Herbs, with such wide-ranging adaptability, contribute vitally to many aspects of everyday living. Healing herbs have always been used as remedies for both series and transient illnesses, but never more so than today. The use of herbs is paramount in the kitchen for the enhancement of the flavor and aroma of many recipes. Fragrance in perfumes and ingredients in cosmetics, as well as the essential oils used in aromatherapy, issue from the plant power of herbs. More than that, herbs are easy to grow and provide pleasure in the garden. - Deni Brown, author, photographer and herbologist, developed a passion for plants in childhood and has grown and studied herbs since her student days. Best known for the "Encyclopedia of Herbs and their Uses" (published in conjunction with the Royal Horticultural Society of theUK and the Herb Society of America in the US), she has over a dozen books to her name and has contributed as author and photographer to numerous others. In 1986 she was a winner in the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competetion and in 1980 won a Garden Writer's Association of America award for "Alba: The Book of White Flowers". - The Chelsea Physic Garden, founded by the Society of Apothocaries in 1673, has for over 300 years been concerned with studying the therapeutic properties of plants. A place of tranquility in the heart of London, it has recently established a garden of world medicine and welcomes scientists, horticulturalists and artists as well as the general public and school parties through it's gates.