Holy basil
Ocimum tenuiflorum · Accepted scientific name
Scientific literature: Very Extensive (1437 studies) · ★★★★★
Holy basil, scientifically known as Ocimum tenuiflorum, is a sacred perennial herb central to Ayurvedic medicine. Renowned for its potent adaptogenic properties, it helps the body manage stress and promotes holistic wellness. This aromatic plant offers diverse therapeutic benefits, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial effects, making it truly extraordinary.
Names
Common Names
- Holy basil
- Holy Basil
- brush-leaf-tea
- holy basil
- sacred basil
- Krishna Tulsi
Regional and Traditional Names
Spanish:
- Ocimum caryophyllinum
- Planta tulasí
- Geniosporum tenuiflorum
- Tulsi
- Ocimum sanctum var. cubensis
- Tulasi
- Albahaca sagrada
- Ocimum hirsutum
- Ocimum anisodorum
- Ocimum sanctum var. hirsutum
- Albahaca tulasi
- Ocimum villosum
- Albahaca hindú
- balánoy
- albahaca morada
- Albahaca
German:
- indisches Basilikum
- Ocimum sanctum
- Tulsi
- heiliges Basilikum
- Tulasi
- Königsbasilikum
French:
- Basilic sacré
Scientific Names
Accepted name
Ocimum tenuiflorumSynonyms
- Plectranthus monachorum
- Moschosma tenuiflorum
- Geniosporum tenuiflorum
- Ocimum sanctum var. hirsutum
- Ocimum subserratum
- Lumnitzera tenuiflora
- Ocimum sanctum
- Ocimum sanctum var. cubensis
- Ocimum monachorum
- Ocimum hirsutum
- Ocimum inodorum
- Ocimum tenuiflorum f. villicaulis
Taxonomical Classification
This plant, Ocimum tenuiflorum, 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 identified by 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 wide geographical distribution spanning across several continents. In West-Central Tropical Africa, it can be found in Gabon. Its presence extends to East Tropical Africa, specifically within the borders of Kenya. In the southern regions of the continent, the species is distributed through Malawi and Zambia. Finally, its range reaches Asia, where it is located in South-Central China.
| Region | Area | Source |
|---|---|---|
| West-Central Tropical Africa | Gabon | WCVP |
| East Tropical Africa | Kenya | WCVP |
| South Tropical Africa | Malawi | WCVP |
| South Tropical Africa | Zambia | WCVP |
| China | China South-Central | WCVP |
| China | Hainan | WCVP |
| China | China Southeast | WCVP |
| Eastern Asia | Taiwan | WCVP |
| Indian Subcontinent | Assam | WCVP |
| Indian Subcontinent | Bangladesh | WCVP |
Plant Parts
This plant, commonly known as Holy Basil, possesses various components that are utilized for their therapeutic properties. The green leaves are the most frequently used part, where each individual leaf contains high concentrations of essential oils and bioactive compounds. Beyond the foliage, the stem provides structural support and also holds medicinal value, while the root system is often incorporated into traditional remedies. Furthermore, a concentrated leaf extract is frequently prepared to create potent infusions or tinctures used in holistic wellness practices.| Plant Part | Sources | Consensus |
|---|---|---|
| leaf | Cureus (and other 36 sources) | ★★★★★ |
| root | Parasitology research (and other 5 sources) | ★★★☆☆ |
| stem | Applied radiation and isotopes : including data, instrumentation and methods for use in agriculture, industry and medicine (and other 4 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| seed | Applied radiation and isotopes : including data, instrumentation and methods for use in agriculture, industry and medicine (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| flower | Asian Pacific journal of tropical medicine (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| fruit | Applied radiation and isotopes : including data, instrumentation and methods for use in agriculture, industry and medicine (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
Chemicals
Ocimum tenuiflorum has 213 reported phytochemicals identified across 49 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported chemicals include eugenol, Flavonoids, Ursolic acid, apigenin, rosmarinic acid.
| Chemical | Supporting sources | Consensus |
|---|---|---|
| eugenol | 21 supporting sources | ★★★★★ |
| Flavonoids | 13 supporting sources | ★★★★★ |
| Ursolic acid | 10 supporting sources | ★★★★★ |
| apigenin | 8 supporting sources | ★★★★☆ |
| rosmarinic acid | 8 supporting sources | ★★★★☆ |
| Tannins | 6 supporting sources | ★★★☆☆ |
| luteolin | 6 supporting sources | ★★★☆☆ |
| Saponins | 5 supporting sources | ★★★☆☆ |
| Terpenoids | 5 supporting sources | ★★★☆☆ |
| OLEANOLIC ACID | 4 supporting sources | ★★☆☆☆ |
eugenol
- Dr. Duke
- Physiologia plantarum
- Alternative therapies in health and medicine
- AMB Express
- Life (Basel, Switzerland)
View 16 additional sources
- Protoplasma
- Frontiers in plant science
- PloS one
- Natural product communications
- Biochimica et biophysica acta
- Scientific reports
- Journal of medicinal food
- Inflammation & allergy drug targets
- Bioinformation
- Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
- Plant & cell physiology
- Plants (Basel, Switzerland)
- Indian journal of physiology and pharmacology
- BMC plant biology
- Current computer-aided drug design
- Frontiers in microbiology
Flavonoids
- Data in brief
- Metabolites
- Physiology and molecular biology of plants : an international journal of functional plant biology
- Indian journal of pharmaceutical sciences
- BMC research notes
View 8 additional sources
- BMC complementary and alternative medicine
- Current pharmaceutical biotechnology
- Microbial pathogenesis
- Phytochemical analysis : PCA
- Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
- Journal of food science
- Pharmaceutical biology
- Asian Pacific journal of tropical medicine
Ursolic acid
- Dr. Duke
- Journal of natural medicines
- Journal of biomolecular structure & dynamics
- Cell biochemistry and biophysics
- Phytochemical analysis : PCA
View 5 additional sources
- Medicines (Basel, Switzerland)
- Journal of medicinal food
- Inflammation & allergy drug targets
- TheScientificWorldJournal
- BMC plant biology
apigenin
- Dr. Duke
- Alternative therapies in health and medicine
- Journal of natural products
- The Plant journal : for cell and molecular biology
- International journal of biological macromolecules
View 3 additional sources
- Cell biochemistry and biophysics
- Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention : APJCP
- Natural product research
rosmarinic acid
- Dr. Duke
- Alternative therapies in health and medicine
- Biotechnology and applied biochemistry
- Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention : APJCP
- Inflammation & allergy drug targets
View 3 additional sources
- Plant molecular biology
- TheScientificWorldJournal
- Natural product research
Tannins
- Data in brief
- Research in veterinary science
- Indian journal of pharmaceutical sciences
- Journal of food science
- Pharmaceutical biology
View 1 additional sources
- Asian Pacific journal of tropical medicine
luteolin
- Dr. Duke
- Alternative therapies in health and medicine
- Cell biochemistry and biophysics
- Medicines (Basel, Switzerland)
- TheScientificWorldJournal
View 1 additional sources
- Natural product research
Saponins
- Dr. Duke
- Data in brief
- Pharmacognosy magazine
- Indian journal of pharmaceutical sciences
- Asian Pacific journal of tropical medicine
Terpenoids
- Data in brief
- Protoplasma
- Phytochemical analysis : PCA
- Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
- Pharmaceutical biology
OLEANOLIC ACID
- Dr. Duke
- Journal of natural medicines
- Medicines (Basel, Switzerland)
- TheScientificWorldJournal
Activities
Ocimum tenuiflorum has 532 reported activities identified across 49 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported activities include Antioxidant, Antibacterial, Anticancer, Antidiabetic, Antimicrobial.
Most Reported Activities
| Activity | Sources | Consensus |
|---|---|---|
| Antioxidant | Dr. Duke (and other 18 sources) | ★★★★★ |
| Antibacterial | Dr. Duke (and other 7 sources) | ★★★★☆ |
| Anticancer | Dr. Duke (and other 7 sources) | ★★★★☆ |
| Antidiabetic | Dr. Duke (and other 7 sources) | ★★★★☆ |
| Antimicrobial | Phytomedicine : international journal of phytotherapy and phytopharmacology (and other 7 sources) | ★★★★☆ |
| Antiviral | Dr. Duke (and other 6 sources) | ★★★☆☆ |
| Antifungal | Bioinformation (and other 5 sources) | ★★★☆☆ |
| Cardioprotective | Dr. Duke (and other 5 sources) | ★★★☆☆ |
| Hepatoprotective | Dr. Duke (and other 5 sources) | ★★★☆☆ |
| Neuroprotective | Dr. Duke (and other 5 sources) | ★★★☆☆ |
Medicinal Uses
Ocimum tenuiflorum has 40 reported medicinal uses identified across 49 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported uses include COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2 infection, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus mutans, cancer.
Most Reported Uses
| Use | Sources | Consensus |
|---|---|---|
| COVID-19 | Protein and peptide letters (and other 3 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| SARS-CoV-2 infection | Computers in biology and medicine (and other 3 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Staphylococcus aureus | Natural product communications (and other 3 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Streptococcus mutans | Natural product communications (and other 3 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| cancer | Food research international (Ottawa, Ont.) (and other 3 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| inflammation | Food research international (Ottawa, Ont.) (and other 3 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Candida albicans | Journal of oral and maxillofacial pathology : JOMFP (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Parkinson's disease | Metabolic brain disease (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Bacillus subtilis | Natural product communications (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Dental caries | Cureus (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
Preparations
| Preparations | Sources | Consensus |
|---|---|---|
| leaf extract | Radiation research (and other 8 sources) | ★★★★☆ |
| extracts | Die Pharmazie (and other 6 sources) | ★★★☆☆ |
| leaves | Journal of parasitic diseases : official organ of the Indian Society for Parasitology (and other 4 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| ethanol extract | Indian journal of pharmaceutical sciences (and other 3 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| ethanolic extract | Data in brief (and other 3 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| extract | Life (Basel, Switzerland) (and other 3 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| leaf extracts | Parasitology research (and other 3 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| plant extracts | IET nanobiotechnology (and other 3 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| alcoholic extract | Indian journal of medical sciences (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| essential oil | Phytomedicine : international journal of phytotherapy and phytopharmacology (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |