The history of herbs, medicinal and aromatic plants, and their extracts

Abstract Aromatic plants, herbs, and their essential oils have been used in traditional medicine, food preparation, and preservation, religious observances and cosmetic purposes for thousands of years. Today, the use of plant extracts in feed additives, as sources of medicinal compounds, continues to grow, aiming to address the modern consumer's demands for natural, safe, and high-quality products. Thus, research on the use and efficacy of aromatic plants should continue to better understand any health benefits in animals and humans. Aromatic plants seem to fulfill the requirements of current demand and future developments in livestock nutrition. Due to lack or limited definitive classification or terminology of aromatic plants and herbs by the international scientific community, they are referred to with various names including medicinal plants, spices, extracts or essential oil plants.