Sweet Basil- Ocimum Basilicum
For the past three years, I have grown Sweet basil in my garden. My herbal garden has been the sole supplier for my home’s Sweet basil supply. Whenever my cooking tasted off, I add my fresh basil and the cooking would return to balance. From pesto, to tea, to powder , there is nothing that Sweet basil can’t do. It the the one culinary herb that you want in your kitchen.
What Makes Sweet Basil stand out
The first herbal form that I made from Sweet basil was an herbal pesto. That herbal pesto lasted for nearly a year. In Summer 2020, I used Sweet basil leaves to make Sweet Basil flavored ice cream. It was the best flavored ice cream that I ever tasted this year. This is why I love Sweet Basil. This aromatically sweet, culinary herb goes great with any savory and sweet dishes.
Monograph
Botanical Name: Ocimum Basilicum
Common Name: Sweet basil
Family Name: Lamiaceae
Plant Parts Used: Leaves, flowering tops, essential oils
Constituents: Essential oil (comprising mainly estragol but also eugenol, lineol, linalool, and thymol), tannins, basil camphor.
Constitution: Cooling and wet
Taste: Bitter
Key Actions: Antibacterial, carminative, antipyretic, sedative, stimulant, alterative, digestive aid, galactagogue, diuretic, nervine, antiparasitic, insect repellent, diuretic.
Plant Preparations: Essential oil, juice, powder, decoction, infusion, pesto, poultice, tea.
Cautionary Pearls: The essential oil should not be taken internally
Self-Help Uses: Medicinal- Fever, minor bites, stings & swellings, flatulence, stomach cramps, colic, and indigestion, intestinal worms, nervous irritability, fatigue, depression, anxiety, insomnia, epilepsy, migraine, whooping cough, increase breast milk production, insect repellent. Culinary- In pesto; with tomatoes which is widely used in Mediterranean cuisine.
Related Species: Holy basil (O. sanctum) is used in India as an Ayurvedic tonic to improve vitality and fever. Bush basil or Greek Basil (O. basilicum var. minimum) has a much milder action that sweet basil and is occasionally used to relieve cramps and flatulence. Wild Basil (Calamintha clinopodium) is a species of Northern Europe that has a scent and flavor reminiscent of thyme.
References:
- Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine/Andrew Chevallier/Pg. 240
- The Way of Herbs/Michael Tierra/Pg. 73
- The New Age Herbalist/Richard Mabey/Pg. 71
Pertinent Information
Sweet basil acts principally on the digestive and nervous systems, easing flatulence, stomach cramps, colic and indigestion.
It can be used to prevent or relieve nausea and vomiting, and helps to kill intestinal worms. Plus, sweet basil is good to use as a tea for fevers, colds, flu, kidney & bladder problems, and constipation.
Sweet basil has a mildly sedative action, proving to be useful in treating nervous irritability, fatigue, depression, anxiety, and insomnia. It may also be used for headaches, migraine, and whooping cough.
The herb has been traditionally taken to increase breast milk production.
Applied externally, sweet basil leaves act as an insect repellent. The juice from the leaves bring relieve to insect bites.
Additionally, sweet basil has established antibacterial action.
History
In his 1st century AD Materia Medica, the Greek physician Dioscorides described the African belief that eating sweet basil checks the pain of a scorpion sting. Ancient Roman used the herb to relieve gas, to counteract poisoning, as a diuretic and to stimulate breast milk production. The 17th-century herbalist Nicholas Culpeper again evoked scorpion with his tale of a man who, after smelling basil, grew on of the beasts in the brain. In India, sweet basil is sacred to the Hindu gods, Krishna and Vishnu.