Herb & Lime Lab
Side-by-side comparison cards for the nine Asian herbs we cover: the visual cues to look for at the market, the aroma that confirms it, and the look-alikes that fool people.
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This guide helps you tell herbs apart at the market — it cannot identify a plant from your photo, and there is no photo upload here. Never eat a plant you cannot positively identify. When in doubt, buy from a trusted seller or ask an expert in person.
How to use this guide: start with aroma — crush a leaf gently and smell. Then check the stem and leaf shape against the card. Two out of three matching is a good sign at a market stall; it is still not a foraging ID.
Provenance: visual identifiers are standard botanical and culinary knowledge about these nine herbs — general guidance for market comparison, not a plant-identification service.