
Holy Basil Leaf (tulsi) Herbal Chopped (Ocimum sanctum)Re-vitalizing circulatory & lung tonic. |
Holy Basil is one of Ayurveda's favorite and most widely used lung tonics. As an adaptogen, Holy Basil also helps the body handle stress. This makes it a perfect herb for times of chaos and uncertainty.
Holy Basil is also known as Tulsi. It is a medicinal, aromatic herb in the mint family. The scientific name for Holy Basil is Ocimum sanctum. "Ocimum" comes from a Greek word meaning "smell". So it's no surprise that Holy Basil has a powerful perfumey & saccharine odor, somewhat like potpourri.Basil plants are often kept outside or inside houses to purify the air.
The word "sanctum" means holy or sacred. Often, plants that are called holy are also good for human health, and that's why they have been given ritual significance. This is the case for Holy Basil. Conversely, plants called wolfsbane or death angel tend to be poisonous. In Greek Orthodox weddings, the bride and groom wear holy basil in their head wreaths - testifying to its hallowed or exalted status.
There are a few types of Holy Basil - including several green types and purple. Purple Holy Basil is the strongest.
When you drink Tulsi tea, your tongue can also feel quite rough, because of the astringent effect in Holy Basil. This roughness is counterbalanced with a slight slippery quality (called demulcent).
Holy Basil also has a mild bitterness and pungency. The combination of this gentle spiciness and aroma gives it a warm spreading quality in the body. This pungency also pushes heat upward. You may be able to feel a throbbing sensation in your head as blood flow increases there.
The heating effects of Holy Basil are not limited to the head but can spread throughout the entire body.
Altogether the improved circulation heats and stimulates the blood (rakta). For Vata individuals who tend to have poor blood circulation, this increase of blood flow and heat can revitalize their whole body.
For Pitta's, increased blood flow can stress the liver, and lead to tension and irritability.
Holy Basil is special because it is both light and relaxing. Oftentimes relaxing herbs and foods have a heavy quality, which can make you feel sleepy (think mashed potatoes). But rather than putting you to sleep, Holy Basil is light. It improves creativity and focus.
So why is Basil considered holy in the Vedic tradition? Holy Basil's name reflects the hallowed status of meditation in the Vedic tradition. Holy Basil activates the top of the head, called the adipati marma point. At the adipati marma point, several veins and parts of the skull meet. According to Vedic religious tradition, this is the point where divine consciousness enters the body of a human.
How about you? Is Holy Basil holy to you? Do you find Holy Basil expansive or merely ungrounding? Other faith traditions believe that God enters the person in their heart, not the head. In this case, Holy Basil happens to strengthen the heart too. So it seems the holiness of this herb is ecumenical!
A full discussion of this plant's holiness may be beyond the scope of the article. For now it's enough to know Holy Basil is a pleasant mood lifter that improves concentration. And, that Holy Basil's spacey qualities can aggravate Vata in some individuals.
Holy Basil also helps release emotional pain which may be stored in tight muscles. The release with aromatic herbs can feel cathartic.
Holy Basil is beneficial for respiratory conditions where your lungs need to be cleaned but are inflamed, such as in bronchitis or other lung infections.
The ability of Holy Basil to lighten and clear mucus from your lungs is beneficial in many situations.
Holy Basil balances your immune system and is often used as an anti-inflammatory in lung conditions. As an antihistamine, Holy Basil is especially useful for respiratory and gut allergies.
Strong agni also increases your appetite. On an empty stomach, the pungency of Holy Basil can irritate the stomach while the aromatic quality can cut through mucus.
The astringent effect and mucus destroying aromatic compounds of Holy Basil can cause drier stools. Improved absorption of nutrients makes stools smaller.
Holy Basil also relaxes the mind while increasing alertness. It relaxes the nerves, blood vessels, and smooth muscle tissues in the body. Blood flow improves. With increased circulation comes more warmth. So Holy Basil might aggravate Pitta by increasing blood flow and heat.
Each dosha reflects a distinct metabolic nature and describes strengths & weaknesses in bodily function, and how these affect energy levels, digestion, susceptibility to disease, and many other tendencies.
Your metabolic nature not only affects your physical characteristics, but also influences your mental thought patterns, confidence, and enthusiasm.
Ayurveda balances these metabolic strengths & weaknesses to support your body's vitality and prevent recurrent disease cycles. This support is a critical aid, especially in chronic or incurable disease conditions.
The 3 metabolic body types (doshas), are Catabolic (Vata), Metabolic (Pitta), and Anabolic (Kapha).
Through dosha, Ayurveda empowers people to identify metabolic imbalances early, break repetitive patterns of disease, and cultivate habits that support long-term vitality and well-being.
Ultimately, these metabolic patterns also provide a framework for understanding yourself, including body, mind, and spiritual tendencies.
STRONG VASODILATOR A vasodilator is an herb that widens the blood vessels by the relaxation of smooth muscle cells within the vessel walls, thereby increasing circulation systemically or to a local area.
In each study below, students from the Joyful Belly College of Ayurveda ate the selected food for 3 days and reported the effects. See other studies of food & herbs at Joyful Belly.
How did Holy Basil Leaf (Tulsi) affect your temperature?
0 |
1 |
7 |
19 |
3 |
Much colder | Slightly colder | Same | Slightly warmer | Much warmer |
How did Holy Basil Leaf (Tulsi) affect your sweat quantity?
0 |
2 |
19 |
7 |
2 |
Much less | Slightly less | Same | Slightly more | Much more |
How did Holy Basil Leaf (Tulsi) affect the color of your tongue body?
1 |
13 |
0 |
16 |
Paler | Redder | Bluer | No Change |
How did Holy Basil Leaf (Tulsi) affect the swelling of your tongue body?
4 |
6 |
20 |
More Swelling | Less Swelling | No Change |
How did Holy Basil Leaf (Tulsi) affect your appetite/hunger?
0 |
1 |
10 |
16 |
3 |
Much less hungry | Slightly less hungry | Same | Slightly hungrier | Much hungrier |
How did Holy Basil Leaf (Tulsi) affect your digestion speed?
2 |
10 |
12 |
6 |
0 |
Much faster | Slightly faster | Same | Slightly slower | Much slower |
How did Holy Basil Leaf (Tulsi) affect the amount of gas & bloating?
2 |
13 |
9 |
6 |
0 |
Much less | Slightly less | Same | Slightly more | Much more |
How did Holy Basil Leaf (Tulsi) affect your stool smell?
0 |
3 |
18 |
8 |
1 |
Much less | Slightly less | Same | Slightly more | Much more |
Tongue: How did Holy Basil Leaf (Tulsi) affect the thickness & size of your tongue coating?
3 |
7 |
15 |
5 |
0 |
Much smaller | Slightly less | Same | Slightly larger coating | Much larger |
How did Holy Basil Leaf (Tulsi) affect the color of your tongue coating?
2 |
3 |
2 |
0 |
23 |
Yellower | Browner | Grayer | Whiter | No Change |
How did Holy Basil Leaf (Tulsi) affect your urine smell?
0 |
5 |
22 |
3 |
0 |
Much less | Slightly less | Same | Slightly more | Much more |
How did Holy Basil Leaf (Tulsi) affect the amount of bubbles in your urine?
1 |
2 |
24 |
3 |
0 |
Much less | Slightly less | Same | Slightly more | Many more |
How did Holy Basil Leaf (Tulsi) affect your sweat smell?
0 |
2 |
24 |
3 |
1 |
Much less | Slightly less | Same | Slightly more | Much more |
How did Holy Basil Leaf (Tulsi) affect your urine frequency/quantity?
0 |
3 |
18 |
8 |
1 |
Much less | Slightly less | Same | Slightly more | Much more |
How did Holy Basil Leaf (Tulsi) affect the cracks on your tongue?
0 |
4 |
20 |
6 |
0 |
Larger/longer/more cracks | Slightly more | Same | Slightly less/smaller/shorter | Much less |
How did Holy Basil Leaf (Tulsi) affect your energy levels?
0 |
4 |
8 |
17 |
1 |
Much less energy | Slightly less | Same | Slightly more energy | Much more |
How did Holy Basil Leaf (Tulsi) affect your muscle tension?
5 |
15 |
8 |
2 |
0 |
Much less tension | Slightly less | Same | Slightly more tension | Much more |
How did Holy Basil Leaf (Tulsi) affect your anxiety?
5 |
14 |
9 |
2 |
0 |
Much less anxiety | Slightly less | Same | Slightly more anxiety | Much more |
How did Holy Basil Leaf (Tulsi) affect the stillness of your tongue?
6 |
20 |
4 |
More still | No Change | More Trembling / Jittery |
How did Holy Basil Leaf (Tulsi) affect your appetite/hunger?
0 |
1 |
10 |
16 |
3 |
Much less hungry | Slightly less hungry | Same | Slightly hungrier | Much hungrier |
How did Holy Basil Leaf (Tulsi) affect your digestion speed?
2 |
10 |
12 |
6 |
0 |
Much faster | Slightly faster | Same | Slightly slower | Much slower |
How did Holy Basil Leaf (Tulsi) affect the amount of gas & bloating?
2 |
13 |
9 |
6 |
0 |
Much less | Slightly less | Same | Slightly more | Much more |
How did Holy Basil Leaf (Tulsi) affect the swelling of your tongue body?
4 |
6 |
20 |
More Swelling | Less Swelling | No Change |
How did Holy Basil Leaf (Tulsi) affect the color of your tongue body?
1 |
13 |
0 |
16 |
Paler | Redder | Bluer | No Change |
How did Holy Basil Leaf (Tulsi) affect the stillness of your tongue?
6 |
20 |
4 |
More still | No Change | More Trembling / Jittery |
How did Holy Basil Leaf (Tulsi) affect the color of your tongue coating?
2 |
3 |
2 |
0 |
23 |
Yellower | Browner | Grayer | Whiter | No Change |
How did Holy Basil Leaf (Tulsi) affect the cracks on your tongue?
0 |
4 |
20 |
6 |
0 |
Larger/longer/more cracks | Slightly more | Same | Slightly less/smaller/shorter | Much less |
Tongue: How did Holy Basil Leaf (Tulsi) affect the thickness & size of your tongue coating?
3 |
7 |
15 |
5 |
0 |
Much smaller | Slightly less | Same | Slightly larger coating | Much larger |
How did Holy Basil Leaf (Tulsi) affect your stool lightness?
2 |
6 |
17 |
4 |
1 |
Much lighter | Slightly lighter | Same | Slightly darker | Much darker |
How did Holy Basil Leaf (Tulsi) affect your stool smell?
0 |
3 |
18 |
8 |
1 |
Much less | Slightly less | Same | Slightly more | Much more |
How did Holy Basil Leaf (Tulsi) affect your stool consistency?
0 |
10 |
14 |
5 |
1 |
Much softer | Slightly softer | Same | Slightly harder | Much harder |
How did Holy Basil Leaf (Tulsi) affect your stool frequency/quantity?
0 |
3 |
19 |
6 |
2 |
Much less | Slightly less | Same | Slightly more | Much more |
How did Holy Basil Leaf (Tulsi) affect your stool color?
3 |
0 |
2 |
3 |
22 |
More yellow | More gray | More green | More orange | Same |
How did Holy Basil Leaf (Tulsi) affect your urine clarity?
1 |
23 |
6 |
More cloudy | Same | More clear |
How did Holy Basil Leaf (Tulsi) affect your urine smell?
0 |
5 |
22 |
3 |
0 |
Much less | Slightly less | Same | Slightly more | Much more |
How did Holy Basil Leaf (Tulsi) affect your urine lightness?
0 |
4 |
21 |
5 |
0 |
Much lighter | Slightly lighter | Same | Slightly Darker | Much Darker |
How did Holy Basil Leaf (Tulsi) affect your urine frequency/quantity?
0 |
3 |
18 |
8 |
1 |
Much less | Slightly less | Same | Slightly more | Much more |
How did Holy Basil Leaf (Tulsi) affect the amount of bubbles in your urine?
1 |
2 |
24 |
3 |
0 |
Much less | Slightly less | Same | Slightly more | Many more |
How did Holy Basil Leaf (Tulsi) affect your sweat quantity?
0 |
2 |
19 |
7 |
2 |
Much less | Slightly less | Same | Slightly more | Much more |
How did Holy Basil Leaf (Tulsi) affect your sweat smell?
0 |
2 |
24 |
3 |
1 |
Much less | Slightly less | Same | Slightly more | Much more |
How did Holy Basil Leaf (Tulsi) affect your energy levels?
0 |
4 |
8 |
17 |
1 |
Much less energy | Slightly less | Same | Slightly more energy | Much more |
How did Holy Basil Leaf (Tulsi) affect your muscle tension?
5 |
15 |
8 |
2 |
0 |
Much less tension | Slightly less | Same | Slightly more tension | Much more |
How did Holy Basil Leaf (Tulsi) affect your anxiety?
5 |
14 |
9 |
2 |
0 |
Much less anxiety | Slightly less | Same | Slightly more anxiety | Much more |
How did Holy Basil Leaf (Tulsi) affect your temperature?
0 |
1 |
7 |
19 |
3 |
Much colder | Slightly colder | Same | Slightly warmer | Much warmer |
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Holy Basil Leaf (Tulsi) may be beneficial for these symptoms. The suitability of any herb supplement for a condition is highly dependent on the individual. Please see your doctor before using this herb supplement to treat a medical condition.
Holy Basil Leaf (Tulsi) may be harmful or contraindicated for these symptoms. Please see your doctor before using this herb supplement to treat a medical condition.
Holy Basil thins the blood so avoid before surgery.Founder of Joyful Belly Ayurveda, John Immel, answers the question ‘What is Ayurveda?’