各种栽培植物的乾制部分，内含芳香、辛辣、药用或其他人们所需要的物质。香料是热带、亚热带芳香或辛辣植物的制品，有小豆蔻、锡兰肉桂、丁香、姜和辣椒。香料籽包括茴芹、葛缕子、欧莳萝、茴香、罂粟科和芝麻。香草是墨角兰、薄荷、迷迭香和百里香等植物气味芬芳的叶片。在远古，香料和香草最主要的用途是制药、制造圣油和油膏，又可用作春药。也用作食物和饮料的调料，并抑制或遮掩食物变质。香料贸易（包括茶）在人类史上扮演着重要的角色。早期重要的贸易路线，包括亚洲与中东之间和欧洲与亚洲之间的路线，即是为取得外国香料与香草而形成的。15世纪时的探索之旅主要是因香料贸易而开始，17世纪时，葡萄牙和英属、荷属、法属东印度公司间为取得控制权而有激烈的战斗（参阅East India Company、East India Co., Dutch和East India Co., French）。
spice and herb
Dried parts of various plants cultivated for their aromatic, savory, medicinal, or otherwise desirable substances. Spices are the fragrant or pungent products of such tropical or subtropical species as cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and pepper; spice seeds include anise, caraway, cumin, fennel, poppy, and sesame. Herbs are the fragrant leaves of such plants as marjoram, mint, rosemary, and thyme. The most notable uses of spices and herbs in very early times were in medicine, in the making of holy oils and unguents, and as aphrodisiacs; they were also used to flavor food and beverages and to inhibit or hide food spoilage. Trade in spices, including tea, has played a major role in human history. Important early trade routes, including those between Asia and the Middle East and between Europe and Asia, were initially forged to obtain exotic spices and herbs. The 15th-century voyages of discovery were launched largely as a result of the spice trade, and in the 17th century. Portugal and the British, Dutch, and French East India companies battled furiously for dominance (see British East India Co., Dutch East India Co., French East India Co.).
