Of all the herbs I introduce to others, I would have to say Holy Basil has been #1 on the list for 2016. It is a powerful herb with so many reasons to love it. It is only right that the “Plants You Should Know” series start with Holy Basil.
Thank goodness for farmers markets. They connect the world through food. While visiting a vendor’s booth at the Peachtree Road Farmers Market, the smell of the Holy Basil stood out amongst the peppers, herbs, flowers, and houseplants. The vendor told me the plant is placed on the patios of homes in Asia and Africa for protection. She also mentioned the stress relief benefits and that people enjoy smoking it. The vendor said enough to make me purchase a Holy Basil plant to start my own research. I took care of it and enjoyed it’s fragrance in my sunroom for all of three months before my dog decided she couldn’t take the yummy smell anymore and ate every part of the plant except the root. I hadn’t even used any part of the plant yet.
Losing the plant did not curb my curiosity for Holy Basil. What intrigued me was its positive impact on the nervous system and abilities to lower blood sugar and regulate the stomach fat causing stress hormone, cortisol. I continued my research and purchased supplements and seeds from Amazon. Holy Basil has shown positive impacts on the body, mind, and spirit. To help you learn more about the benefits of Holy Basil, I’ve provided some key information and links on Holy Basil.
About Holy Basil
Botanical Name: Ocimum sanctum
Other Names: Ajaka, Albahaca Santa, Bai Gkaprow, Baranda, Basilic Indien, Basilic Sacré, Basilic Sacré Pourpre, Basilic Saint, Brinda, Green Holy Basil, Hot Basil, Indian Basil, Kala Tulsi, Kemangen, Krishna Tulasi, Krishna Tulsi, Manjari, Ocimum sanctum, Ocimum tenuiflorum, Parnasa, Patrapuspha, Rama Tulsi, Red Holy Basil, Sacred Basil, Sacred Purple Basil, Shyama, The Incomparable One, Tulsi, Sri Tulasi, Suvasa Tulasi, Tulasi, Tulsi, Tulsi Patra.
Holy Basil is loved for being:
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- Antibacterial
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- Anti-fungal
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- Antioxidant
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- Anti-inflammatory
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- Antiparasitic
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- Anti-stress (adaptogenic)
- Anti-venom (for snake and scorpion bites
Holy Basil has been used to treat:
Holy Basil has been used to assist with:
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- First Aid - Bites, cuts, and scrapes
A few of the spiritual benefits of Holy Basil are below:
Who is this Holy Basil and where has she been all my life?
Holy Basil has been growing in India for thousands of years, where it is referred to as Tulsi. Tulsi is a sacred plant of the Hindu religion. According to Chopra.com, “In Hindu mythology, the plant is an incarnation of the goddess Tulsi, offering divine protection.“ The story behind the plant is beautiful. Please read the Significance of Tulsi by TheHindu.com to learn about the religious significance of Tulsi for the Hindu religion.
Where can I find Holy Basil?
Before starting new supplements, please consult your physician and/or herbalist.
Holy Basil should be available at your local vitamin and herb shops in a loose dried format, tincture, extract capsules or powder. Live plants may not be as easy to find in stores, but I’m growing my own Holy Basil plants and you can too! Make sure you look for heirloom seeds. You don’t want to go through all the trouble of planting a health-conscious plant to later find out that you have been giving all your plant lovin to a genetically modified organism (GMO). Don’t do it. You are better than that. Give your lovin to a real plant!
My experience with Holy Basil
The New Chapter Holy Basil Force veg capsules are powerful. I purchased them for a few reasons.I was stressed out at work and wanted some relief during the day. I realized that my response to stress was not helping my weight loss journey. The fat from my rear end and thighs was coming off much quicker than the fat on my stomach. This is because when you are stressed, your body releases the stress hormone Cortisol because it thinks you are in danger and need additional fat on your stomach for sustenance down the line. Due to the stress at work, I wasn’t sleeping very well at night. Holy Basil seemed like a great option to resolve all of these issues. When I took it, I didn’t feel as stressed out during the day and I started to notice a change in the way my clothes fit around my midsection.
Using the New Chapter Holy Basil Force veg capsules for sleep concerns was tricky. It worked too well for that time in my life. I experienced levels of deep sleep that made me feel guilty because I had children in the house. The sleep was amazing. The major concern was when my workload picked up and my insomnia was not so much due to stress, but because I had work to do. These were the times when I got three hours of sleep because of event season and the number of deadlines at hand. Taking Holy Basil at this time was not a good idea because I would have been giving my body the amount of sleep it needed and my position would not allow for that much sleep. One day I decided to take Holy Basil during the day on a Saturday when the kids were away and I had nothing to do. I really wanted to keep up with the stress and Cortisol blocking benefits. Once again, I experienced the best Saturday sleep ever. We can all agree that the New Chapter Holy Basil Force veg capsules are strong, but how can I keep up with the other benefits when I don’t feel comfortable going into such a deep sleep while children are in the house? Everyone is different, but taking one capsule instead of the suggested two capsules was what was best for my body and lifestyle. Everyone is different. We can’t always rely on a piece of paper stuck on the side of a bottle. The piece of paper and the people who created it don’t know our bodies the way we know them. In the same way that your doctor will say, “Take this pill and tell me how you feel in a week. If this doesn’t work or makes you feel funny, we’ll try something else.” Friends and family have told me how much they love Holy Basil tea. I haven’t settled on a particular brand, but I have been able to function when drinking it occasionally throughout the day.
I thought I knew enough about Holy Basil until I dug deep into the internet to research its power for you. Please check out the links throughout the article and the links below. They have helped expand my knowledge of Holy Basil and because of my new found knowledge, Holy Basil will forever be a part of our lives.
Resources: