Plant Details: Thyme- Long stemmed plant with many tiny and thin leaves growing on a single stem.
Common Use: Used to add flavour to foods.
Personal use: Frequently used in almost all foods (mostly in dried form since it's flavour is stronger this way) especially pasta sauce. Used after the stem has been removed.
Reflections: My mom uses this flavour in mostly every dish almost every day and this reminds me of when I was younger, my grandmom planted then in her garden and I would help her pick then and set them for drying.

Plant Details: Neem: Evergreen tree but looses all its leaves during extremely hot weather. They are dark green and 3-8 centimetres. Its branches fan out a great distance and grow about 15-20 feet.
Common Use: Flowers and shoots used as food and medicine.
Personal Use: This herb is seldom used at home but it is, the leaves are used only as a flavouring. Neem is used whenever my mother makes East Indian food. Since the herb is most common to Pakistan, India and Bangladesh it can only be fitting to use it so as to bring out some flavours of Indian dishes.
Reflections: Neem is another herb that brings back childhood memories whenever I inhale the aroma of it particularly when my Mom tried to make curry for the first time but ended up burning it.

Corriander: Small leafy plant. The leaves are bright green and medium sized for a small plant. The stems are green and toward the base the roots are light brown.
Common Use: Leaves, fruits and roots for cooking and medicine
Personal Use: Another common herb used at home though only the leaves are used. They are mostly used when making salsa or any other dippings.
Reflections: I love these leaves, they add a rich citrusy flavour to salsa. I prefer them fresh and served as a garish instead of mixed up in the dippings.

Plant Details: Basil- Small plant with broad deep green leaves.
Common Uses: Culinary & Medicinal use
Personal Use: I've used this loads of time when helping mom in the kitchen, mostly in sauces.
Reflections: Like almost all herbs, I love its scent. Though it can be used whole when cooking, I would chop it up just to inhale the scent better.

Plant Details: Lavender- leaves vary from simple to dissected and most are often covered with tiny hairs. The flowers grows not in clusters but branched off instead and vary in colours such as black, lilac and blue.
Common Uses: Flowers are used as decorations when garnishing or can be used blended into teas. In medicine, they can be used to treat various cancers.
Personal Use: Used as an infusion to treat a bee sting that I had gotten when I was 9.
Reflections: It's interesting that this herb can be used in slowing down the growth of tumors but it is not directly proven to be effective for cancer treatment.

Plant Details:Scallion- long green leaves and at the base there is a small undeveloped bulb.
Common Uses: Used in foods and salads in both raw and cooked forms.
Personal Use: Scallions are my favourite type of herb so I use it in practically all my foods. Most times they are used raw since whenever it is chewed on there is that crunchy sound.
Reflections: I have always been fascinated by these for a very long time. Its interesting how there's this tiny bulb growing from a long, thin leaf. I remember always examining them and even dissecting the bulb whenever my parents got some from the market.

Plant Details: Tulsi- A plant about 30-60 cm tall with hairy stems and dark green leaves. The flowers have a purplish colour. This plant has a heavy pleasant scent.
Common Uses: The leaves are particularly used in Thai food; used in medicine for numerous purposes such as treating high blood pressure and diabetes.
Personal Use: used this to help treat my cold. it is particularly useful for this when boiled.
Reflections: I was reluctant to drink this at first. I was first introduced to it by a friend who is of East Indian descent. However, it is used by everyone in my family now when they contract the cold.

Plant Details: Sage- a plant about two feet in height . The flowers range from white to pink o purple in colour. Leaves are green gray but white on the bottom.
Common Uses: Mostly used in cooking and for making oil.
Personal Use: Like many other herbs, this is one used to make slsa and dips.
Reflections:This is said to be a flavourful herb that can also be used for stuffing (along with onions) of turkeys or chickens. Never thought of using those tow ingredients until I read about it. I will be willing to give this a try.

Plant Details: bay Laurel: A large shrub with shiny, narrow leaves. The flowers ranger from yellow to green and grow in pairs next to a leaf. The fruitis rather small and black.
Common Uses: Leaves are used in cooking; dried fruit can be used to obtain oil which is used in massage therapy.
Personal Use: I have only used the finely chopped leaves in pasta sauces.
Reflections: I don't know much about this herb but I read that it is commonly used when smoking food items particularly meat as it adds a strong flavour.

Plant Details: Dill- a plant with thin stems and soft leaves about 4 to 8 inches long. The flowers range from white to yellow and the seeds are long and thick.
Common Uses: This is used mostly in foods in many countries like Serbia, India, Vietnam and Iran.
Personal use: I have never used this plant/herb.
Reflections: I was surprised to see that this herb was so common in many countries. Even more fascinating were the various names they go by such as ain jaradeh in Arabic, mărar in Romanian and shevid in Iranian.

Plant Details: Peppermint-A 12- 35 inch plant in length with smooth stems. It has fibrous roots. The leaves are dark green. both the leaves and stem are covered in fine "hair".
Common Uses: Medicinal purposes
Personal Use: I love minty stuff,so I use this very often in tea.
Reflections: I found a very interesting fact on peppermints: they can be used to enhance memory. maybe I should use more since OWLs are approaching.

Plant Details: Jasmine- A spreading or straight growing plant. It's leaves can either be simple or pinnate while the flowers are white or yellow in colour but in very rare cases red.
Common Uses: Popularly used to make tea and syrup. Also used to make perfume and incense.
Personal Use: I have used this herb solely in tea. I find it has a very strong flavour.
Reflections: Jasmine is very important in many places. For example, in Hawaii, it is used in making leis and it is sung about in many songs; Indonesia- it is the national flower as well as in Pakistan and the Philippines.

Plant Details: Peppermint: a hybrid of peppermint & spearmint. It has smooth stems and the leaves are broad, have a dark green colour & red veins.
Common Uses: Medicinal
Personal Use: I have only used this in the form of peppermint flavoured tea & it is my favourite.
Reflections: I have learnt that peppermint is likely to protect against liver disease.

Plant details: Black Pepper-A flowering, green leaf vine with seeds that are dark red when fully ripe.
Common uses: Medicinal, Cooking
Personal uses: I love spicy food, so almost every time I'm ready to have my meals, it's always some extra pepper for me!
Reflections:Black Pepper is believed to cure cold related symptoms such as coughs & congestion.

Plant Details: Parsley- This plant keeps growing through out the years, that is, the leaves grow in a particular way. It is a tall, green flowering plant.
Common Uses: Culinary
Personal Use: One of the many herbs used in salsas I make.
Reflections: Parsley contains anti oxidants and can help to maintain a healthy immune system.

Plant Details: Saffron- Each plant grows about four flowers. It is the dried stigmas that are used as colouring & for making spices.
Common Uses: Culinary, Medicinal
Personal Use: Have used this in the form of fabric dye.
Reflections: Saffron has been used from since many many years ago as medicinal purposes and is still common until now. It can be used in curry powder making and it aids in preventing Alzheimer's.