Great Pharmacy Called Holy Basil : Great Benefits
Holy Basil is a spicy herb used in cooking, but also a powerful natural medicine used for a variety of health. Holy Basil is sometimes called hot basil because of its flavor. The Latin name is holy basil Ocimum tenuiflorum or Ocimum sanctum.
Holy basil is widely used in Ayurvedic medicine plant, which considered the herb to be a remedy against stress and adaptogenic. The leaves, stems, seeds and oils of holy basil are used in medicinal preparations.
Drugs active in the leaves and stems are considered saponins, flavonoids, triterpenoids, and tannins. However, the leaves also contains a potent essential oil, while the seeds of holy basil contain useful fatty acids as linoleic acid, linolenic acid, oleic acid, palmitic acid and stearic acid.
Holy basil is used in some people with diabetes reduce their levels of blood sugar. Preliminary evidence has shown that the extract of leaves of holy basil may reduce both fasting blood glucose levels and blood glucose after meals in type 2 diabetics.
People take holy basil to relieve symptoms of the common cold, as the disease caused by swine flu and seasonal flu. There is preliminary evidence that the extract of the leaves and seed oil of holy basil may reduce the inflammatory response. Seed oil holy basil also appears to exert immunomodulatory effects by decreasing the humoral immune response and cell mediated immunity in animal models stress.
Holy Basil also has a history as an herbal antidote for mercury poisoning. In fact, there is a small amount of published research suggests that an aqueous extract of leaves of holy basil may reduce some measures of toxicity of mercury, at least in animal models.
There is a growing interest in the use of Holy basil oil in cancer patients. In an animal model of fibrosarcoma cancer, seed oil of holy basil appeared to delay progression and improve survival. Researchers have found that this anti-cancer effect may be due to the antioxidant effects of oil.
According to the Database Natural Medicines Comprehensive, purple basil is also used in "asthma, bronchitis, earaches, headaches, stomach disorders, heart disease, fever, viral hepatitis, malaria, tuberculosis .. . to promote longevity, such as a mosquito repellent, and as an antidote for snake bites and scorpion ". However, there is currently insufficient evidence for these uses.
Extract of leaves of holy basil has been used safely in studies for up to four weeks, no side effects were observed. However, the evidence is derived from animal models suggest that holy basil may reduce sperm count and fertility.
In addition, the effects of purple basil known antiplatelet agents that can cause excessive bleeding during surgical procedures. People have to stop holy basil, at least two weeks before any surgery. For safety reasons, people should always consult all herbal and natural supplements that intend to take to your doctor.
Source: Database of Comprehensive Natural Medicines. Retrieved March 27, 2010.
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