Holy Basil

Scientific Name(s): Ocimum tenuiflorum L.
Common Name(s): Ajaka, Baranda, Brinda, Holy basil, Kha phrao, Manjari, Monk's basil, Parnasa, Patra-puspha, Sacred basil, Suvasa, Thai basil, Thulasi, Tulasi, Tulsi

Medically reviewed by Drugs.com. Last updated on Dec 22, 2021.

Clinical Overview

Use

Limited evidence suggests potential applications in treating stress, anxiety disorders, diabetes, and cancer. Anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial activities have also been demonstrated. However, few clinical trials have been conducted to support these uses.

Dosing

Limited clinical trials are available to provide dosing recommendations for holy basil.

CNS disorders: 300 mg/day of an ethanolic leaf extract for 30 days was used in a study evaluating use of holy basil for enhancement of cognition. Dosages of 1,000 mg/day for 8 weeks or 1,200 mg/day for 6 weeks were used in studies evaluating the effects of holy basil extract on stress disorders.

Diabetes/Metabolic syndrome: One clinical trial used 2.5 g of the leaves as a dried powder mixed in 200 mL of water daily for 2 months to produce a hypoglycemic effect.

Contraindications

Contraindications have not been identified.

Pregnancy/Lactation

Avoid use. Information regarding safety and efficacy in pregnancy and lactation is lacking. Emmenagogue and abortifacient effects have been reported for the related species Ocimum basilicum.

Interactions

None well documented.

Adverse Reactions

Clinical information is lacking.

Toxicology

No data.

Scientific Family

• Lamiaceae (mint)

Botany

O. tenuiflorum is a perennial, many-branched shrub indigenous to India and parts of Africa, Taiwan, and China, and cultivated in southeast Asia. It can grow up to 1 m in height. Green and purple color variants exist that are otherwise morphologically indistinguishable.

Unlike common basil, holy basil plants have slightly hairy, pale leaves that are simple, opposite, and oblong or ovate, measuring 3 to 7 cm long and 1 to 3 cm wide. The leaves have a characteristically strong aroma, likened to that of cloves, and an astringent taste. The flowering part of the plant consists of a florescence of purple and red flowers. Related plants include Ocimum basilicum (sweet basil), Ocimum gratissimum (African basil), Ocimum campechianum (Amazonian basil), and Ocimum canum (hoary basil).1, 2, 3 A synonym of O. tenuiflorum is Ocimum sanctum.

History

Use of tulsi is described in ancient Ayurvedic texts, and the plant is an important symbol in Hindu religious tradition. Holy basil has been described as an elixir of life and a tonic with adaptogenic properties. It has been used to promote longevity and to treat a range of conditions, including the common cold, headache, stomach complaints, inflammation, heart disease, insect or snake bites, and malaria. Holy basil is used in cooking and is consumed as a fresh leaf, an herbal tea, a dried powder, or mixed with ghee. The dried leaves can be stored with grains and used as an insect repellent. The essential oil is used in cosmetics and skin preparations.1, 4, 5

Chemistry

O. tenuiflorum primarily contains tannins, flavonoids, and an essential oil. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry has been used to elucidate the constituents of the essential oil, which include eugenol and methyl eugenol (up to 64%), alpha- and beta-caryophyllene, 1,8 cineole, methyl chavicol, carvacrol, linalool, thymol, limonene, gamma-terpinene, camphor, germacrene...