Basil: Uses and Benefits

In this Article (Index)

• What is Basil?
• Basil's Medicinal Uses and Benefits
• Chemical composition: phytochemicals
• Basil in Food
• Pesto recipe

What is Basil?

Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) is an aromatic plant, an annual shrub, used as an ingredient in foods and as a medicinal plant.

Its name comes from Greek (basileus = king) and describes dozens of herbs belonging to the Lamiaceae family.

In India and Nepal, it is used in Ayurvedic traditional medicine and is called Tulsi.

Some of its traditional medicine uses are listed below: (1),(2)

• Digestive disorders (ulcer, flatulence).
• Inflammation.
• Respiratory diseases.
• Kidney diseases.
• Strengthens immunity
• Oral Health

It has antioxidant properties due to its polyphenol content and anti-inflammatory properties, and it acts upon smooth muscle relaxation. (1)

Modern science has investigated these uses and found evidence that some have scientific backing.

Basil's Medicinal Uses and Benefits

• Oral Health
• Blood Lipids and Sugar (Cholesterol and Diabetes)
• Cognitive Effects
• Anti-inflammatory and immune system-boosting effects
• Skin and Acne
• Asthma
• Migraine and headaches

Oral Health

Basil extract used at 250 mg/day for 3 weeks reduced oral plaque by 12% and a substantial improvement of bleeding gums in 80% of the subjects, without adverse effects. Another randomized trial in Indian schoolchildren compared regular mouthwashes like chlorhexidine 0.2% and Listerine vs. 4% Tulsi (basil) extract. The three products reduced the presence of Streptococcus mutans by 53%, 45% and 43% respectively. (2)

A traditional use is to chew basil leaves to conceal bad breath.

Blood Lipids and Sugar (Cholesterol and Diabetes)

Several trials using basil in different presentations (leaves, juice, water, and ethanol extracts) reported improved levels of blood glucose, lipids, and lower blood pressure in the obese and diabetic subjects. Benefits included lower BMI (weight loss) and hemoglobin A1C (HbA1c), a measure of average blood glucose over time.

Another study using overweight subjects on a calorie-restricted diet noticed that after adding a basil seed extract (4 g/d) and using them for 12 weeks, "Compared with baseline values, there were significant but small decreases of 2.3% and 2.4% for weight and BMI, respectively." (2)

Cognitive Effects

Randomized trials using different forms of basil(leaves, ethanolic extracts) in varied doses (0.3 to 6 g/d) reported "some degree of positive changes, with benefits that included reduced stress, anxiety, sexual problems, and depression, as well as enhanced working memory and cognitive attention. (2)

Inhalation of basil essential oil (aromatherapy) produced an increase in alertness in adult volunteers.

Anti-inflammatory and Immune system-boosting effects

Water and alcohol-based extracts of basil used in doses ranging from 0.3 to 10 g/ d provoked positive immune responses increasing output of natural killer and T-helper cells as well as higher levels of certain cytokines and interferon. (2)

Asthma

Basil extract was observed to provide relief from asthmatic symptoms. (2) in humans and also has anti-inflammatory properties in Ovalbumin-induced asthma in rats. (4)

Skin and Acne

A random trial split 51 subjects into two groups; the control group used the regular oral tetracycline treatment for acne and a sulfur-based facial lotion. The treatment group applied the juice of freshly crushed basil leaves to the acne on the face, leaving it overnight and washing it with a mild soap in the morning. The follow-up lasted for 8 weeks. The results showed that "the responses of the acne lesions (comedones, papules, pustules, and cysts)... indicated that the basil treatment was just as effective as the standard acne drug." (2)

Not a Diuretic

It has been used traditionally in Europe as a diuretic, ingesting 2-4 g of dried leaf 2 to 3 times a day. However, the European Food Safety Authority didn't find evidence to support the cause-effect relationship of this claim. (5)

Migraine and headaches

A triple-blind clinical trial used 144 subjects diagnosed with migraine, and assigned them to 3 groups using basil essential oil 2, 4, and 6% or a control group using a placebo. The oil was applied topically every 8 hs. for 3 months. All subjects received 325 mg of acetaminophen twice a day. The study showed that higher doses of basil essential oil reduced pain intensity and frequency of migraine attacks. (6)

Risks of Basil

Never ingest any essential oil, including basil essential oil.

As with all essential oils, basil oil should be used with care.
As essential oils are "natural" products with a botanical origin many people believe that they are "safe to consume" but this is not true, they are skin irritants and poisons; they can cause serious effects if ingested. Toxic: Essential Oils are poisonous and irritant.

Accidental oral ingestion of essential oils can cause severe poisoning, coma, or even death. Children are especially at risk of being poisoned by ingesting essential oils, so store them in child-proof containers and keep them out of the reach of children.

Chemical composition: phytochemicals

Basil contains essential oils like monoterpenoids such as linalool, and camphor), phenylpropanoids like eugenol, methyleugenol, estragole, and methyl cinnamates, and sesquiterpenoids such as β-caryophyllene, &alpha-bergamotene. (2)

These compounds play a role as antioxidants, and antimicrobials and have anticancer and antidiabetic activity.

Basil also contains polyphenolic compounds including caffeic acid, caftaric acid, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid, ferulic acid, rosmarinic acid, and rutoside or rutin.
Phytosterols like β-sitosterol, stigmasterol, and campesterol are also present. These have cholesterol-lowering effects. (3)

Basil in food

It can be used as a garnish in pasta, salads, and soups. In sauces, especially as pesto (see recipe below) and tomato sauces for pasta.

Use it as part of a dressing by blending basil leaves. Add it to your marinades for meat, fish, poultry, or vegetables.

Caprese salad (mozzarella cheese, tomato, and basil, drizzled with olive oil and a dash of pepper) is a fresh and nutritive salad.

Pesto Recipe

Typically Italian, pesto is easy to make and delicious.

Gluten-Free

High Calorie

Keto Diet

Total time: 15'

Ketogenic Diet dish, appropriate for a pescetarian ⁄ pesco-vegetarian diet. Suitable for a Gluten-Free diet.

Makes 1 lb (450 g). This recipe is for thirty (30) servings of 1 Tbsp / 15 g each.

Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 5 minutes (roasting the pine nuts)
Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 cups of fresh basil leaves without stems (roughly 4 oz. / 100 g).
• 4 oz (100 g) Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese, grated.
• 3 oz (75 g) Pine nuts (you can substitute them with almonds, cashews, or walnuts.
• 2 cloves of fresh garlic
• 3/4 cup (160 ml) of extra virgin olive oil.
• Pinch of salt.

Wash the basil leaves with water, and pat dry with a paper towel. Toast the nuts in a saucepan without any oil. Place in a food processor with all the ingredients and half the olive oil. Blend till it becomes a paste. Add the remaining oil and blend till it is homogeneous. Store in a closed jar, with oil covering the contents, in your refrigerator for up to 30 days. It can be stored frozen and thawed for use.

Nutrition facts

The values are based on one - 1 serving of 1 tablespoon ( 15 g).

Item

Value

Calories per serving

75

Total Fat content

7.8 g

Protein content

1.8 g

Carbohydrate content

0.6 g

Fiber content

0.2 g

Net Carbohydrate content**

0.4 g