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Basil

Fragrant and robustly flavored, basil is the key ingredient in pesto. Its sweet blend of anise, clove and mint flavors is essential to many French, Southeast Asian, Italian and Greek dishes.

Use basil with tomatoes, fresh spaghetti sauce and pizza. Snip raw basil into salads and stir fries.

Basil - Potted

Potted Basil

Potted herbs can be placed on a kitchen counter or windowsill and used throughout the season with proper care, great for last minute inspirations that add a special "wow" to any meal.

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Basil - Fresh Cut

Fresh Cut Basil

Fresh cut herbs are great for immediate use and can generally be stored for several days.

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More on Basil

  • Features
  • Nutrition
  • Medicinal
  • Research
  • Use

  • The most useful component of Basil is the essential oil. These oils have been attributed to all the beneficial properties of Basil. There are 4 major varieties of Basil used worldwide.

    This report will focus on sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum) and Holy basil (Ocimum sanctum).

     

    Features and Benefits (based on home remedies) of Basil

    Major constituents were α-terpineol (59.78%) and β-caryophyllene (10.54%) for Ocimum basilicum. Other essential oils present are linalool, eugenol, methyl eugenol, 1, 8-cineole, estragole and many others.

     

    • Antibacterial
    • Oils are insecticidal
    • Basil tea used as diuretic
    • Leaves used as digestive, carminative (anti-bloating)
    • Used for prevention of peptic ulcers
    • Anthelmintic –rids the body of intestinal parasites
    • Used to alleviate symptoms of upper respiratory tract infections. Relieve cough and cold symptoms. Also, when used in winters, said to prevent colds and flu
    • When crushed fresh leaves are applied on skin, basil is said to diminish acne and other skin problems related to adolescent years
    • Fresh leaves for fresh breath, better than chewing gum
    • Increases defense systems of body
    • Routinely used to manage arthritis pain and swelling
    • Manage headaches and migraines
    • Drops of basil leaf juice can relieve earaches
    • Stress relief
    • Treat stings and bites, has the ability to pull out venom from the body
    • Detoxification of the body
    • Chewing on basil when hungry will suppress appetite, hence used by some as a dieting tool
    • Burn up some basil on your barbeque, before placing food. This will help sanitize the barbeque and keep insects away.

  • Vitamin/Nutritional Content

    Ratio of DRIED to FRESH basil is 1:3

    The last two columns provide for a comparison of 2:6 grams of DRIED: FRESH Basil

    Nutrient Unit Value per DRIED 100g Value per FRESH 100g DRIED 1 tsp (0.7g) FRESH 5 leaves (2.5g) DRIED 1 tablespoon dried leaves (2.1g) FRESH 0.2 cup fresh whole leaves (6g)
                   
    Water g 10.35 92.06 0.07 2.3 0.22 5.52
    Energy kcal 233 23 2 1 5 1
    Protein g 22.98 3.15 0.16 0.08 0.48 0.19
    Total lipid (fat) g 4.07 0.64 0.03 0.02 0.09 0.04
    Carbohydrate, by difference g 47.75 2.65 0.33 0.07 1 0.16
    Fiber, total dietary g 37.7 1.6 0.3 0 0.8 0.1
    Sugars, total g 1.71 0.3 0.01 0.01 0.04 0.02
    Minerals              
    Calcium, Ca mg 2240 177 16 4 47 11
    Iron, Fe mg 89.8 3.17 0.63 0.08 1.89 0.19
    Magnesium, Mg mg 711 64 5 2 15 4
    Phosphorus, P mg 274 56 2 1 6 3
    Potassium, K mg 2630 295 18 7 55 18
    Sodium, Na mg 76 4 1 0 2 0
    Zinc, Zn mg 7.1 0.81 0.05 0.02 0.15 0.05
    Vitamins              
    Vitamin C, total ascorbic acid mg 0.8 18 0 0.4 0 1.1
    Thiamin mg 0.08 0.034 0.001 0.001 0.002 0.002
    Riboflavin mg 1.2 0.076 0.008 0.002 0.025 0.005
    Niacin mg 4.9 0.902 0.034 0.023 0.103 0.054
    Vitamin B-6 mg 1.34 0.155 0.009 0.004 0.028 0.009
    Folate, DFE µg 310 68 2 2 7 4
    Vitamin B-12 µg 0 0 0 0 0 0
    Vitamin A, RAE µg 37 264 0 7 1 16
    Vitamin A, IU IU 744 5275 5 132 16 316
    Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) mg 10.7 0.8 0.07 0.02 0.22 0.05
    Vitamin D (D2 + D3) µg 0 0 0 0 0 0
    Vitamin D IU 0 0 0 0 0 0
    Vitamin K (phylloquinone) µg 1714.5 414.8 12 10.4 36 24.9
    Lipids              
    Fatty acids, total saturated g 2.157 0.041 0.015 0.001 0.045 0.002
    Fatty acids, total monounsaturated g 1.238 0.088 0.009 0.002 0.026 0.005
    Fatty acids, total polyunsaturated g 0.498 0.389 0.003 0.01 0.01 0.023
    Fatty acids, total trans g 0 0 0 0 0 0
    Cholesterol mg 0 0 0 0 0 0
    Other              
    Caffeine mg 0 0 0 0 0 0
    It is observed that Vitamin A content is drastically reduced in the Dried Herb.

  • Medicinal/Pharmacological Uses of Basil (based on Research Papers)

    1. Anti-oxidant. All the essential oils are proven anti-oxidants
    2. Treating arthritis and inflammatory bowel diseases.
      The herb contains high quantities of (E)-beta-caryophyllene.
    3. Anti-Aging properties
      Holy basil extract was effective at killing off harmful molecules and preventing damage caused by some free radicals in the liver, brain and heart
    4. Digestive
    5. Protects Against Colds and Flu
    6. Keeps the digestive tract clear of internal parasites
    7. Ocimum basilicum is one of the medicinal plants widely used in Morocco to reduce plasma cholesterol and to reduce the risk of atherosclerosis-related diseases
    8. In a study performed on rats, aqueous basil extract was found to reduce platelet aggregation. This can be attributed to Vitamin K content
    9. Anti-carcinogenic properties of the alcoholic extract have been proven on albino mice
    10. Help manage sugar levels in diabetics. Also said to lower the incidence of diabetes when incorporated in a healthy lifestyle
    11. Diuretic. Helps with kidney disorders
    12. Most recent research shows basil as being useful for heart health. Regular use of basil can prevent the onset of hearth disease

     

    Aromatherapy

    Basil essential oils have been used to relieve chest congestion.

    Of late, there has been a surge in headache management using basil for aromatherapy.

    There is not much in terms of scientific research on the aromatherapy aspect of basil. All advantages are based of personal use and marketed through spas and beauty treatments.

  • Current Research

    Research suggests that:

    • Use fresh basil leaves at the end of cooking process. Try not to chop it, rather, tear it with fingers. This preserves the oils in the leaves.
    • If one can incorporate basil in alcohol. Alcoholic extracts of basil have been found to be loaded with essential oils compared to aqueous extracts. So, next time have 2 fresh leaves of basil with your beer/wine/margarita/liquor.
    • DON’T use concentrated essential oils! These could cause for harm than good. Estragole in extremely high doses can be carcinogenic (liver cancer).

     

    Why Living Plant is More Useful Than Dried or Fresh Cut Basil

    • Having a living plant gives you the option of using leaves at their different maturity levels. Significant differences were found in both the total content and composition of essential oils between young and mature leaves. The total content in young leaves was four times higher than in mature leaves, with fourfold, twofold and sixtyfold differences in the relative contents of linalool, eugenol and methyl eugenol respectively.
    • Essential oil content is much higher in fresh leaves. The drying process causes some essential oils to evaporate
    • There is no delay from market to table process
    • The whole plant is said to ward of insects, especially mosquitos

  • Ways to Use Fresh Basil

    rocket-farms-campari-basil-mojito
    Campari Basil Mojito
    1. Substitute mint with basil in a Campari mojito.