Basil’s Many Benefits
Fall is here, and the backyard garden is a messy tangle. The last few tomatoes are thick-skinned and no longer fragrant. But delicate leaves still top the stiff stalks of basil – rubbing them gently releases volatile oils that leap into your nose. Sweet basil’s balanced fragrance of cinnamon, clove and anise evoke a steaming bowl of pasta bathed in pesto. But in other parts of the world, its cousins Thai basil, holy basil, and lemon basil are prized for their culinary and medicinal benefits.
Origins
Ocimum (basil) is a genus native to Asia and a member of the mint family. Because of its “promiscuous” behavior (according to the Herb Society of America), over 65 cultivated species of basil can be found across the globe. In addition to the common sweet basil, Ocimum basilicum, there is Thai basil, Ocimum basilicum var. thyrsiflora, with a sweet anise and licorice aroma. Lemon basil is a cross between Ocimum basilicum and Ocimum americanum. Holy basil, Ocimum tenuiflorum, is revered by Hindus in South Asia, where it is known as “tulsi” and lauded for its medicinal properties in Ayurveda, Unani and Siddha traditions.
Culinary homes
Thai basil, notes chef and “Thai Food” cookbook author David Thompson, sweetens and perfumes any soups or stir fries. Holy basil also is used in the Thai kitchen – a pungent red variety and a milder white one that goes with seafood and fish. There are actually three types of holy basil revered in the Ayurvedic tradition: dark red Krishna and light green Rama (both Ocimumtenuiflorum) and Vana (Ocimum gratissimum). Both Thai and holy basil have a slightly numbing quality that tames the heat of spices.As for lemon basil, Thompson notes that its sticky leaves are best suited to wet dishes. Lemon basil seeds, which look like poppy seeds, are used to garnish ice cream.
K.T. Achaya describes a recipe for a basil-scented version of the homey dish curd rice in “A Historical Dictionary of Indian Food.” After the rice is cooked in tulsi-infused water, curds (yogurt) are folded in.
Healing traditions
Ayurveda classifies tulsi as light and dry, with a pungent and bitter taste. Its potency is hot and main actions are for kapha and vata disorders. A paste of the leaves is typically used externally as an insecticide, deodorant, and to relieve edema. Internally, it is thought to stimulate the appetite and help general circulatory and respiratory problems. The soaked seeds have been used to treat dysentery. Tulsi is also a key ingredient in numerous other Ayurvedic formulations.
Contemporary Research
Holy basil is “many splendored things,” says Jim Duke of Dr. Duke’s Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases and Green Pharmacy, noting that it contains adaptogens -- substances that increase the body's resistance to physical, biological, emotional, and environmental stressors and promote normal physiologic functions. Duke points to research that suggests that holy basil may have anti-aging and stress-relieving effects, and positive effects on blood sugar levels. Recent studies also bolster basil’s promise as an effective medicinal plant. Researchers publishing in the journal Phytotherapy Research found that a black tea including five common Ayurvedic plants, ashwagandha, licorice, ginger, holy basil and cardamom, increases natural killer cell activity in humans - an important early immune response to infections. Also this year, scientists in Thailand reported in the journal Bioscience, Biotechnology and Biochemistry that sweet basil oil applied to nham, a fermented pork sausage, reduced the number of bacteria on it. But then, perhaps Thai cooks already knew that.
You have many tasty options to get this wonder herb in your body. So just sip your tea, pound that pesto, decoct the stalks, or simmer that curry in a hurry. No matter which way you choose to ingest your basil, you will bathe your insides with healing plant substances to stave off infections, decrease anxiety, improve digestion and circulation and, most important, enliven your palate.
In the cold months, you can make a pot – or several – of tea and drink it throughout the day. These proportions are for a standard teapot that holds 3-4 cups of tea.
Holy basil tisane
1 tulsi tea bag, or 1 teaspoon dried holy basil, or 4-5 fresh leaves
Pour boiling water over the leaves, and let steep for 3-4 minutes. Enjoy plain or add honey or sugar.
Holy basil chai
1 tulsi tea bag
½ teaspoon of your favorite black tea
2-3 inch-long piece of cinnamon
Pour boiling water over the ingredients and let steep for 3-4 minutes. Enjoy plain or with honey or sugar.
Ayurvedic healing tea
1 tulsi tea bag
½ teaspoon dried licorice root
½ teaspoon dried or fresh ginger root
1 crushed cardamom
Pour boiling water over the herbs and let steep 3-4 minutes. Enjoy plain or add honey or sugar.
Originally published on Zester Daily, October 2010.