Basil
Proven Health Benefits of Basil
- Regulates postprandial and fasting blood glucose levels
- Improves patients with anxiety, stress and depression
- Increases moisture-retention ability of skin
- Improves patients with asthma
- Prevents plaque formation and prevents dental caries
- Gives fresher breath
What is Basil?
Basil is a long-known herb, whose fragrant aroma has permeated delicacies for ages. Technically, basil is Ocimum basilicum, however, its siblings under the genus is so broad that “basil” has rather become a blanket term. The shrub stands between half and a meter high with simple, opposite leaves, ranging from green to purple in color. The leaves are the main players in dishes and herbal medicine use, possessing peculiar aroma and flavor, and contain the most important phytochemicals. The essential oils in the leaf is mainly made up of phenols, terpenes and aldehydes. Basil leaves may be consumed fresh, dried whole or powdered. In recent times, processes have been optimized for the extraction of essential oils. Uncommon but available, also, are bags of basil tea.
What is Basil Useful for?
In traditional medicine, especially in Asia, basil has been used to treat kidney problems, worms and fungal infestation. A study actually shows potent action against A. flavus by basil.1 Other studies have observed anti-ulcer action against alcohol, aspirin, histamine and stressed-induced gastric ulceration by the essential oils in basil. Animal investigations have shown significant anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects, when basil is administered to rats. Basil has been seen to kill larvae of parasitic worms very effectively. It has been observed that basil shields against harmful radiation, while anti-cancer activity has been established against fibrosarcoma cells. Basil is also a potent regulator of components of the immune system, including hypersensitivity reactions, antibody production and tissue responses to mediators in target organs.
Health benefits:
- Skin health and rejuvenation
- Dysentery
- Night blindness and conjunctivitis
- Anti-bacterial
- Anti-helminth
- Tissue regeneration
- Potent antioxidant
- Memory booster
- Oral health
Nutrition:
Basil leaves are essentially calorie-free, and also have negligible amounts of proteins. In 2.5g of the leaves, one would find:- Vitamin A – 96.6 IU
- Calcium – 3.85mg
- Potassium – 11.5mg
Toxicity:
Although eugenol is praised for its mosquito-repellent action, it has been marked as a potential carcinogen. However, the amount in normal consumption will not raise a cause for alarm. In general, many studies have report no or minimal adverse effects according to mouth doses.2 Even in animal studies, none has been recorded yet, when considering ingestion. There are few studies that show minimal alteration in reproductive behavior in male rats, where unusually high doses of essential oils have been administered.