Is it an Herb or a Spice?

Some people find the term herbs and spices a tad confusing.   What is an herb?  What is a spice?  Which is what and does it matter.  Don’t spices make things hot.  After all, a bowl of chili is spicy.   

Herbs and spices are quite different.  The spices that we use are usually the seeds, roots and bark of a plant.  The herbs are usually the leaves of a plant.  Cinnamon, the bark of the plant, is a spice.  Nutmeg, the seed (or nut), is a spice and cardamom, the seed is a spice.  Bay, sage, rosemary and basal, the leaves of plants, are all herbs. 

On occasion herbs and spices can come from the same plant.  Coriander, a spice, is the seeds of Cilantro.  The leaves are an herb.  Dill seed is a spice, dill weed, (the feathery leaves) is an herb. 

Another major difference is that in general, herbs grow in a wider range than spices do.  Spices tend to need a warmer climate and come from tropic or near tropic regions.  Herbs tend to grow in more temperate areas.  Again, some like coriander/cilantro and dill disprove that rule.