Herbs, Spices, and plants with Aromatic Leaves

Red Sandalwood, Saga. Popular Indian tree with many uses. The tiny flowers are said to smell vaguely like orange blossoms. The seeds are used in necklaces and ornaments, as beads in jewellery, leis and rosaries. In Malaysia and Indonesia, the trees provide shade and planted as "nurse trees" in coffee, clove and rubber plantations. Seeds are roasted and then eaten with rice in Java, Indonesia. In Melanesia and Polynesia people call it the "food tree". The seeds are said to taste like soy bean. A red powder made from the wood is used as an antiseptic paste.

Galanga, Galanga Root, Lesser Galangal, Thai ginger is more than just a fast growing ornamental ginger and flavorful root - it's also a powerful healing plant with centuries of use in both kitchens and traditional medicine. It supports digestion, reduces inflammation, boosts circulation, and helps fight infections with its natural antimicrobial properties. Rich in antioxidants, galangal may also support brain health and relieve respiratory issues. A must-have plant for both cooking and wellness.
It has long narrow leaves and reddish-white flowers. Galanga is an herb used in cooking, especially in Indonesian and Thai cuisines. The rhizomes, known as galangal, are valued for their spicy flavor and aromatic scent. These are used throughout Asia in curries and perfumes, and were previously used widely in Europe.

The famous Neem tree from India - used cosmetically and medicinally by many cultures for centuries, also offers an environmentally safe alternative to synthetic pesticides. Used for thousands of years in medicine, farming, and daily life.
Almost every part of the tree is useful: leaves brewed as tea or applied to skin, twigs chewed as toothbrushes, seeds pressed into neem oil for garden pest control, and ripe fruit eaten fresh. In India, Neem is planted for shade, clean air, and natural insect protection.
Easy to grow in hot, dry conditions with little care. Drought tolerant, fast-growing, and evergreen, Neem is a practical tree for tropical and subtropical gardens.
Learn more: Neem - Free Tree of India.

Bay Leaf - used in soups, sauces, stews, as seasoning for fish, meat and poultry. Often included as a pickling spice. Slow growing, cold hardy little tree or bush.

Lemon Bay Rum Tree, Citrus Bay - all plant parts have strong lemon scent, very pleasant and relaxing. One of the rarest plants, cuttings are hard to root.
Bay Rum is a small sized tree related to the Allspice, with leaves containing and aromatic oil that somewhat resembles clove oil. This essential oil is distilled from the leaves and is used in perfumes. A type of cologne named 'Bay Rum' was historically made in the early 20th century by distilling the oil using rum and water, hence the common name of the plant. Leaves of can be used in cooking and tea. For generations, Bay Rum has been used in folk medicine. This spice scent will be with you right away and will stay all the time, don't have to wait till bloom or fruit...

Black pepper. Grow your own spice! Pepper is cultivated since millennia. While black and white pepper were already known in antiquity, but green pepper (and even more, red pepper) is a recent invention. Black pepper, grown in Southern India since more than two thousand years, has always been much valued all over the world. Pungent and aromatic. The pungency is strongest in white pepper and weakest in green pepper, while black and green pepper are more aromatic than the white one. Moderate growing vine that can be grown on a trellis. Prefers shade to semi-shade.
See Article about this plant.

Chinese ginger, Fingerroot. Boesenbergia rotunda is a medicinal and culinary herb from China and Southeast Asia. It is widely used in Javanese cuisine in Indonesia. In Thai cooking it is called krachai. In the west it is usually found pickled or frozen. Kra Chai is used as an antiflatulent, expels air and nurtures strength. Used as a male tonic, vigor, health promotion, longevity, aphrodisiac.

European Holistic Medicinal Plant. Callisia fragrans is a low growing plant that has waxy leaves that have a slight purplish color underneath, reminding maize with alternating placement on its stem. Green leaves that will turn purplish at the edges when placed in strong light. It has small, white fragrant flowers arranged in clusters of three. This is a good groundcover for mild, moderately dry climates, as well as a nice container or hanging basket plant. With a good care Callissia fragrans can reach more than 3 feet high as an indoor plant. In this case you need to make a support to it that the plant wouldn't broken under its own weight.
It is not only a decoration plant, it has wide medicinal use in Europe. Active biological substances that are in Callissia fragrans can struggle with any types of infections, stimulate metabolic processes, strengthen immunity and circulatory system, has positive influence on growths. Substances from steroid group contained in Callissia fragrans give it these wonderful possibilities.