There are thousands of known herbs in the world, and new ones are still being discovered. Herbs are defined as plants that are used for medicinal, culinary, or other practical purposes. Many different types of plants can be considered herbs, including flowers, shrubs, trees, and even some types of algae.
In addition to traditional Chinese medicine, herbs are also used in other traditional medicine systems around the world, such as Ayurveda, Western herbalism, and African traditional medicine. Each of these systems has its own unique set of herbs, which can overlap but also differ.
It’s hard to give a precise number of herbs known in the world, as the number is always changing and different regions might have different classification and terminology for the plants. But it’s safe to say that there are thousands of different herbs that have been used throughout history and continue to be used today.