Sweet Basil
Scientific Name(s): Ocimum basilicum L.
Common Name(s): Basil, Common basil, Genovese basil, Great basil, Saint-Joseph's-wort, Sweet basil
Medically reviewed by Drugs.com. Last updated on Nov 22, 2021.
Clinical Overview
Use
Animal studies of sweet basil suggest use as an antimicrobial agent, insect repellant, and anti-inflammatory agent, as well as in cardiovascular and CNS diseases and diabetes; however, clinical studies are lacking to support use in any condition.
Dosing
Clinical studies are lacking to provide dosing recommendations for sweet basil. Traditionally, doses of 5 to 10 mL of the herb per cup of water or 2.5 to 5 mL of a tincture, taken up to 3 times daily, have been used.
Contraindications
Contraindications have not been identified.
Pregnancy/Lactation
Avoid use. Avoid amounts larger than are usually found in cooking. Emmenagogue and abortifacient effects have been reported for O. basilicum.
Interactions
None well documented.
Adverse Reactions
Basil as an herb and sweet basil essential oil have Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) status in the United States.
Toxicology
Information is limited; the chemical constituents estragole and linalool have been associated with toxicity.
Scientific Family
- Lamiaceae (mint)
Botany
The sweet basil plant is cultivated worldwide; many varieties exist, differing in chemical composition and affected by multiple geographic factors. Basil is an annual herb that grows up to 1 m in height, depending on the climate, with characteristic opposite, light-green, smooth leaves that grow up to 6 cm in width and 11 cm in length. The plant bears small, white flowers arranged in a terminal spike.1, 2 Related plants include Ocimum sanctum (holy basil), Ocimum gratissimum (African basil), Ocimum campechianum (Amazonian basil), and Ocimum canum (hoary basil). A synonym of O. basilicum is Ocimum americanum L.
History
Traditionally, O. basilicum has been used as an appetite stimulant, carminative, diuretic, and anxiolytic, as well as in cardiovascular disease and diabetes, among other conditions. Medicinal use of basil among ancient Greek and Chinese healers for promoting circulation and treating snake and insect bites has been documented. Sweet basil also has widespread culinary applications.2, 3, 4
Chemistry
The major components of the volatile oil of sweet basil are linalool, cineole, and estragole (methyl chavicol), depending on the source.5, 6, 7, 8
Studies have elucidated the chemical composition of the essential oil and describe terpenic hydrocarbons (eg, cymene, limonene, myrecene, pinene, terpinene, phellandrene), aromatic phenols (carvacrol, eugenol, thymol, and safrol), ketones (menthone, pulegone, carvone and thujone, verbenone, and fenchone), alcohols (eg, borneol, carveol, geraniol, linalool, menthol, terpineol), aliphatic aldehydes (citral, citronellal, and perillaldehyde), acids (citronellic acid and cinnamic acid) and esters (linalyl acetate). However, concentrations of these components vary, depending on the source of the plant.6, 9, 10, 11
The seeds of the plant contain ursolic acid, rosmarinic acid, caffiec acid, vallinin, stigmasterol, apgenin, and luteolin, among other components.5, 10
