Dill (Anethum graveolens)

Caraway is an aromatic annual herb growing to 2 feet with a ridged stem, feathery leaves, and umbels of white flowers in midsummer. Exploding capsules release two small narrow seeds. It grows wild in Europe, North Africa, and Asia, preferring sunny sites up to 6,600 feet above sea level. Cultivated in Europe, Russia, North Africa, and the United States, the seeds are harvested ripe in late summer. The seeds are commonly used in cooking.

Catnip is a downy, aromatic perennial growing to 3 feet with heart-shaped, gray-green leaves and whorls of white flowers marked with purple spots. Native to Europe and naturalized in North America, it grows in dry wayside places and mountainous regions up to altitudes of 5,000 feet. The plant is gathered when in flower during summer and autumn. Catnip has an excitatory effect on cats.

Cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum or C. zeylanicum) is a small evergreen tree, prized for its fragrant, sweet-spicy bark. Cinnamon has a long history of use in traditional medicine in China, India and Persia, where it was thought to help inflammation, nerve pain, heart disease and cough (NCCIH). NCCIH says research doesn't clearly support cinnamon for any health condition, and it is unclear whether it helps diabetes.

Andrographis, commonly known as Green Chiretta or King of Bitters, is an upright annual herb reaching approximately 3 feet in height. Native to India and cultivated throughout northern regions of India and China, this bitter medicinal plant has been valued in Ayurvedic and traditional Chinese medicine for centuries. MSK notes that it has been studied mostly for colds, flu and upper respiratory infections. The plant thrives on plains and in forest undergrowth, where its spotted pale brown or purple flowers and long seed capsules distinguish it from other medicinal herbs.

Angelica (Angelica archangelica) is a large, aromatic biennial herb growing up to about 6½ ft (2 m), with ridged hollow stems, bright green divided leaves, and greenish-white flowers arranged in umbrella-like clusters (umbels).

Astragalus (Astragalus membranaceus), known in China as huang qi, is a perennial reaching about 16 in (40 cm), with hairy stems and compound leaves composed of multiple leaflet pairs. Its root has been used for centuries in traditional Chinese medicine, often with other herbs, and NCCIH says it is promoted to improve the response of the immune system. NCCIH says there is not enough reliable evidence to know whether astragalus helps any health condition.

Bay laurel (Laurus nobilis) is an aromatic evergreen shrub or small tree that can grow up to about 65 ft (20 m). It features leathery, dark green, lance-shaped leaves, small yellow flowers, and shiny black berries. The plant is well known for its culinary use (“bay leaves”) as well as its medicinal history in ancient Greece and Rome.

Black pepper is a perennial woody climbing vine growing to about 16 feet, with large oval leaves, spikes of small white flowers, and clusters of small round fruits that ripen from green to red. Native to southwestern India and now cultivated in tropical areas worldwide, the fruit is harvested from plants that are at least three years old. Different processing methods yield green, black, red, and white peppercorns, each with distinct flavors and uses. Cultivated as both a spice and medicine since ancient times, pepper was such a prized commodity in world trade that Attila the Hun reportedly demanded 3,000 pounds of it as ransom during his siege of Rome in 408 CE.