Difference between Herbs and Shrubs

The main difference between herbs and shrubs is the difference of of their size and branching patterns.

Herbs are primarily annuals, biennials and perennials whereas shrubs are perennials.  Herbs can be used in food flavoring, cosmetic material and medicine industry. While shrubs used in gardening and livestock feed.

Herbs VS Shrubs

Character	Herbs	Shrubs
Definition	Herbs are smaller, soft and non woody plants which are defined as seed-producing plants, also known as rootstock.	Shrubs are taller, rigid and terrestrial woody plants with multiple stems around the ground. Also known as woody or shrubby plants.
Stem	Soft, thin and non-woody	Hard, rigid, thick and woody. Provides support to plants
Tissue	Soft and flexible tissue	Strong and woody tissue
Branches & Height	Unbranched  or very few branches, short heighted	Multiple branches near the base, Taller than herbs
Lifecycle	Herbs can be biennial, annual or perennial	Shrubs are perennial as they can live for several year
Uproot	Easily uprooted	Cannot be uprooted easily
Reproduction strategy	Mainly reproduce through seeds, but they can also use other methods like rhizomes, stolons, and offsets.	Shrubs reproduce both sexually (through seeds) and asexually (through root suckers).
Climate and Soil requirement	Mostly require 4 to 8 hours of sunlight and a good drainage facility.	A higher survival rate in harsh conditions because they are woody
Examples	Mint, Tulsi, Ginger, Garlic, Oregano, Cardamom, Thyme, Lavender etc.	Rose, Champa, Juniper, Jasmine, Lilac, Azalea, Boxwood etc.