Herb · Asia
Tulsi (holy basil)
Ocimum tenuiflorum
An aromatic plant drunk as herbal tea; treatment claims are not established.
Safety notes
Tea is different from concentrated extracts. Ask for advice during pregnancy or when taking medicines.
Cautions by tradition (1)
- Ayurvedic materia medica: Serious illnesses such as infections, cancer or hepatitis need a doctor: there is no evidence that this remedy cures them.
Preparation
Fresh or dried leaves are steeped as tea.
Use in traditions
Tulsi is grown for religious and traditional medicinal purposes and is widely used in Ayurveda. In the Vaishnava tradition of Hinduism, devotees worship the plant and its leaves.
Applications
Use by tradition
How different herbal traditions describe this herb. Amounts are traditional guidelines checked for obvious errors; they are not medical advice. For poisonous plants no dosage is given on purpose.
Ayurvedic materia medica
Attributed effects
Soothing, expectorant, fever-reducing, stomachic, anticatarrhal; for malaria, stomach complaints in children, liver disorders, itching, ringworm, leprosy, blood impurities, catarrh, bronchitis, diarrhoea, chronic fever, dysentery, cough and fever in children.
Preparation and amount
Seed powder 1.5–2 g; leaf tea 4–12 ml; decoction 28–56 ml; leaf juice with honey and ginger juice; as herbal tea.
Caution: Serious illnesses such as infections, cancer or hepatitis need a doctor: there is no evidence that this remedy cures them.
Everyday Ayurveda
Attributed effects
Helps prevent colds and coughs in spring.
Preparation and amount
4–5 leaves in tea every morning or cooked with food (spring); powder in dry body scrub.
- Ways to prepare herbs
- Tea (infusion)DecoctionSyrup, honey and oxymelPowder and kitchen