Medicinal Importance of Herbs & Spices
The US. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) define a spice as an “aromatic vegetable substance whose significant function in food is “seasoning rather than nutrition” and from which “no portion of any volatile oil or other flavoring principle has been removed [1]. But herbs are defined as leafy and green part in non-woody plants of temperate climate zone. When fresh, herbs are more fragrant, but spices are mostly stronger as dried powders. In some cases both herb and spice may come from the same plant. Dill is an example; the seeds from the dill plant are spices, while the stalk of the plant is herb this is because herbs have always been recognized as the green, leafy products.