecting. Oregano is wild marjoram and has a stronger flavor. The English used oregano as an ingredient in snuff and as a perfume in sachets. Much of the marjoram referred to by the ancients was actually oregano.

Tarragon - Tarragon was used by the ancient Greeks to relieve toothaches. During the Middle Ages, tarragon was thought to cure snake bites because of the serpentine shape of its roots.

Thyme - The earliest recorded use of thyme was 3000 BC in Sumeria. The Sumerians used it as an antiseptic. The early Egyptians also used thyme in mummification. Thyme was a very popular herb during the days of the ancient Greeks and Romans. Greeks used it for massage and in bath oils, as incense, and for medicinal purposes. The Greeks often used the phrase "To smell of Thyme" as praise. Thyme was also considered the source of the best honey in ancient Athens. The ancient Romans would bathe in water scented with thyme before going into battle.

Paprika - It is world renowned as a key ingredient in Hungarian cuisine. In fact, totally erroneously legends would have it that the feared Hungarian warriors of the early Middle Ages, who rode through Europe on the backs of wild horses striking terror into the hearts of the locals, were fired by paprika-laden dishes. Impossible, of course: capsicums weren't discovered in the New World until the 16th century and weren't used in Hungarian cuisine until the Napoleanic Wars.

Star anise - The shikimi or Japanese star anise was introduced to Japan by Buddhist monks. These small evergreen trees, native to China, were planted in groves about the temples. In Japan, the pale yellow flowering branches of shikimi are offered at gravesites to honor the dead. The bark is powdered and burned as incense in Buddhist temples. Shikimi incense has an interesting trait: it burns slowly and evenly. The incense placed in thin cylinders burns so smoothly that it was used by watchmen and monks to keep time.

Cloves - Cloves was one of the first spices to be traded. It was imported into Alexandria in 176 CE. Used in Southeast Asia for thousands of years, it was regarded as a panacea for almost all ills. It is recorded that Chinese officials in 266 BCE, would chew on cloves to sweeten their breath before audiences with the emperor. Natives in the Molucca Islands planted a Clove tree for each child born. They believed that the fate of the tree was linked to the fate of that child.

Cinnamon - Cinnamon has been popular since ancient times. Egyptians imported it from China in 2000 BC. Romans believed Cinnamon was sacred, and Nero burned a year's supply of the spice at the funeral for his wife. Finding Cinnamon was a primary motive of world exploration in the 15th and 16th centuries.