Ocimum tenuiflorum, commonly known asholy basil,tulasi ortulsi (from Sanskrit), is an aromaticperennial plant in the familyLamiaceae.[2][3] It is widely cultivated throughout theSoutheast Asiantropics.[1][4][5] It is native to tropical and subtropical regions of Asia, Australia and the western Pacific.[1] This plant has escaped from cultivation and hasnaturalized in many tropical regions of the Americas.[3][6] It is an agricultural andenvironmental weed.[3]
Tulasi is cultivated for religious andtraditional medicine purposes, and also for itsessential oil. It is widely used as anherbal tea, commonly used inAyurveda, and has a place within theVaishnava tradition ofHinduism, in which devotees perform worship involving holy basil plants or leaves.
Holy basil is an erect, many-branched subshrub, 30–60 cm (12–24 in) tall with hairy stems. Leaves are green or purple; they are simple,petioled, with anovate blade up to 5 cm (2 in) long, which usually has a slightly toothed margin; they are strongly scented and have adecussatephyllotaxy. The purplish flowers are placed in close whorls on elongatedracemes.[7]
The three mainmorphotypes cultivated inIndia andNepal areRam tulsi (the most common type, with broad bright green leaves that are slightly sweet), the less common purplish green-leaved (Krishna orShyam tulsi) and the common wildvana tulsi (e.g.,Ocimum gratissimum).[8]
Phat kaphrao mu – Thai holy basil with pork – a common dish in Thailand
The leaves of holy basil, known askaphrao in theThai language (กะเพรา), are commonly used inThai cuisine for certain stir-fries and curries such asphat kaphrao (ผัดกะเพรา) — a stir-fry of Thai holy basil with meats, seafood or, as inkhao phat kraphao, with rice. Two different types of holy basil are used in Thailand, a "red" variant which tends to be more pungent, and a "white" version for seafood dishes.[16][17]Kaphrao should not be confused withhorapha (โหระพา), which is normally known asThai basil,[18] or withThai lemon basil (maenglak;แมงลัก).
A plate of gulai kepala ikan (fish head's gulai) accompanied by ruku-ruku, slices of blimbi wuluh (Averrhoa bilimbi) and green cabai rawit (bird's eye chilies)
Holy basil (inMinangkabau language andIndonesian language are known asruku-ruku [id]) is also widely used forMinangkabau dishes, particularly for itsgulai variety, which involves fish as the primary source of protein.[19] These Minangkabau fish gulais that commonly use holy basil such asgulai ikan mas (carp gulai),gulai ikan kakap (red snapper gulai),gulai kepala ikan kakap (red snapper's head gulai),samba ikan gadang orpangek (braised fish gulai),[20] andgulai telur ikan (fish roe gulai). Holy basil leaves are used to enhance flavour.
Waterdisinfection usingO. tenuiflorum extracts was tested by Bhattacharjee et al. 2013 and Sadul et al. 2009. Both found analcoholic extract to be more effective thanaqueous orleaf juice. Sundaramurthi et al 2012 finds the result to be safe to drink andantimicrobial. A constituent analysis by Sadul foundalkaloids,steroids, andtannins in the aqueous, and alkaloids and steroids only in the alcoholic extract.[23]
Tulasi is a sacred plant forHindus, particularly theVaishnavite sect. It is worshipped as theavatar ofLakshmi,[citation needed] and is often planted incourtyards of Hindu houses or temples toHanuman.[24] The ritual lighting of lamps each evening duringKartik includes the worship of thetulsi plant.[25][26] Vaishnavites are also known as "those who bear the tulsi around the neck".[24]
Every evening,Odia andBengali Hindus place earthen lamps in front of tulsi plants. During the Kati Bihu festival celebrated inAssam, people light earthen lamps (diya) at the foot of the household tulsi plants and pray.[29]
^Staples, George; Michael S. Kristiansen (1999).Ethnic Culinary Herbs. University of Hawaii Press. p. 73.ISBN978-0-8248-2094-7.
^Warrier, P K (1995).Indian Medicinal Plants. Orient Longman. p. 168.ISBN978-0-86311-551-6.
^"Ocimum tenuiflorum". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. 26 June 2023. Retrieved26 June 2023.
^Warrier, P K (1995).Indian Medicinal Plants. Orient Longman. p. 168.ISBN978-0-86311-551-6.
^Kothari, S. K.; Bhattacharya, A. K.; Ramesh, S.; Garg, S. N.; Khanuja, S. P. S. (November–December 2005). "Volatile Constituents in Oil from Different Plant Parts of Methyl Eugenol-Rich Ocimum tenuiflorum L.f. (syn. O. sanctum L.) Grown in South India".Journal of Essential Oil Research.17 (6):656–658.doi:10.1080/10412905.2005.9699025.S2CID95551382.
^"Holy basil". Drugs.com. 1 February 2022. Retrieved26 June 2023.
^Sundaram, R. Shanmuga; Ramanathan, M; Rajesh, R; Satheesh, B; Saravanan, D (2012). "LC-MS Quantification of Rosmarinic Acid and Ursolic Acid in Theocimum Sanctumlinn. Leaf Extract (Holy Basil, Tulsi)".Journal of Liquid Chromatography & Related Technologies.35 (5): 634.doi:10.1080/10826076.2011.606583.S2CID95225535.
^NIIR Board, National Institute of Industrial Research (India) (2004).Compendium of Medicinal Plants. 2004. National Institute of Industrial Research. p. 320.ISBN978-81-86623-80-0.
^Biswas, N. P.; Biswas, A. K. (2005). "Evaluation of some leaf dusts as grain protectant against rice weevilSitophilus oryzae (Linn.)".Environment and Ecology.23 (3):485–488.
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