Basilicum Babuitulsi (Basil); Tusli (Sacred Basil) (Ayurveda) Kali Tulsi (Basil); Raihan (Sacred Basil) (Unani) Jiu Ceng Ta, Luo Le (TCM)
Ortus Sanitatis, Cube, Johann von, 1501
Dioscorides Materia Medica, Mathias, 1563
Krauterbuch, Lonitzer, 1578
Clove Basil (Left); Great Basil (Right) Krauterbuch, Rihel, 1565
Chaumeton, Flore médicale (vol. 1), 1833
Botanical name:
Ocimum spp.
O. basilicum: Common or Sweet Basil
O. sanctum (syn. O. tenuiflorum): Holy or Sacred Basil
O. caryophyllatum: Clove Basil; also called Small or Bush Basil
Parts used:
Herb; Seed
Temperature & Taste:
Herb: Cool, dry. Pungent. (Some said Warm) Seed: Cool, moist, Pungent and sweet “According to Ibn e Maswaih [Mesue] it is mildly Hot but dry in the Second degree. Mostly people consider it to be cold because it does not harm any hot tempered person ... It would be more appropriate to state that it combines Hot and Cold temperaments but Coldness is dominant over hotness”. (Avicenna)
HERB: 1. Clears Wind-Heat, Resists Poison: -prophylactic during infectious and epidemic diseases -Colds, Influenza, Fevers, Small Pox; given during the Cold stage of Intermittent Fever -Common cold with Fever, Headacahe and Cough (TCM) -Summerheat, Heatstroke (TCM) -acute Sore Throat, Catarrh -Cough, Whooping Cough, Bronchitis, Asthma -skin eruptions, Ringworm, Itching, Leprosy -Toothache and Eye swelling and pain (TCM) -Venomous Bites -“useful in bites in general and as a plaster in cases of Wasp sting” (Avicenna)
2. Moves the Blood, Opens the Channels, Promotes Menstruation: -Amenorrhea, Dysmenorrhea; Uterus obstruction -promote Birth and Afterbirth; Postpartum Blood Stagnation -Infertility -Headaches from Blood stagnation -pain and stiffness in the Tendons and Bone, Wind-Damp Joint pain (TCM) -Trauma, Bruising (TCM) -“A powerful tonic for the Heart”. (Avicenna) -“Palpitation attributed to … Phlegm and Black Bile in the heart”. (Avicenna) -“Useful in Cold Swellings” (Avicenna)
3. Benefits the Kidneys, Promotes Urine: -Edema, obstructed Urine -Lower Back Pain, Impotence, Sexual Dysfunction -long term to clear Kidney stones -“when taken with any kind of wine, prevents Strangury, removes Calculi” (Avicenna)
4. Regulates Qi, Calms the Mind and Nerves: -Depression, Melancholy, poor Memory, Stupor and Hyper-emotionalism; -Epilepsy, Dizziness, Coma. –Ryff (1582) said Basil ‘awakens Joy and Courage’
6. Kills Worms: -for Worms, boiled in vinegar and drunk -“Useful in treating Worms and Ringworm” (Avicenna) -topically to kill Lice (Avicenna)
SEED: 1. Clears Heat, Cheers the Heart, Calms the Mind: -Melancholy, Fear, Worry, Nervousness and Insomnia. -anxiety with Palpitations; Nervous Heart disorders -in formulas to promote Happiness; for Sadness, Melancholy -nourishes Heart Yin while clearing Heat and calming the Mind -Salmon said it was good for ‘Hypochondriac Melancholy’ -“The seeds check the formation of Black Bile”. (Avicenna)
2. Clears Heat, Moistens: -Diarrhea, chronic Dysentery, habitual Constipation -Strangury, Painful urination, Gonorrhea -“The seeds are useful in Dysuria”. (Avicenna) -auxiliary for Stones -excessive Menstrual Bleeding
3. Clears Heat, Stops Cough: -Cough, Asthma, shortness of Breath
4. Benefits the Brain and Eyesight -in formula to strengthen Brain and restore Memory -in formula to increase Eyesight
Dose:
Herb in Decoction: 5–12 grams Herb in Powder: 2–5 grams. For venomous Bites, take 7 grams with Oxymel (Avicenna) Herb Juice: 20–50mls. Avicenna said 120ml is used for difficult breathing. Seed in Decoction: 3–6 grams Seed in Powder: 1–3 grams
Comment: Basil, Holy Basil and Clove Basil are similar, but have some differences. Basil is more pungent and spicy while Holy Basil is less pungent and more sweet. Several sources have noted the medicinal differences between the two, such as the use of Holy Basil for anxiety and depression, However, studying the traditional western use of Basil shows clearly that it has been used for these conditions too.
Correctives:
1. Violet 2. Sugar and Lemon juice 3. Mastic
Substitute:
1. Aniseed 2. Silkworm Cocoon (Unani) 3. “Sweet Basil is synonymous for common Thyme” (Avicenna)
Main Combinations:
1. Fever, Holy Basil, Camomile, Elder flower 2. To promote Happiness: Basil seed, Saffron, Sandalwood, Clove, Aniseed, Thyme, Pearl 3. Sadness, Depression, to promote Happiness: i. Basil with St. Johns wort and Balm ii. Basil seed with Bugloss, Mint, Pearl, Coral, Indian Spikenard, Chebulic Myrobalan, Dodder, Cinnamon, Frankincense, Mastic (as in Electuary for Sadness and Worry) 4. Amnesia, Confusion, Lethargy, decoct in vinegar and applied with rose oil to the head (Avicenna) 5. Melancholy: i. Basil with Gum Arabic (Unani) i. Clove Basil seed with Black Myrobalan, Polypody, Horehound, Dodder, Stoechas, Agaric, Clove, Balm (as in Electuary for Melancholy and Fear of Filius Zacharia) 6. Heart weakness: i. Basil with Mastic, Cinnamon, Mint, Pearl, Red Coral, Amber, Indian Spikenard, Chebulic Myrobalan (as in Powder to Warm the Heart) ii. Basil seed with Red Coral, Mastic, Indian Spikenard, Aloeswood, Clove, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Lesser Cardamon, Borage, Rosemary (as in Troches for Heart Weakness) 7. Palpitations from Cold, Basil, Cinnamon, Mastic, Marjoram, Pearl, Coral, Amber (Wirtzung) 8. Strengthen the Heart and Brain, resists Melancholy, Basil seed with Scorzonera, Borage, Rosemary, Sorrel seed, Citron seed, Fennel seed (as in Syrup of Balm of Fernelius) 9. Cough, Asthma from Phlegm congestion: i. Basil with Hyssop, Maidenhair, Horehound, Licorice (as in Decoction for Cough and Asthma of Galen) ii. Sacred Basil, Licorice (as is marketed as Diakof) iii. Sacred Basil with Long Pepper, Tylophora, Inula racemosa (Ayurveda) 10. Shortness of Breath: Basil juice with Saffron 11. Allergic Rhinitis, Sacred Basil, Long Pepper, Calamus 12. Poor appetite, Basil with Malted Barley (Mai Ya) (TCM) 13. Stomach Cramps, Basil with Paeonia Bai Shao, Licorice; if there is strong pain add Corydalis Yan Hu Suo. (TCM) 14. Irregular Menstruation or Postpartum Blood Stagnation, Basil with Salvia Dan Shen, Motherwort (Yi Mu Cao) 15. Infertility from repletion and obstructed Menstruation, Basil with Mugwort, Feverfew, St. Johns wort, Balm, Calamint, Citron peel (Wirtzung)
1. Herb is not used in medicinal doses during Pregnancy. It is safe eaten as a culinary herb in moderation. 2. ‘Dioscorides saith that if Basil be much eaten, it dulleth the sight, it mollifieth the belly, breedeth wind … drieth up milk, and is of hard digestion’. (Gerard)
Main Preparations used:
Distilled Water of the whole plant made in Summer
Basil Herb
Ortus Sanitatis, Cube, Johann von, 1501
Clove Basil (Left); Great Basil (Right)
Chaumeton, Flore médicale (vol. 1), 1833