Basil
Basil (Ocimum basilicum)
Ocimum basilicum, known commonly as Basil, is found in tropical and subtropical regions of Asia and Africa, and in Central and South America (Zakaria, Aziz, Lachimanan, Sreenivasan, & Rathinam, 2008). Popular as a flavoring agent for salads, meat, sausage, and pizza (Cardoso et al., 2017), Basil is also widely used in folk medicine to treat headaches, coughs, kidney disorders and intestinal worms, and as an antispasmodic agent (Lee, Umano, Shibamoto, & Lee, 2005).
Historical Use
According to The Herball by John Gerard, published in 1579, Basil has many “virtues”; it was used to treat infirmities of the heart, digestive issues, headaches, and melancholy. Interestingly, it appears that Basil was also used, among other ingredients, to create concoctions used to reduce inflammation, as a diuretic, and to treat insect and scorpion stings.
Latest Research
- Phenolic Contents and Antioxidant Properties of Bauhinia rufescens, Ocimum basilicum and Salvadora persica, Used as Medicinal Plants in Chadby Hissein Hassan Abdel-Razakh on October 16, 2024 at 10:00 am
The plants Bauhinia rufescens, Ocimum basilicum and Salvadora persica are well known in traditional African medicine, and particularly in traditional Chadian medicine. They are commonly used to treat infectious diseases, inflammatory diseases, fevers, gastroenteritis and other medical conditions. The aim of this study was to perform a phytochemical screening to determine the antioxidant properties of different extracts and fractions from the three plants. Ethanolic extracts and solvent fractions…
- On the Future Perspectives of Some Medicinal Plants within Lamiaceae Botanic Family Regarding Their Comprehensive Properties and Resistance against Biotic and Abiotic Stressesby Dan Ioan Avasiloaiei on May 27, 2023 at 10:00 am
Lamiaceae is one of the largest botanical families, encompassing over 6000 species that include a variety of aromatic and medicinal spices. The current study is focused on three plants within this botanical family: basil (Ocimum basilicum L.), thyme (Thymus vulgaris L.), and summer savory (Satureja hortensis L.). These three species contain primary and secondary metabolites such as phenolic and flavonoid compounds, fatty acids, antioxidants, and essential oils and have traditionally been used…
- In Vitro Inhibitory Effect of Some Secondary Metabolites Extract from Ocimum basilicum and Salvia officinalis Against Fusarium oxysporum f.sp albedinis of Phoenix dactylifera. Lby Nora Nahal Bouderba on July 8, 2022 at 10:00 am
Fusarium of date palm is a vascular fusariosis caused by a telluric fungus Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. albedinis (F.O.A) which affects the best date varieties in Algeria. Several medicinal plants are adapted with the climatic complexity of the Saharan region, among these plants in the south-west of Algeria Salvia officinalis and Ocimum basilicum. The aim of this work is to study the antifungal effect of flavonoid extracts from Salvia officinalis and Ocimum basilicum leaves by the technique…
- Using nanoemulsions of the essential oils of a selection of medicinal plants from Jazan, Saudi Arabia, as a green larvicidal against Culex pipiensby Hesham A Mahran on May 23, 2022 at 10:00 am
Researchers are increasingly looking to plants as sources of novel ingredients active against vector-borne diseases. Medicinal plant extracts and their metabolites are an attractive source for such products. This study investigated the insecticidal activity of five essential oils extracted from the most common medicinal herbs in Jazan province, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Extracted oils and nanoemulsions synthesized from those oils were characterized before application at different concentrations…
- Metabolomic profile and computational analysis for the identification of the potential anti-inflammatory mechanisms of action of the traditional medicinal plants Ocimum basilicum and Ocimum tenuiflorumby Andrea Beltrán-Noboa on April 24, 2022 at 10:00 am
Ocimum basilicum and Ocimum tenuiflorum are two basil species widely used medicinally as an anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and cardioprotective agent. This study focuses on the chemical characterization of the majoritarian compounds of both species and their anti-inflammatory potential. Up to 22 compounds such as various types of salvianolic acids, derivatives of rosmaniric acid and flavones were identified in both plants. The identified compounds were very similar between both plants and are…
References
Cardoso, N. N., Alviano, C. S., Blank, A. F., Arrigoni-Blank, M. F., Romanos, M. T., Cunha, M. M., . . . Alviano, D. S. (2017). Anti-cryptococcal activity of ethanol crude extract and hexane fraction from Ocimum basilicum var. Maria bonita: mechanisms of action and synergism with amphotericin B and Ocimum basilicum essential oil. Pharmaceutical Biology, 55(1), 1380-1388. doi:10.1080/13880209.2017.1302483
Lee, S.-J., Umano, K., Shibamoto, T., & Lee, K.-G. (2005). Identification of volatile components in basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) and thyme leaves (Thymus vulgaris L.) and their antioxidant properties. Food Chemistry, 91(1), 131-137.
Zakaria, Z., Aziz, R., Lachimanan, Y. L., Sreenivasan, S., & Rathinam, X. (2008). Antioxidant activity of Coleus blumei, Orthosiphon stamineus, Ocimum basilicum and Mentha arvensis from Lamiaceae family. Int J Nat Eng Sci, 2(1), 93-95.