What Are Herbs & Botanicals?

This library is about herbs used for health, not for cooking or gardening. Search results for the word "herbs" are mostly about kitchens and gardens, so we say that plainly. Everything here is information, not medical advice. A pharmacist or clinician who knows your medicines and health history is the right person to decide what suits you.

What the words mean

Herb. MedlinePlus defines an herb as a plant or plant part used for its scent, flavor, or therapeutic properties. [1]

Herbal supplement or botanical. NCCIH describes herbal supplements, sometimes called botanicals, as a type of dietary supplement containing one or more herbs. [2] They can be made from plants, algae, fungi, or a combination of these. [2]

Herbal medicine. The World Health Organization (WHO) uses the term for herbs, herbal materials, herbal preparations and finished herbal products. [3]

These words overlap, and the same plant can be a food, a tea, a supplement or part of a licensed medicine. The page on herbs, spices, supplements and drugs sorts out the categories.

Forms

Herbal products are sold as teas, extracts, tablets, capsules, powders and other forms. [2] MedlinePlus also lists fresh or dried plants. [1] The form matters because supplements you buy may differ in important ways from the products tested in studies. [2] See Herb Forms & Preparations.

Traditional use and research are different things

WHO describes traditional medicine as knowledge and practice that pre-date biomedicine and come from an experience-based origin. [3] That history is worth respecting, and it is not the same as proof that a product works or is safe.

A few examples show why we keep the two apart:

• Turmeric (Curcuma longa; the rhizome, an underground stem, is used). [4] NCCIH says turmeric has been used in Chinese, Ayurvedic, Islamic and Thai traditional medicine, and, separately, that we do not know enough to conclude it is beneficial for any health purpose. [4]
• Echinacea and ginkgo. NIH notes that in several studies echinacea did not help cure colds and ginkgo was not useful for dementia. [2]
• Black cohosh (Actaea racemosa; root or rhizome). [5] NCCIH describes use by Native Americans and in Germany, and also reports cases of liver damage, some very serious, in people taking products labeled as black cohosh. [5]

Read more in Traditional Use vs Research Evidence. The amount of evidence varies widely: a lot on some supplements and very little on others. [2]

Scientific names

Common names are unreliable, so every herb guide gives the scientific name and the plant part used. Names in the A to Z directory were checked against the GBIF backbone taxonomy on 2026-10-22. [6] See Plant Names and Botanical Nomenclature and the A to Z directory.

Quality and labels

What is on a supplement label may not be what is in the product. [7] The word "standardized" does not necessarily guarantee quality or consistency. [2] The library's quality pages and the general guide to quality testing and certifications explain what to look for.

How this library is organized

Adaptogen herbs such as ashwagandha and rhodiola are in Adaptogens, mushrooms are in Mushrooms, essential oils are in Essential Oils & Aromatherapy, and tea and tincture products are in Herbal Teas & Extracts. Traditions such as Ayurveda and Chinese medicine are in Therapies & Traditions. Psychoactive plants are in Specialty Topics.