Before learning about the history of herbs and spices, it is necessary to define these terms.  Herbs are the fresh and dry leaves, generally of temperate plants and are usually green in color.  Spices are the flowers, fruit, seeds, bark and roots typically of tropical plants and range from brown to black to red in color.  In general, spices have a more pungent flavor than herbs.  It is possible for one plant to provide an herb and spice.  For example, for the plant Coriamdrum Sativum, the leaves are used as the herb cilantro while the seed is used for the spice Corriander. 

The use of plants as herbs has been important to all cultutures since long before history was recorded.  Hundreds of tribal cultures have used wild and cultivated herbs for food and medicinal purposes for thousands of years.