Indian basil

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Indian basil
Indian basil (Ocimum tenuiflorum)

Indian basil ( Ocimum tenuiflorum )

Systematics
Euasterids I
Order : Mint family (Lamiales)
Family : Mint family (Lamiaceae)
Subfamily : Nepetoideae
Genre : Basil ( ocimum )
Type : Indian basil
Scientific name
Ocimum tenuiflorum
L.

Indian Basil ( Ocimum tenuiflorum ), also tulsi or Tulasi ( Sanskrit : तुलसी), ( Tamil : துளசி), King basil or Holy Basil called, is a species of the genus basil ( Ocimum ) within the family of Labiatae (Lamiaceae). Their natural occurrence ranges from tropical and subtropical Asia to northern Australia .

description

illustration
Holy basil ( Ocimum tenuiflorum )
Upper part of an inflorescence with zygomorphic flowers in superimposed pseudo whorls

The Indian basil grows as a perennial herbaceous plant and reaches heights of up to 100 centimeters. The straight stem can become woody at the base and has many finely hairy branches. The opposite arranged leaves are divided into a petiole and a leaf blade. The leaf stalks are 1 to 2.5 inches long. The simple leaf blade is elongated with a length of 2.5 to 5.5 centimeters and a width of 1 to 3 centimeters with a triangular blade base, blunt upper end and slightly serrated leaf margin. The leaves are finely hairy everywhere, especially on the leaf veins .

In terminal, 6 to 8 centimeters long, spike-like inflorescences , six flowers stand together in pseudo whorls . The bracts are heart-shaped and pointed with a length and width of about 1.5 millimeters. The flower stalks are 2.5 millimeters long. The hermaphrodite flowers are zygomorphic and five-fold with a double flower envelope . The 2.5 millimeter long sepals are fused bell-shaped and the calyx is two-lipped. The petals are white to reddish. The brown nuts are 1 by 0.7 millimeters slightly egg-shaped and slightly humped.

The number of chromosomes is 4n = 36.

Distinguishing features to similar species

The rear stamens are primarily considered to be a botanical distinguishing feature to similar basil species . These are imperforated at the base only in O. tenuiflorum and O. tashiroi . In contrast to O. tashiroi , Indian basil also has feathery to hairy tufts there, the leaves are more elongated with a blunt tip than ovate and pointed, and the bracts are more heart-shaped.

Taxonomy

The first publication of Ocimum tenuiflorum was made in 1753 by Carl Linnaeus in Species Plantarum , 1, p 597. synonyms for Ocimum tenuiflorum L. are: Ocimum sanctum L. , Ocimum sanctum var. Angustifolium Benth. , Ocimum sanctum var. Cubensis Gomes , Ocimum sanctum var. Hirsutum (Benth.) Hook.f. , Geniosporum tenuiflorum (L.) Merr. , Lumnitzera tenuiflora (L.) Spreng. , Moschosma tenuiflorum (L.) Heynh. , Ocimum anisodorum F. Muell. , Ocimum caryophyllinum F. Muell. , Ocimum hirsutum Benth. , Ocimum inodorum Burm.f. , Ocimum monachorum L. , Ocimum scutellarioides Willd. ex Benth. , Ocimum subserratum B. Heyne ex Hook.f. , Ocimum tenuiflorum var. Anisodorum (F.Muell.) Domin , Ocimum tenuiflorum f. villicaulis Domin , Ocimum tomentosum Lam. , Plectranthus monachorum (L.) Spreng.

ingredients

For the ingredients of basil plants in general, see basil (genus) .

The proportion of essential oil in Indian basil is lower than in many types of basil and is between 0.3 and 0.8 percent, but there have also been reports of proportions of 4 percent. The highest level is reached towards the end of the flowering period. The substances contained in the oil vary greatly, depending on the origin and variety. The main ingredient can be eugenol , methyleugenol or estragole , depending on the chemotype . As an example, the following are the values ​​from two recent studies:

  • Oil from Thai varieties mainly contained eugenol (25 to 80 percent) and sometimes a lot of methyl eugenol (3 to 40 percent). The most common sesquiterpene was β- caryophyllene (up to 30 percent) and β-elements (up to 15 percent).
  • Plants grown in a Warsaw greenhouse, on the other hand, mainly contained β- bisabolol (13 to 20 percent), estragole (5 to 19 percent), 1,8-cineole (9 to 33 percent), eugenol (4 to 9 percent), ( E ) -α-bisabolol (4 to 7 percent) and α- terpineol (1.7 to 7 percent). Methyl eugenol could not be detected.

In addition to eugenol, the plant also contains a number of other potent antioxidants, which together are likely to be responsible for a large part of the medicinal effects. When comparing several types of basil, the antioxidants contained in Indian basil were the strongest.

pharmacology

The eugenol and other antioxidant phenols and flavonoids it contains can be held responsible for many of the pharmacological effects of Indian basil . Both essential oil and eugenol alone have anthelmintic effects in laboratory tests .

Antibacterial effects of Indian basil, especially against Staphylococcus aureus , have been confirmed in several laboratory studies . Proven radioprotective effects can also be attributed with certainty to antioxidant mechanisms.

In addition, it has been shown in several tests (animal tests and clinical studies) that the plant has an anti-stress effect. The plant also has an analgesic effect and against stress-related high blood pressure. However, an antidiabetic effect of the seed oil from Indian basil could not be confirmed.

In an animal experiment with rats, alcoholic extracts from the plant were used to prevent the harmful neurological effects of noise.

Most recently, aqueous extract from dried Indian basil was able to improve certain coordination skills in mice, which points to possible use as a nootropic .

use

religion

Tulsi in a courtyard

In the religious life of many Hindus , the plant is known as Tulsi as a particularly " sacred herb" that plays a role in religious ceremonies and is associated with many legends . Here Tulsi represents the presence of Vishnu or his incarnation Krishna and expresses his divine protection. The shrub with the delicate leaves can be found at countless house entrances or in the courtyards in India . Often it is bordered by decorative painted stones, which turn the place with the plant into an altar. The daily worship of Krishna, Vishnu or his wife Lakshmi in the tulsi plant is particularly widespread among women : They sit cross-legged on the ground like an altar, say their prayers, ring a small bell and wave a ghee lamp .

In the historical forest of Vrindavan , where Krishna is said to have spent his youth according to Hindu tradition, there are still Tulsi bushes, the leaves of which are used by Hindus as daily sacrifices . On the one hand, the tulsi plant is considered a vegetable form of God, on the other hand a branch or at least a single leaf serves as an important sacrifice and is an indispensable part of worship in honor of Vishnu. Its pendants in particular wear small balls carved from the wood of the branches as a blessing chain around their necks or use them as a prayer chain ( mala ). The leaves of the plant have such a powerful cleansing effect that they can wash off even sins, as is believed - that is why Hindus often place tulsi leaves under the tongue and throw them into the fire in which the dead are burned.

Tulsi is also part of the traditional Indian art of healing Ayurveda and is used in South and Southeast Asia in the kitchen and to drive away insects.

Ethnobotany

The sacred nature of this plant is also expressed in its healing properties: see Ayurveda in natural medicine. It is valued all over Asia as a remedy, especially for all weaknesses in the digestive tract, to protect the immune system, against stress, for internal heat treatment as well as for its antibacterial effect and to lower the cholesterol level. In Europe, the plant has found its way into the medicinal tea range .

kitchen

In Ayurveda, Tulsi is generally used as a tea, which can be used pure or in various mixtures such as B. with ginger or green tea is available. Tulsitee is usually obtained from the three different varieties Rama Tulsi, Krishna Tulsi and Vana Tulsi.

In Thai cuisine, Indian basil is one of the types of basil that can be found in the Horapa spice mixture . It is also very often found in fried meat such as pad gaprao or in country-style curry . In general, leaves are added to the plant towards the end of the cooking process in order to maintain their aroma. It can also be used freeze-dried .

See also

literature

  • N. Singh, Y. Hoette, R. Miller: Tulsi - The Mother Medicine of Nature. 2nd Edition. International Institute of Herbal Medicine, Lucknow 2010.
  • The Flora of China Project: Ocimum sanctum. In: Flora of China. Vol. 17, p. 297 online version
  • Sabine BJ Eckelmann: Biodiversity of the genus Ocimum L., especially of the cultural groups. Dissertation. University of Kassel, Kassel 2002 Table of contents of the online version ( Memento from March 7, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
  • S. Pojjanapimol, S. Chaiseri, KR Cadwallader: Heat induced changes in aroma components of holy basil (Ocimum sanctum L.). In: KD Deibler, L. Delwiche (Eds.): Handbook of Flavor Characterization: Sensory, Chemical, and Physiological Techniques. Marcel Dekker, 2003, p. 217 ff.
  • Petra Ilg: Basil - the sacred plant of the Hindus. Ratgeber Ehrenwirth, Munich 2000, ISBN 3-431-04019-5 .

Web links

Commons : Indian basil ( Ocimum tenuiflorum )  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Rafaël Govaerts (Ed.): Ocimum tenuiflorum. In: World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP) - The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved September 14, 2019.
  2. ↑ A. Kicel et al .: Composition of the Essential Oil of Ocimum sanctum L. Grown in Poland During Vegetation. In: Journal of Essential Oil Research . Mar./Apr. 2005. doi : 10.1080 / 10412905.2005.9698880 .
  3. ↑ a b M. A. Kelm et al: Antioxidant and cyclooxygenase inhibitory phenolic compounds from Ocimum sanctum Linn. In: Phytomedicine . 7/1/2000, pp. 7-13. PMID 10782484 .
  4. ↑ a b c F. Aqil et al .: Effect of certain bioactive plant extracts on clinical isolates of beta-lactamase producing methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus. In: J Basic Microbiol. 45/2/2005, pp. 106-114. PMID 15812867 .
  5. ↑ MT Trevisan et al .: Characterization of the volatile pattern and antioxidant capacity of essential oils from different species of the genus Ocimum. In: J Agric Food Chem . 54/12/2006, pp. 4378-4382. PMID 16756370
  6. ↑ P. Prakash, N. Gupta: Therapeutic uses of Ocimum sanctum Linn (Tulsi) with a note on eugenol and its pharmacological actions: a short review. In: Indian J Physiol Pharmacol. 49/2/2005, pp. 125-131. PMID 16170979
  7. ↑ MK Asha et al.: Anthelmintic activity of essential oil of Ocimum sanctum and eugenol. In: Fitoterapia . 72/6/2001, pp. 669-670. PMID 11543966
  8. ↑ S. Singh et al: Antibacterial activity of Ocimum sanctum L. fixed oil. In: Indian J Exp Biol. 43/9/2005, pp. 835-837. PMID 16187537
  9. ↑ US Bhartiya et al .: Protective effect of Ocimum sanctum L after high-dose 131iodine exposure in mice: an in vivo study. In: Indian J Exp Biol. 44/8/2006, pp. 647-652. PMID 16924835
  10. ↑ M. Subramanian et al .: Antioxidant and radioprotective properties of an Ocimum sanctum polysaccharide. In: Redox Rep. 10/5/2005, pp. 257-264. PMID 16354414
  11. ↑ N. Singh et al .: Effects of antistress plants on biochemical changes during stress reaction. In: Ind. J. Pharmacol. 1991, 23 (3), pp. 137-142.
  12. ↑ Bhattacharyya et al .: Controlled programmed trial of Ocimum sanctum leaf on generalized anxiety disorders. In: Nepal Med Coll J. 2008, Sep., 10 (3), pp. 176-179.
  13. ↑ S. Sood et al: Effect of Ocimum sanctum Linn. on cardiac changes in rats subjected to chronic restraint stress. In: J Ethnopharmacol . 2006 Jul 1; [Epub ahead of print] PMID 16965878
  14. ↑ N. Khanna, J. Bhatia: Antinociceptive action of Ocimum sanctum (Tulsi) in mice: possible mechanisms involved. In: J Ethnopharmacol. 88 / 2-3 / 2003, pp. 293-296. PMID 12963158
  15. ↑ N. Singh: A pharmaco-clinical evaluation of some Ayurvedic crude plant drugs as anti-stress agents and their usefulness in some stress diseases of man. In: Ann. Nat. Acad. Ind. Med. 1986, 2 (1), pp. 14-26.
  16. ↑ S. Gupta et al .: Antidiabetic, antihypercholesterolaemic and antioxidant effect of Ocimum sanctum (Linn) seed oil. In: Indian J Exp Biol. 44/4/2006, pp. 300-304. PMID 16629372
  17. ↑ J. Samson et al: Biogenic amine changes in brain regions and attenuating action of Ocimum sanctumin noise exposure. In: Pharmacol Biochem Behav . 83/1/2006, pp. 67-75. PMID 16427690
  18. ^ H. Joshi, M. Parle: Evaluation of nootropic potential of Ocimum sanctum Linn. in mice. In: Indian J Exp Biol. 44/2/2006, pp. 133-136. PMID 16480180