Ocimum basilicum L. (Lamiaceae)

Abstract

The herb[aut]Ocimum basilicumis native to India, but thrives in hot and dry conditions, such as southern Europe, the southern states of the U.S., and Australia. In southern Italy, it is called Bacia-nicola and was worn in the waist or bossom by young girls and in the hair by married women; the youth would stick a sprig of it above the ear when they go out courting. In Crete it is a sign of mourning, and is cultivated in window gardens. In Europe, sweet basilSweet basilis used as a potherb for seasoning of foods like that of thymeThymeand sage. Ibn al-Baitar described it as BadroojBadroojand said it is aphrodisiac, diuretic, galactagogue, antiflatulent, and anti-inflammatory, and its poultice is useful in scorpion and python bites. Seeds are beneficial in flatulence, oliguria, and epilepsy. He quotes Rhazes that this drug produces bile and its excessive use causes blindness. Leaves juice is dropped into the ear to relieve earache. In Indian traditional medicine, basil has been used for the treatment of anxiety, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, headaches, nerve pain, neurodegenerative disorders, as anticonvulsant and anti-inflammatory. Seeds are used in traditional Iranian medicine for the treatment of IBD. It is one of the widely used medicinal plants in Morocco to reduce plasma cholesterol and the risk of atherosclerosis-related diseases, and also used in traditional Uyghur medicine for the treatment and prevention of cardiovascular diseases. The plant is traditionally used as a repellent for mosquitoes and houseflies in the Arribes del Duero Natural Park of western Spain, and is effectively used by the indigenes of Bolifamba region in Cameroon for personal protection against mosquito and other insect bites. Aqueous extract showed the presence of reducing sugars, cardiac glycosides, tannins, saponins, glycosides, flavonoids and steroids, while the ethanol extract indicated the presence of phenolic compounds and flavonoids; rosmarinic acid being the principal phenolic compound. Aqueous leaf extract markedly lowered TC, LDL-C and TGs in hyperlipidemic rats without significantly affecting HDL-C, and inhibited ADP- and thrombin-induced platelet aggregation. Pretreatment of mice with ethyl acetate leaf extract markedly reduced cerebral infarct size after BCA occlusion-induced global cerebral ischemia, and attenuated impairment of short-term memory and motor coordination.