Holy Basil
Scientific name
Ocimum sanctum L.
English Name
Holy Basil
Malayalam name
കൃഷ്ണതുളസി
Common name
Sacred Basil
Description
- Habit : Shrub
- Habitat : Grown as a sacred plant, elsewhere as an escape
- Leaves : elliptic-oblanceolate.
- Flowers : reddish pink
- Nutlets : ellipsoid
How to use
- Cough : Fresh juice of Tulasi is given with honey for cough with phelgum
- Insect bite : The juice of the plant, mixed with turmeric and thazhuthama, is ground into a paste and applied externally to the affected area
- Spider bite : Juice of the plant + tumeric paste together for external application
Parts used
Leaf,root,seed
Uses
Aromatic, stomachic, demulcent, digestive, diuretic and febrifuge
Propagation & Cultivation
It is propagated through seeds. Seeds are likely to deteriorate in future generations on account of the highly cross-pollinated nature of the crop. Hence, for fresh plantings, fresh seeds from the pedigree stock should be used.