basil
Ocimum basilicum · Accepted scientific name
Scientific literature: Very Extensive (1947 studies) · ★★★★★
Basil, scientifically known as Ocimum basilicum, is a versatile aromatic herb celebrated for both its culinary prowess and medicinal properties. Rich in essential oils like linalool, it offers potent antioxidant, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory benefits. Traditionally used to aid digestion and reduce stress, this fragrant plant remains a cornerstone of wellness.
- Family
- Lamiaceae
- Native range
- Europe
- Parts used
- Leaf · Root
- Common names
- Basil · Basil · 3 more
- Scientific synonyms
- Not available
Names
Common Names
- basil
- basil
- sweet-basil
- Sweet Basil
- thai basil
Regional and Traditional Names
Spanish:
- Ocimum album
- Ocimum ciliatum
- Ocimum medium
- Ocimum pilosum
- Ocimum bullatum
- Ocimum caryophyllatum
- Ocimum minus
- Ocimum dentatum
- Basilicum polystachion
- Ocimum anisatum
- Ocimum hispidum
- Alfábega
- Ocimum nigrum
- Ocimum integerrimum
- Alfabega
- Ocimum basílicum
- Ocimum odorum
- Alábega
- Ocimum minimum
- Ocimum citriodorum
- Plectranthus barrelieri
- Albaca
- Ocimum scabrum
- Ocimum urticifolium
- Ocimum barrelieri
- Ocimum dichotomum
- Alhabega
- Ocimum simile
- Ocimum ciliare
- Ocimum chevalieri
- Ocimum laxum
- Ocimum lanceolatum
- Ocimum cochleatum
- Albahaca
- Ocimum thyrsiflorum
- Alhábega
- Ocimum majus
- Ocimum citrodorum
- Alabega
- Albahaca dulce
German:
- Basilikum
- Hirnkraut
- Basilienkraut
- Basilie
- Königskraut
- Basilienkraut
French:
- basilic
- basilic grand vert
- basilic pourpre
- basilic thaï
- basilic citron
- basilic thai doux
- basilic
Scientific Names
Accepted name
Ocimum basilicumTaxonomical Classification
This plant, Ocimum basilicum, belongs to the kingdom Plantae and the phylum Streptophyta. Within the class Equisetopsida and subclass Magnoliidae, it is classified under the order Lamiales and the family Lamiaceae. Finally, it is categorized under the genus Ocimum.
| Rank | Classification | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Kingdom | Plantae | WCVP |
| Phylum | Streptophyta | WCVP |
| Class | Equisetopsida | WCVP |
| Subclass | Magnoliidae | WCVP |
| Order | Lamiales | WCVP |
| Family | Lamiaceae | WCVP |
| Genus | Ocimum | WCVP |
Distribution
This plant exhibits a diverse geographical distribution spanning several regions across the European continent. In Northern Europe, its presence can be identified within the borders of Great Britain. Moving into Middle Europe, it is commonly found growing in Germany. The species also extends into Southeastern Europe, specifically inhabiting the landscapes of Bulgaria and Romania. Finally, its range reaches into Eastern Europe, where it is located throughout South European Russia.
| Region | Area | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Northern Europe | Great Britain | WCVP |
| Middle Europe | Germany | WCVP |
| Southeastern Europe | Bulgaria | WCVP |
| Southeastern Europe | Romania | WCVP |
| Eastern Europe | South European Russia | WCVP |
| Eastern Europe | Ukraine | WCVP |
| Macaronesia | Canary Is. | WCVP |
| Macaronesia | Cape Verde | WCVP |
| West Tropical Africa | Benin | WCVP |
| West Tropical Africa | Burkina | WCVP |
Plant Parts
This plant, Ocimum basilicum, is highly valued in herbal medicine for its various therapeutic components. The most commonly utilized part is the green leaves, where the majority of the medicinal properties are concentrated. Whether used as a fresh leaf in culinary applications or processed into a potent leaf extract, these parts provide significant antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits. Furthermore, the plant is a rich source of aromatic essential oils, which are extracted to harness their intense fragrance and healing qualities, while the small seeds can also be utilized for their nutritional and soothing properties.| Plant Part | Sources | Consensus |
|---|---|---|
| leaf | Journal of traditional Chinese medicine = Chung i tsa chih ying wen pan (and other 19 sources) | ★★★★★ |
| root | Pakistan journal of biological sciences : PJBS (and other 3 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| seed | BMC complementary and alternative medicine (and other 3 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| stem | Foods (Basel, Switzerland) (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| flower | Asian Pacific journal of tropical medicine (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
Chemicals
Ocimum basilicum has 384 reported phytochemicals identified across 28 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported chemicals include Linalool, Methyl chavicol, eugenol, rosmarinic acid, Flavonoids.
| Chemical | Supporting sources | Consensus |
|---|---|---|
| Linalool | 22 supporting sources | ★★★★★ |
| Methyl chavicol | 16 supporting sources | ★★★★★ |
| eugenol | 13 supporting sources | ★★★★★ |
| rosmarinic acid | 13 supporting sources | ★★★★★ |
| Flavonoids | 12 supporting sources | ★★★★★ |
| Estragole | 7 supporting sources | ★★★★☆ |
| Methyl eugenol | 6 supporting sources | ★★★☆☆ |
| caffeic acid | 6 supporting sources | ★★★☆☆ |
| polyphenols | 6 supporting sources | ★★★☆☆ |
| proline | 6 supporting sources | ★★★☆☆ |
Linalool
- Dr. Duke
- Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
- Plants (Basel, Switzerland)
- Pharmaceutical biology
- Clinical and experimental pharmacology & physiology
View 17 additional sources
- Food chemistry
- Phytochemistry
- Environmental science and pollution research international
- Journal of the science of food and agriculture
- 3 Biotech
- Bioresource technology
- Parasite (Paris, France)
- Natural product research
- Neotropical entomology
- Saudi journal of biological sciences
- Gene
- Journal of applied microbiology
- Scientific reports
- Chemical communications (Cambridge, England)
- Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciencias
- Endocrine, metabolic & immune disorders drug targets
- Chemistry & biodiversity
Methyl chavicol
- Dr. Duke
- Food chemistry
- Phytochemistry
- Physiology and molecular biology of plants : an international journal of functional plant biology
- Scientific reports
View 11 additional sources
- Protoplasma
- Environmental science and pollution research international
- Journal of the science of food and agriculture
- Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
- The Plant journal : for cell and molecular biology
- Ancient science of life
- Plant disease
- Journal of applied microbiology
- Frontiers in plant science
- Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciencias
- SpringerPlus
eugenol
- Dr. Duke
- Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
- Plants (Basel, Switzerland)
- Phytochemistry
- Physiology and molecular biology of plants : an international journal of functional plant biology
View 8 additional sources
- Protoplasma
- Molecular biology reports
- Journal of photochemistry and photobiology. B, Biology
- The Plant journal : for cell and molecular biology
- Scientific reports
- Environmental science and pollution research international
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
- Journal of evidence-based complementary & alternative medicine
rosmarinic acid
- Dr. Duke
- Preparative biochemistry & biotechnology
- Foods (Basel, Switzerland)
- Physiology and molecular biology of plants : an international journal of functional plant biology
- Journal of photochemistry and photobiology. B, Biology
View 8 additional sources
- Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland)
- Mycorrhiza
- Biotechnology and applied biochemistry
- Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
- Food chemistry
- Biotechnology reports (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
- Plants (Basel, Switzerland)
- Food & function
Flavonoids
- Dr. Duke
- Plants (Basel, Switzerland)
- Metabolites
- Scientifica
- BMC plant biology
View 7 additional sources
- 3 Biotech
- Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
- Current pharmaceutical biotechnology
- Biotechnology and applied biochemistry
- International journal of food science
- Journal of the science of food and agriculture
- Asian Pacific journal of tropical medicine
Estragole
- Dr. Duke
- Plants (Basel, Switzerland)
- Fitoterapia
- Scientific reports
- Chemico-biological interactions
View 2 additional sources
- BMC complementary medicine and therapies
- International journal of food science
Methyl eugenol
- Dr. Duke
- Plants (Basel, Switzerland)
- Phytochemistry
- Scientific reports
- Environmental science and pollution research international
View 1 additional sources
- Ancient science of life
caffeic acid
- Dr. Duke
- Physiology and molecular biology of plants : an international journal of functional plant biology
- Mycorrhiza
- Biotechnology and applied biochemistry
- Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
View 1 additional sources
- Food chemistry
polyphenols
- Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland)
- Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland)
- Plants (Basel, Switzerland)
- Spectrochimica acta. Part A, Molecular and biomolecular spectroscopy
- BMC plant biology
View 1 additional sources
- Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland)
proline
- Dr. Duke
- Protoplasma
- 3 Biotech
- Gene
- Journal of applied research on medicinal and aromatic plants
View 1 additional sources
- BMC plant biology
Activities
Ocimum basilicum has 825 reported activities identified across 28 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported activities include Antioxidant, Antibacterial, Antimicrobial, Antifungal, Antiviral.
Most Reported Activities
| Activity | Sources | Consensus |
|---|---|---|
| Antioxidant | Dr. Duke (and other 17 sources) | ★★★★★ |
| Antibacterial | Dr. Duke (and other 12 sources) | ★★★★★ |
| Antimicrobial | Microorganisms (and other 7 sources) | ★★★★☆ |
| Antifungal | Scientifica (and other 6 sources) | ★★★☆☆ |
| Antiviral | Dr. Duke (and other 4 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Cytotoxic | Dr. Duke (and other 4 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Neuroprotective | Dr. Duke (and other 4 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Anticonvulsant | Dr. Duke (and other 3 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Antidiabetic | Dr. Duke (and other 3 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Hepatoprotective | Dr. Duke (and other 3 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
Medicinal Uses
Ocimum basilicum has 122 reported medicinal uses identified across 28 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported uses include cancer, Staphylococcus aureus, inflammation, oxidative stress, salinity stress.
Most Reported Uses
| Use | Sources | Consensus |
|---|---|---|
| cancer | Pakistan journal of biological sciences : PJBS (and other 8 sources) | ★★★★☆ |
| Staphylococcus aureus | Journal of intercultural ethnopharmacology (and other 4 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| inflammation | International journal of molecular sciences (and other 4 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| oxidative stress | Journal of food biochemistry (and other 4 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| salinity stress | Acta biologica Hungarica (and other 4 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| antidiabetic | Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) (and other 3 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| gastrointestinal disorders | Journal of ethnopharmacology (and other 3 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| headaches | Pharmaceutical biology (and other 3 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| infectious diseases | Pakistan journal of biological sciences : PJBS (and other 3 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Plasmodium falciparum | Parasite (Paris, France) (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
Preparations
| Preparations | Sources | Consensus |
|---|---|---|
| essential oils | Tropical biomedicine (and other 10 sources) | ★★★★★ |
| aqueous extract | Journal of food biochemistry (and other 5 sources) | ★★★☆☆ |
| extracts | Journal of agricultural and food chemistry (and other 5 sources) | ★★★☆☆ |
| aqueous Ocimum basilicum extract | Phytotherapy research : PTR (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| callus cultures | Journal of photochemistry and photobiology. B, Biology (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| essential oil | Journal of the science of food and agriculture (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| leaf extract | Pharmaceutics (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| leaves extract | Journal of traditional Chinese medicine = Chung i tsa chih ying wen pan (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| methanolic extract | Pakistan journal of biological sciences : PJBS (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| methanolic extracts | Biomolecules (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |