Sacred Basil / Holy Basil Seeds ~ Ocimum sanctum Tulsi Seeds ~ Herbs

Tulsi is native to India, where it often graces shrines and homes as an aromatic perennial shrub. Tulsi is grown as an annual herb in temperate climates. The tulsi plant is pleasing to the eye, with an upright, open and branching form. The fragrance of the leaves is also quite attractive-spicy and complex, often resembling clove. The taste is excellent, especially when the dried leaves are brewed into tea. The flowers of purple or blue occur on multiple upright racemes.

The uses of this plant are legion, and it is often taken in combination with other herbs. The fragrant leaves and flowers, in the form of tincture, tea or decoction are considered to be stomachic and expectorant, used in treating coughs, bronchitis, skin diseases, and diarrhea. These preparations are considered to be prophyllactic against epidemics including cholera, influenza and malaria. The Tulsi seeds, taken mixed in water, juice or cow's milk, are antioxidant, nourishing, mucilagenous and demulcent. They are used in treating low energy, ulcers, vomiting and diarrhea, or as an overall tonic. The powder of the dried root, taken in milk, ghee, or as a decoction, is recommended to treat malarial fever, as an analgesic application to the bites and stings of insects, and also to increase sexual stamina and prevent premature ejaculation.

Tulsi is an uplifting and energy-enhancing adaptogenic herb, having much in common with other triterpenoid containing plants such as ginseng, eleuthero and jiao-gu-lan. The herb improves resistance to stress and has a normalizing influence on blood pressure and blood sugar imbalances. Used on a regular basis as tea or tincture, Tulsi is likely to prove prophyllactic against the negative effects of environmental toxins, including cancer. The plant is also richly endowed with bioavailable antioxidants, vitamins A and C, and calcium.