A herb is a plant grown for culinary or medicinal value. The green, leafy part of the plant is generally used. Usage differs between culinary and medicinal herbs. A medicinal herb may be a shrub or other woody plant, whereas a culinary herb is a non-woody plant. By contrast, spices are the seeds, berries, bark, root, or other parts of the plant, even leaves in some cases. Culinary herbs are distinguished from vegetables in that they are used in small quantities and provide flavor rather than substance to food.
The use of herbs is rooted to ancient history. In ancient days, herbs were frequently used by different cultures for religious purification and spiritual enlightenment. Various illnesses were believed to have been inflicted by angry Gods due to dissatisfied lifestyles of human beings.

Herbs work in a number of ways inside the human body. A number of their chemical constituents elicit different metabolic responses, which include enhanced energy, sharper intellect, vision clarity, improved digestion, smoother skin, calmer nerves, better circulation, and expeditious waste elimination. The safety record for herbs is fabulous, less than 20-recorded deaths in the past decade. That figures out to be approximately 2 fatalities per year, most of which were due to harvesting strange plants in the wild by the uninformed and ingesting them afterwards without much attention to what they were doing. How different this is from the frightening statistics for drug-induced fatalities, most of which are hospital-related, and claims the lives of tens of thousands of individuals on an annual basis. So-called drug safety really pales in comparison to properly defined herbal safety.

Many of the phenols, polyphenols, and flavonoids found in herbal medicines are also found in fruits and vegetables, and they are a big part of the reason why such foods reduce the risk of cancer and other diseases. These compounds have been part of the diets of humans and primates for millions of years. Pharmaceutical drugs and herbal medicines work in very different ways. Most drugs are based on single, or "mono," compounds. Even when these compounds are derived from herbs, they have a singular action in the body. In contrast, "herbs seem to work in many different ways," and generally have a low risk of side effects. The other advantage to herbs is that their multiple compounds tend to act in a synergistic fashion; the sum benefits are greater than those of any single part.

Herbs, then, are more similar to a dinner salad in chemical composition than to a modern pharmaceutical drug. In a sense, herbal medicines provide a concentrated dose of natural antioxidants and other important health-promoting compounds. While herbal medicines should never substitute for a wholesome diet, they can provide and replenish many biologically active compounds that contribute to health.

The human body usually responds within a very short time to many herbs. The pulse quickens, the step is livelier, hand-and-voice characteristics become more animated, and energy surges abound throughout the system when plant stimulants are ingested. By contrast, the brain goes into a resting mode, nerves calm down, glands relax, and everything becomes more laid back as the body enters a tranquil phase. Also, pain is relieved, inflammation reduced, and headaches evaporate when specific herbs are at work internally. Herbs are then capable of accelerating or decelerating numerous physiological responses within the system depending, of course on which ones are used, how much is used at a given time, and the intended length of their use.

Not all herbs, of course, are capable of such immediate responses. Nothing will seem too apparent about them until some weeks have passed, at which time their vital roles will become more established. One of the first evidences that they are working is when a particular vitamin, mineral, amino acid or enzyme deficiency is resolved and subtle improvement noticed.

Herbs come in different forms such as teas, tinctures, tablets, capsules, powders, and poultices. Each form works in a different way for specific health needs. Each form has an advantage of another. Teas work quickly, but heat destroys some of their vitamin content. Alcohol-based tinctures draw out essential oils that none of the other forms can do. Tablets and capsules are very convenient to carry with you and take when traveling somewhere. Powders and poultices are best for external applications to draw out infection or to reduce inflammation and swelling.

In recent times standardized herbs have become the rage of health professionals and consumers alike. The herb industry is now geared towards this form of herbs more than any other. To simply put, a standardized herb is a plant, which has been submitted to a number of lengthy and often expensive extraction processes in order to capture its full essential chemical benefits, but to leave off some of the less important features such as fiber.

Once it has become standardized, such an herb is far more potent than in its regular form. This means that less is required for the same identical purpose. Standardization is the present and future way for the herb industry and herbal treatment in general. In this case, "less is better".

Herbs will never fully replace drugs but they can and do serve as useful adjuncts in the overall health care process. The present popular terms "alternative" and "holistic" frequently used to describe those medicines outside the purview of orthodox medicine really are misnomers. A disease, such as diabetes, generally requires daily insulin and no amount of specific anti-diabetic herbs will ever replace its need for human survival. However, a more realistic description for such herbal therapy might come under the headings of either "complementary" or "integrated" medicines. This means that they complement or are an integral part of regular medical care and prescription drugs. It is in this type of setting that herbs should be properly considered instead of just by themselves.

Those of us who have grown up outside the realm of folk medicine are best advised to consider herbs in this light. There are cultures in which herbal remedies abound on a continuous basis, such as African-American, Hispanic, Chinese, and Native American. Within these cultural systems, herbs have become a way of life for many individuals. The vast majority of those in modern society, who have not grown up with such things, should use an integrated approach in their consumption of herbs in conjunction with regular medical care.

When using herbs on a fairly consistent basis, it is always a good idea to keep them separate from regular medications by 3 to 4 hours. This prevents them from interacting unfavorably with prescription or over-the-counter drugs. Some herbs can be taken with meals, while others work better on an empty stomach. Consult label instructions on the products you intend using to find out what is recommended. And be sure to always drink a full 8-oz. glass of water when taking herbs in tablet, capsule, or powdered forms. This will enable them to be better assimilated into the system and to prevent possible mild dehydration from setting in.

Herbs that have the ability to heal also have the ability to harm if they are misused. Generally herbs are safer than drugs because most drugs have potentially serious side effects. Illnesses associated with herbal use are relatively uncommon and deaths are rare. Look at it this way. One of the favorite herbal beverages is coffee. If you drink two cups of coffee a day, that is generally safe. Drink five cups a day and you may get headaches or become nervous. Drink fifteen cups and you can get dizzy or get ringing in your ears. Each herb has its own safe dose. Most of the few people who get seriously ill from herbs each year make the mistake of thinking that if something is natural any dose is safe. Herbal medicine is like any other medication. It should be used with discretion and under the guidance of a knowledgeable healthcare provider and used in the doses recommended.