Common Herbs, Two Worlds: How China Uses Familiar Plants in Unexpected Ways

Walk into any Western supermarket, and you'll find them: mint, rosemary, thyme, basil—familiar staples of European and American kitchens. But what many Westerners don't realize is that these very same herbs have been used in China for centuries, not just as seasonings, but as medicinal remedies, daily teas, and healing tonics deeply rooted in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).

While the West has embraced these herbs primarily for flavor, China has long understood them as medicine and food intertwined—a philosophy known as "food as medicine". Here are eight common herbs that bridge East and West, each with a distinctly Chinese story to tell.

1. Mint (Bo He 薄荷) — The Cooling Cleanser

In the West, mint is synonymous with mojitos, chewing gum, and after-dinner mints. In China, it is a powerful medicinal herb first recorded in the Compendium of Materia Medica (Ben Cao Gang Mu).

Chinese use: Mint is considered cooling and pungent, entering the Lung and Liver meridians. It is used to disperse wind-heat, clear the head and eyes, relieve sore throats, and soothe liver qi stagnation. The 2020 edition of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia lists over 170 formulations containing mint or its extracts. In daily life, the Chinese brew mint tea to cool down on hot days and aid digestion.

Western use: Primarily culinary—in teas, salads, desserts, and cocktails.

2. Lemon (Ning Meng 柠檬) — The Qi Mover

Lemons are beloved in the West for their bright acidity in cooking, beverages, and cleaning. In China, they serve a deeper purpose.

Chinese use: Lemon is valued for its ability to tonify and move Qi (vital energy), aid digestion, and relieve cough. A simple infusion of mint and lemon in hot water is a common Chinese home remedy for digestive discomfort and summer heat. Lemon is also used in TCM to promote fluid production and quench thirst—especially important in China's hotter regions.

Western use: Flavoring agent, beverage ingredient, and culinary acid.

3. Rosemary (Mi Die Xiang 迷迭香) — The Memory Herb

Rosemary, known in the West as the "herb of remembrance," was introduced to China during the Cao Wei period (220–265 AD) . Today, it is both a Western kitchen staple and a recognized Chinese medicinal herb.

Chinese use: In TCM, rosemary is pungent and warm. It is used to induce sweating, strengthen the spleen, calm the spirit, and relieve pain. It is traditionally prescribed for headaches and to prevent early hair loss. Modern Chinese research confirms its anti-tumor, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and liver-protecting properties. In the kitchen, the Chinese use rosemary to eliminate fishy odors from meat and seafood.

Western use: Roasted meats, potatoes, breads, and aromatherapy for memory enhancement.

4. Thyme (Bai Li Xiang 百里香) — The Warming Tonic

Thyme is a workhorse of Western cooking—found in bouquet garni, stews, and roasts. In China, it has a surprisingly long history.

Chinese use: The earliest Chinese record of thyme as a food ingredient dates back to the Yuan Dynasty (1271–1368) , where it was used to season camel hump and hoof dishes. In TCM, thyme is pungent and warm, with properties that dispel wind and relieve pain. It is used for colds, headaches, toothaches, indigestion, and acute gastroenteritis. Regional Chinese herbals document its use for spleen-strengthening, digestion-aiding, and cough-relief. Modern research shows thyme has antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and liver-protective effects.

Western use: Stews, roasted vegetables, soups, and as a medicinal tea for respiratory health.

5. Basil (Jiu Ceng Ta 九層塔 / Luo Le 羅勒) — The Warming Digestive

Basil is the heart of Italian pesto and a staple of Mediterranean cooking. In China, it is known as "nine-layer pagoda" and has been used in TCM for centuries.

Chinese use: Basil is pungent and warm, with the ability to dispel wind, transform dampness, harmonize the stomach, and aid digestion. It is traditionally used for external wind-cold headaches, abdominal distension, food stagnation, gastric pain, and menstrual irregularities. The Jiayou Materia Medica records that basil can "regulate the center and aid digestion, remove foul qi". In Chinese folk medicine, it is also used externally for snake and insect bites.

Western use: Pesto, salads, pasta, and pizza.

6. Sage (Shu Wei Cao 鼠尾草) — The Chinese Cousin

Sage is a classic Western herb for poultry stuffing and brown butter sauces. What many don't know is that one of China's most important medicinal herbs—Red Sage Root (Dan Shen 丹参)—belongs to the same Salvia genus.

Chinese use: While common garden sage (Salvia officinalis) is less prominent in TCM, its Chinese relative Salvia miltiorrhiza has been used for over 2,000 years to promote blood circulation, remove blood stasis, treat dysmenorrhea, amenorrhea, and cardiovascular diseases. Today, Dan Shen is a cornerstone of TCM cardiology, used to treat angina, stroke, and other circulatory conditions. The sage genus is so valued in China that 78 species have documented medicinal uses.

Western use: Poultry seasoning, stuffing, sausages, and herbal teas.

7. Oregano (Niu Zhi 牛至) — The Summer Heat Remedy

Oregano is the defining herb of Italian and Greek cuisines—pizza, pasta sauces, and grilled meats. In China, it plays a very different role.

Chinese use: Oregano is a recognized Chinese medicinal herb included in the 1977 Chinese Pharmacopoeia. It is used to relieve summer heat, treat colds and fevers, alleviate headaches and body aches, and resolve acute gastroenteritis. Its ability to disperse cold and release the exterior is considered even more potent than mint. Oregano is also used for vomiting, abdominal distension, childhood food stagnation, diarrhea, and excessive menstruation.

Western use: Pizza, pasta, grilled vegetables, and Mediterranean dishes.

8. Dill (Shi Luo 莳萝 / Hui Xiang 茴香) — The Dumpling Herb

Dill is well-known in the West for pickles, gravlax, and creamy sauces. In China, it has taken on an entirely different culinary identity.

Chinese use: In northern China, dill—often called huíxiāng (茴香)—is a beloved dumpling filling. Dill and pork dumplings (jiaozi) and steamed buns (baozi) are breakfast staples in Beijing and surrounding regions. Dill is also stir-fried with eggs, much like Chinese chives. In TCM, dill seeds are used to warm the kidneys, disperse cold, regulate qi, and harmonize the stomach.

Western use: Pickles, fish dishes, salads, and sauces.

9. Fennel (Xiao Hui Xiang 小茴香) — The Warming Seed

Fennel is cherished in the West for its licorice-like flavor in sausages, fish, and salads. In China, both the seeds and leaves are used—but in distinctly different ways.

Chinese use: Fennel fruit (Xiaohuixiang) is a traditional Chinese medicinal herb first documented in the Song Dynasty. It is pungent and warm, entering the Liver, Kidney, Spleen, and Stomach meridians. It is used to warm the kidneys, disperse cold, regulate qi, harmonize the stomach, and relieve pain. Indications include cold-induced abdominal pain, dysmenorrhea, and hernia pain. In the kitchen, fennel leaves are a common filling for pork dumplings across northern China.

Western use: Sausages, fish, salads, and as a vegetable (bulb fennel).

10. Lavender (Xun Yi Cao 薰衣草) — The Uyghur Remedy

Lavender is the quintessential Western aromatherapy herb—found in sachets, soaps, and relaxation teas. In China, it is less known in the Han Chinese tradition but plays a significant role in Uyghur medicine.

Chinese use: Lavender is a traditional Uyghur medicinal herb, known locally as Wusitikudusi. It is considered warm and moist in nature, used to dispel cold, tonify the stomach, calm the brain, dry dampness, and relieve pain. It is prescribed for chest and abdominal distension, colds, coughs, asthma, dizziness, headaches, palpitations, and joint pain. Modern Chinese research also highlights its neuroprotective potential.

Western use: Aromatherapy, soaps, sachets, and limited culinary use in desserts.

Conclusion

These ten herbs are not exotic imports to China—they are everyday companions in Chinese kitchens, apothecaries, and tea cups. The difference lies not in the plant itself, but in the philosophy behind its use. Where the West sees flavor, China sees function. Where the West adds a pinch, China prescribes a dose.

The next time you sprinkle rosemary on your roast or brew a cup of mint tea, consider this: you are partaking in a tradition that spans continents—and in China, that same herb has been healing bodies and warming stomachs for over a thousand years.