Basil leaves have many health benefits including nutritional &medicinal . They are found to be useful in the treatment of fever, common cold , cough ,asthma & stress. It helps in purifying blood, reducing blood glucose and cholesterol level, helps in managing mouth ulcer and arthritis.
How basil leaves help to improve your health?
Do you know basil leaves benefit your health & wellness in a myriad ways? Basil leaves have culinary as well as medicinal uses. It is a good flavoring agent in various cuisines worldwide. The leaves and the essential oil distilled from the flowering plants are used as powerful flavoring agents. It is used for treating cough and also used in cosmetics. Basil leaves are also found to be helpful in boosting your memory.
Basil leaves have numerous health benefits & they are useful in the treatment of fever, common cold & stress. It helps in purifying blood, reducing blood glucose, risk of heart attacks and cholesterol level, mouth ulcer and arthritis.
Its nutritional & medicinal values are extensively researched of late by the scientific community and the studies points out that basil leaves are rich source of vitamin A, Vitamin C, calcium, phosphorus, beta carotene. All these vitamins are extremely good antioxidants which help to prevent many serious diseases of vital organs. In addition these vitamin antioxidants function as anti-ageing factors to your skin enhancing its glow.
The plant details – name, family &various species of basil
Basil leaves are glossy and oval-shaped, with smooth or slightly toothed edges that typically cup slightly; the leaves are arranged oppositely along the square stems. In India it is called babui tulsi.
It is known by various names in different geographical areas including basilica (in French), basilikum or basilienkraut (in German), ba-silico (in Italian), rehan (in Arabic) . In the English language, it is known as basil, common basil or sweet basil.
Basil is an aromatic herb of the mint family, with a pungent clovelike flavor.
Basil (Ocimum basilicum) belongs to the mint family Lamiaceae and genus ocimum.
Various species of basil are produced and used commercially including the small-leaf common basil, the larger leaf Italian basil, and the large lettuce-leaf basil.
Thai basil (O. basilicum var. thyrsiflora) and the related holy basil (O. tenuiflorum) and lemon basil (O. ×citriodorum) are commonly used in foods of Asians.
History of the plant-its origin & global usage
Basil leaves have been mentioned in Greek mythology. In ancient Egypt, basil has been used in combination with other essences and oils, during religious ceremonies and for mummification.
These leaves were introduced in England in the sixteenth century. Basil leaves were widely used in medicine and for culinary and perfumery purposes all over the Europe, particularly in France during that time.
Basil leaves oil – properties
Their oil possesses various functions like antimicrobial activity, anticancer activity, and also anti-inflammatory activities [3]. This may protect you from microbes and cancers.
There are various compounds present in the oil of basil leaves such as oxygenated monoterpenes, sesquiterpene hydrocarbons, and oxygenated sesquiterpenes. They also contain various components like linalool, camphor, and germacrene D.
What are the health benefits of basil leaves?
• Basil leaves are very good Antioxidants
Vitamin A, C and beta carotenes are effective antioxidants which fight against free radicals attacking the cells of your body. The free radical attack is detrimental to your health as it may cause various organ diseases and premature skin ageing.
Ocimum basilicum (O. basilicum) species contains more than 20 bioactive compounds such as linalool, estragole, methyl eugenol, 1,8-cineole, etc. Flavonoids, catechins, and triterpenes showed protective effect on oxidative stress induced by environmental factors. Oxidative stress caused by free radicals is the main trigger for various serious diseases of human body. Basil leaves offers you antioxidant protection effectively.
- Basil leaves have potential to prevent inflammations
A2017 study shows that basil leaves essential oils have anti-inflammatory properties [4].
- Boosts health of bones &muscles
Calcium, phosphorus and magnesium in basil leaves help in strengthening your bones and muscles.
• Basil leaves helps to reduce your cholesterol levels in the body
Basil leaves helps to reduce LDL cholesterol and triglycerides.
The underlying mechanisms of the effect found may be due to an increased stimulation of the lipolytic activity of plasma lipoprotein lipase and liver enzyme lipase[6].
• Basil leaves can improves your fasting blood sugar
Animal study shows that basil leaves can lower blood glucose level[7].
• Basil leaves help to manage lung diseases such as bronchitis,asthma etc.
A study shows that O. basilicum basil leaves are traditionally used in different cultures across the globe for the management of lung diseases and other organ disorders[5].
The bioactive ingredients of O. basilicum have been described to prevent different viral infections.
Three types of compounds including linalool, apigenin, and ursolic acid have been found to be protective against various types of human adenovirus complications in people having bronchitis.
Basil leaves compounds have bronchodilatory effects against chronic lung diseases such as asthma &bronchitis.
Various studies showed the relaxant effects of O. basilicum and its main constituents including linalool and eugenol, and have showed bronchodilatory effects. However, further extensive studies are needed in this area to confirm the effects more convincingly.
Foods that you can make with basil leaves
You may include basil leaves in various types of salads. Further more, you may cook various veg and no veg recipes with basil leaves such as:
Pesto shrimp
- Basil pasta
- Tomato basil soup
- Pesto salmon
- Basil tomato sauce
References
1. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/267031488_Basil_A_natural_source_of_antioxidants_and_neutraceuticals
2. https://www.britannica.com/plant/basil
3. https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/pharmacology-toxicology-and-pharmaceutical-science/basil
4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5495712/
5. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2021.805391/full
6. https://clinicalnutritionespen.com/article/S1751-4991(09)00041-9/fulltext
7. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6542390/