Basil = Ocimum Basilicum
Common Names
Basil , Sweet Basil
Botanical Name
Ocimum basilicum
Family
LAMIACEAE or LABIATAE Mint Family
| harmaceutical | Herba Basilici |
| English | Basilie, Sweet Basil |
| French | Basilic, Basilic commun, Herbe royale |
| Georgian | რეხანი, რეჰანი, ჯაშკვლავი |
| Rekhani, Rehani; Jashk’vlavi, Jashkvlavi (variety with cinnamom scent) |
| German | Basilikum, Basilienkraut, Königskraut |
| Hindi | बन तुलसी, जंगली तुलसी, तुलसी |
| Ban tulsi, Jangli tulsi (Ocimum tenuiflorum), Tulsi |
| Italian | Basilico |
| Malayalam | തുളസി, കൃഷ്ണതുളസി, രാമതുളസി |
| Pachcha (?), Thulasi*, Sivathulasi*, Krishnathulasi*; Ramathulasi (Ocimum gratissimum) |
| Thai | โหระพา, กะเพรา, กะเพา, ผักอีตู่, แมงลัก, กะเพราช้าง, ยี่หร่า |
| Horapa, Horapha; Kaprao, Krapau, Kapao (Ocimum tenuiflorum); Phak iotu, Manglak (Ocimum citriodorum); Yihra, Kaprao-chang (Ocimum gratissimum) |
| Vietnamese | É dỏ*, É tía, É trắng, Cây húng quế, Cây rau é, Húng, Húng giỏi, Húng quế, Lá quế, Nhu tía*, Rau quế |
| E do*, E tia, E trang, Cay hung que, Cay rau e, Hung, Hung gioi, Hung que, La que, Nhu tia*, Rau que |
*** Plant Description
Genovese basil plant
The sweet or bush basil is Ocimum basilicum is the one most used as a condiment. There are about a hundred and fifty varieties of basil, now found through out the world.
*** Regional Traditions :
How to Grow Basil: Basil should be grown in a position that receives a good amount of sunlight - around 6-8 hours a day. Basil likes a fertile soil, and plenty of sunlight. Water well every week, making sure to water the base of the plant, avoiding the leaves and stems. Harvest the topmost leaves, picking a few leaves. Harvest plants before the first frost. Basil can be dried or frozen for further use.
*** History and Traditions & Folklore Basil is originally native to India and other tropical regions of Asia, having been cultivated there for more than 5,000 years, reached Europe in the sixteenth century.
Basil brings prosperity and happiness when planted in the garden. In Europe, they place basil in the hands of the dead to ensure a safe journey. In India, they place it in the mouth of the dying to ensure they reach God. The ancient Egyptians and ancient Greeks believed that it would open the gates of heaven for a person passing on.
*** Basil Medicinal Uses & Benefits
Common Uses:
ConcentrationMemory/Focus * Culinary * Facial and Skin care *General Health Tonics * Insect Bites/Rashes * Insect Repellent *
Properties:
Antispasmodic* Carminative* Cephalic* Digestive* Emmenagogue*Expectorant* Febrifuge* Nervine* Stomachic* Diaphoretic* Stimulant* Antifungal*Galactagogue* Aromatic* Refrigerant*
Parts Used:
leaves, essential oil
Constituents:
camphor, cineole, estragol, (or methyl chavicol),eugenol, linalool, pinene
Basil - for : Bee stings
Being applied to the place bitten by venomous beasts, or stung by a wasp or hornet, it speedily draws the poison to it Nicholas Culpeper, Culpeper's Complete Herbal (1653)
Basil - for :Culinary
Mediterranean and Indochinese cuisines frequently use basil, the former frequently combining it with tomato. One of the most well known uses of basil is as one of the main ingredients in pesto.
Basil - for :Warts
Basil contains many antiviral compounds, which no doubt is why it's a time honored folk remedy for warts. James Duke, The Green Pharmacy Herbal Handbook (2000)
Basil - for :Insect repellent
For a quick insect repellent, just rub some crushed basil leaves on your skin, or add the essential oil to a outdoors blend
Basil - for : Gas in Babies
Basil in considered a safe and gentle tonic for nursing mothers. Taken as a tea, it helps to expel gas in infants and increases lactation in the mother.Weiss, Gaea and Shandor, Healing Herbs, The (1985)
Basil Essential oil - for : Mental Clarity, Focus
Oil of Basil is an excellent, indeed perhaps the best, aromatic nerve tonic. It clears the head, relieves intellectual fatigue, and gives the mind strength and clarity. Robert B Tisserand, The Art of Aromatherapy (1977)
*** Aromatherapy
Basil Constituents:camphor, cineole, estragol, (or methyl chavicol),eugenol, linalool, pinene
Basil Oil Description
Basil essential oil is a light greenish-yellow and contains linalol, which is also present in bergamot and lavender oils. Most basil oils that are available are distilled from sweet basil, Ocimum basilicum, which has a strong clove scent from eugenol, the same chemical as actual cloves.
Basil Properties
Energizing *Focus *Headache *Home and Garden *insect_repellent*Nervous tension *stress *Uplifting *
Basil is a very aromatic plant originally native to India and other tropical regions of Asia, where it is an important herb in Hindu practices. Basil has the stimulating properties of the other mints, with a spicy,hot undertone. Aromatherapists use basil to improve appetite and gently combat fatigue. The stimulating aroma of basil can lift melancholy and and refresh the mind. As an added bonus it repels insects, and a few drops of basil essential oil will take the sting out of insect bites.
The sweet or bush basil is Ocimum basilicum is the one most used as a condiment. There are about a hundred and fifty varieties of basil, now found through out the world.
Side Effects: of Basil
Avoid during pregnancy, undiluted use will cause skin irritation
He oil is a light greenish-yellow and contains linalol, which is also present in bergamot and lavender oils. Basil is a very aromatic plant which has the stimulating properties of mint, but is hotter. Great to burn while working or reading, helps you to concentrate and uplifts your mood. It is restorative, stimulant, and nerve tonic. The various basils have such different scents because the herb has a number of different essential oils which come together in different proportions for various breeds. The strong clove scent of sweet basil comes from eugenol, the same chemical as actual cloves. The citrus scent of lemon basil and lime basil is because they have a higher portion of citral which causes this effect in several plants, including lemon mint, and limonene, which gives actual lemon peel its scent. African blue basil has a strong camphor smell because it has camphor and camphene in higher proportions. Licorice Basil contains anethole, the same chemical that makes anise smell like licorice, and in fact is sometimes called Anise Basil.
A 2006 review of the medical literature reported a number of beneficial effects for chamomile in in vitro and animal tests, but added that more human clinical trials are needed before firm conclusions can be drawn. Research with animals suggestsantispasmodic, anxiolytic, anti-inflammatory and some antimutagenic and cholesterol-lowering effects for chamomile. 
Essential oil of chamomile was shown to be a promising antiviral agent against herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) in vitro.
