Sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) is an herb that is used to add a distinct aroma and flavor to food. It is widely used in perfume and cosmetic industries. The herb is often added to pickled fish products and is one of the main ingrediens in seasoning mixture "pesto."
Researchers report that basil contains antibacterial compounds. A strong tea can be used as a bracing toner. To try it, pack a handful of fresh basil, abou three tablespoons' worth, into a sturdy mug and pound lightly with a pestle to bruise the leaves and release the oils. Pour in a cup of boiling water, cover the mug, and let the tea steep until it's clear grass-green, at least 20 minutes. Strain and discrd the leaves. For a soft yet nonoily feel, splash your face with the tea just before applying moisturizer. Don't dry off. Your face will appreciate it, especially if the air you live in is polluted. Just so you know, drinking a cup of this extra-strong tea will probably not harm you, but the taste is too intense to be enjoyable.
In some African countries, basil tea is used as an after-shampoo hair rinse to hep control dandruff and scalp psoriasis. Though this is not an officially documented remedy, at the very least, a basil tea does leave the hair silky and the scalp feeling fresh.
If your skin and hair loose their luster when you travel, pack up some dried basil and take it with you. Pour about a cup of hot tap water over two teaspoons of dried basil, cover, and let sit overnight for use in the morning.
The concentrations of aroma compounds from fresh basil leaves were about 50-fold higher than those from air-dried leaves.
The herb contains about 0.5% essential oil with up to 85% estragole. Because of the high estragole content of the essential oil, the herb should not be taken during pregnancy.
Basil oil should not be given to infants or small children.
Sweet basil has very important medicinal properties-notably, its ability to reduce blood sugar levels. It is also believed to help prevent peptic ulcers and other stress related conditions like hypertension, colitis and asthma. It's thought to reduce stress hormone, cortisol, which, in turns, reduces fat stored in the abdomen and around the weist. Alcoholic extracts of the herb are used in ointments for treatment of slowly healing wounds.
Three new compounds, ocimumosides A (1) and B (2) and ocimarin (3), were isolated from an extract of the leaves of holy basil, or tulsi (Ocimum sanctum), the most revered medicinal plants in India, together with eight known substances. Compound 1 displayed promising antistress effects by normalizing high blood sugar (hyperglycemia), plasma corticosterone, plasma creatine kinase, and adrenal hypertrophy.