Alchemica Posted February 17, 2018 (edited) The Medicine of Basil Who here's explored? Before I would have dismissed it, today it works well for me. Recent research has highlighted the antidepressant and beneficial effects in stress induced pathology, including neurodegenerative disorders. ‘The Elixir of life’ and ‘Mother medicine of Nature’ are sometimes used in historical references for Basil due to its enormous healing values to the mind, body and soul. It has marked its presence significantly in various medicinal systems in the world including Ayurveda. I've explored Holy Basil awhile ago to little effect but I was quite ill. It's nice to use the ones in abundance as medicine. It contains phenolics, flavonoids (including orientin and vicenin) and essential oil (mainly phenylpropanoids (methyl chavicol, eugenol, methyleugenol) and the terpenes) While I have a few largish Ocimum gratissimum which is used in the traditional management of diabetes in Nigeria and has anti-diabetic activity, they're doing really well, today I used 'plain' basil, over-growing at the community garden, at high dose as my medicine. I've got a few lemon basils I'm interested in and have some Ocimum basilicum growing at home too. Ocimum basilicum improves chronic stress-induced neurodegenerative changes and ameliorates the changes induced after exposure to the chronic stress including depression. Ocimum essential oils have potential for treating depression. It up-regulated protein and gene expressions of BDNF and GR. It reduced stress induced hippocampal neuron atrophy and apoptosis, and increased the number of the astrocytes and new nerve cells. It significantly increased GFAP-positive cells as well as BDNF and GR immunoexpression in the hippocampus. Tulsi Vana (Ocimum gratissimum): A tea made with the leaves tastes good and provides gentle stimulation to body, mind and spirit It has strong antioxidant activity and is adaptogenic. It promotes general wellness. The plant exhibited various biological activities including antidiabetic, muscle relaxant, anthelmintic, antinociceptive, antihypotensive, antileishmanial, antioxidant activity, anticonvulsant and anxiolytic activity. O. gratissimum contains a high quantity of essential oil (3.2-4.1%), ocimol, gratissimin, β-sitosterol, flavonoids, linolenic acid and polyphenolic compounds and is a strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory with neuroprotective effects [1] The chemical analysis of essential oils showed eugenol and 1,8-cineole as principal compounds and trans-caryophyllene as a sesquiterpene in higher proportion [2]. The essential oil anti-convulsant, sedative and anxiolytic properties and leaves of O. gratissimum contain constituents which possess anticonvulsant and anxiolytic-like activities [3] [1] https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.3109/13880209.2010.506489. [2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20559750 [3] http://www.phcogres.com/article.asp?issn=0974-8490;year=2010;volume=2;issue=1;spage=36;epage=40;aulast=Okoli Edited April 25, 2018 by Alchemica 5 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Crop Posted February 17, 2018 My family uses the South East Asian approach to many of these medicinal herbs, that is to incorporate them into your regular diet, so you don't get sick in the first place. At the moment we grow Thai and Holy basil and use them as the main vegetable in at least 2 or 3 meals per week. For those of you into Aquaponics I find plants from the basil or mint families to be absolutely fool proof for this technique. To make basil perennial, don't let it seed, just keep picking off the flowers and it will live for ever, providing you can keep it warm enough. 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Alchemica Posted February 24, 2018 Finally got a Holy Basil, here's a pic of it in flower. Holy basil has been documented to possess neuroprotective, cognition-enhancing and stress relieving effects Ocimum are rich in tannin, saponins, flavonoids, alkaloids, anthraquinone, and reducing sugars. O. tenuiflorum is used for treatment against a headache, constipation, kidney infections, cough, cold, and diarrhoea. The medicinal properties in Tulsi are mainly due to the presence of a variety of phenolic acids such as caffeic acid, rosmarinic acid, flavonoids, and essential oils. Chavicol methyl ether (estragol), linalool, eugenol, 1, 8-cineole, and methyl cinnamate are the main compounds responsible for the typical aroma in the basil plant. Leaf extract enhances specific cognitive parameters in healthy adult volunteers [1] 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Alchemica Posted February 25, 2018 So many basils, so little time... each seems to be quite unique, not just in taste but potentially healing potential? What makes Holy Basil 'Holy' and other basils not as Holy? Likewise other plants? Regardless of whether or not you believe in a literal “spiritual” aspect to plants, some sacred plants are holy because a particular tradition has worked with it for millenia, and developed that kind of understanding of it. Some are considered holy because they can induce altered states of consciousness. Others, like corn, are considered holy because they help sustain human life. I find medicinally high dosing on O. basilicum and varieties quite nicely uplifting in a spiritual way. Really like my Thai Basil (pictured) taste wise, want to medicinally dose up on that one at a higher dose, it has an interesting profile of constituents. Only tried a small dose of Lemon Basil, that one contains an oil rich in nerol (23.0%) and citral (20.7%). It seems to have flavonoids like nevadensin/salvigenin. That said there seems to be chemotypes, within each type of basil... Methyl chavicol (81.82 %), β-(E)-ocimene (2.93 %) and α-(E)-bergamotene (2.45 %) were found to be the dominant constituents in Thai Basil (O. basilicum var. thyrsiflora) oil in one assay (another found O. basilicum var. thyrsiflora oil had 68.0% linalool) while O. basilicum contained predominantly linalool (43.78 %), eugenol (13.66 %) and 1,8-cineole (10.18 %). O. basilicum var. thyrsiflora contained cinnamic acid, gallic acid, methylgallate, ellagic acid, methyl ellagic acid, apigenin, luteolin, vitexin, isovitexin, and 3″-O-acetylvitexin, along with catechin, caffeic acid, coumaric acid and sinapic acid Thai Basil O. tenuiflorum (Holy Basil) has variety of phenolic acids such as caffeic acid, rosmarinic acid, flavonoids, and essential oils. Methyl chavicol (estragole), linalool, eugenol, 1, 8-cineole, and methyl cinnamate are the main compounds responsible for the typical aroma. The chemical composition of volatile oil is highly complex and comprises high ratio of phenylpropanoids and terpenes, and some phenolic compound or flavonoids such as orientin and vicenin. O. gratissimum had the following major phenolics: Rutin, quercitrin, and luteolin (flavonoids); ellagic and chlorogenic acids (phenolic acids). The essential oil of Ocimum gratissimum contains eugenol, other assays finding it rich in thymol. Also have a Pepper Basil... have to research that one. And a Camphor Basil 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
