Ocimum basilicum - Basil leaves

This page is a stub. Learn how you can help expanding it.

Basil leaves

Basil leaves also called great basil, Ocimum basilicum or Saint-Joseph's-wort, is a culinary herb of the family Lamiaceae (mints). It is also called the "king of herbs" and the "royal herb". The name "basil" comes from Greek basilikón phutón "royal/kingly plant". This medicinal herb can help with flatulence, lack of appetite, cuts, and scrapes.Harvest the young leaves of this annual plant as needed.

Uses

Blisters in mouths, mouth sores, bleeding piles, leucorrhoea, Mild diabetes, Cough, physical weakness, ulcer, Urinary trouble, snakebite, infection in intestine.

Parts Used

seeds, leaves.

Chemical Composition

Mature seeds contain alkali like abrine, precatorine, etc., abraline; toxalbumin like abrin I, II, III, etc., abrus agglutinin I, II (A. P. A Ⅰ, Ⅱ), sterols like abricin, squnalene, alcohol likeβ-amyrin, cycloartenol, 5β-cholanic acid, abrussic acid, sophoradiol, trimethyltryptophan abrusin galactose, arabinose, xylose, polysaccharide and flavonoids compounds, Seed covers contain gallic acid, abranin), delphinidin.

Common names

Language	Common name
Kannada	Gulaganji
Hindi	Ban tulsi, Jangli tuls
Malayalam	Thulasi, Sivathulasi, Krishnathulasi
Tamil	Gundumani, Kundumani
Telugu	Gurivinda or Guriginja
Marathi	NA
Gujarathi	NA
Punjabi	NA
Kashmiri	NA
Sanskrit	Gunja
English	Basilie, Sweet Basil

Habit

A small wiry straggler(5m)

Identification

Leaf

Kind	Shape	Feature
simple	silky	Fresh basil leaves have a strong and character­istic aroma, not comparable to any other spice, although there is a hint of cloves trace­able

.

Flower

Type	Size	Color and composition	Stamen	More information
Unisexual	2-4cm long	white	4	flowers are arranged in a terminal spike

Fruit

Type	Size	Mass	Appearance	Seeds	More information
oblong pod	Thinly septate, pilose, wrinkled		seeds upto 5	Fruiting throughout the year	{{{6}}}

Other features

List of Ayurvedic medicine in which the herb is used

• Vishatinduka Taila as root juice extract

Mode of Propagation

Seeds, cuttings.

How to plant/cultivate

Basil grows between 30–130 cm (12–51 in) tall, with opposite, light green, silky leaves 3–11 cm (1.2–4.3 in) long and 1–6 cm (0.39–2.36 in) broad. The flowers are small, white in color and arranged in a terminal spike. Unusual among Lamiaceae, the four stamens and the pistil are not pushed under the upper lip of the corolla, but lie over the inferior lip. After entomophilous pollination, the corolla falls off and four round achenes develop inside the bilabiate calyx.

Commonly seen growing in areas

tropical, Medi­terranean region.