If you aren't using a whole lot of herbs and spices in your cooking, you are missing out in more ways than one:

• Herbs and spices can transform a bland or plain dish to something really super.
  
  
• Herbs and spices make up in flavor for part of the fat and salt you remove from many dishes.
  
  
• Herbs and spices, for the most part, have potent health benefits.  Many vigorously fight cancer, arthritis, infections, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and/or other ills.  Many are packed with anti-oxidants which can help reduce signs of aging, cancer and similar uglies.

If you aren't familiar with some of them, wish to learn more about odd ones, or just look at something really pretty, go to the Herbs and Spices Index.

Our Herbs and Spices Mixtures Index page features links to other seasoning mixes, with recipes using some of each featured one.   You can learn to mix your own, such as the Herbes de Provence mix (we prefer ours with lavender, which Diana suggests as an option) which is used in our Tomato-Vegetable Bouillabaisse, a tremendously savory and satisfying soup that's easy to make, or try the  Five Spice Powder for Asian dishes. 

Happy seasoning!