Magical Basil (Ocimum basilicum)

As a highly regarded and popular culinary herb, basil is often found throughout many people's homes. But basil can be used for more than just flavoring your favorite dish. The leaves are usually dried and used for medicinal, culinary and cosmetic purposes, as well as the essential oil, yet the seeds or roots are rarely used. Basil is good "for the grief and for those with a heavy heart", is a very good for calming, refreshing and stimulating nerves.

Basil is known as a healing plant, with many magical properties ever since the Phoenicians. Also, in the old pre-Christian cultures, in the Middle East and especially in Palestine, basil was considered a sacred plant, used for religious purposes. These powers were preserved in times, so basil is still used by Christians for the sanctifietion of water, in the process of transformation in holy water.

Basil has been an herbal remedy, used for ages to treat diseases of the brain, heart, lungs, bladder, reviving vitality (when infused as a tea). Basil is normally used to combat colds and influenza, poor digestion, nausea, abdominal cramps, gastro-enteritis, migraine, insomnia, when your spirits are low, anxiety, exhaustion. The Swedish biochemists found that in basil concoctions are present over 14 active principles which can be used as alternatives for at least 40 types of diseases starting with problems of skin and sensitivity to the complex neuro-hormonal dysfunctions.

Basil has magical properties, of which I remind you some:

- Basil is used for detoxification (especially for treating alcoholism and tobacco and drug effects on the human body). Consumption of basil tea daily for three weeks, increases by 25-35% the rate of metabolism. Biochemists found that in the basil leaves are present six substances of ketons with direct action on liver cells.

- Basil has sedative and calming qualities, alleviating anxiety;

- Pop a handful of basil in 250ml of boiling water and allow to stand for 5 minutes, than use it as a gargle for clearing mouth infections;

- Basil is also an antiseptic and antibacterial herb. Its healing properties can be used as a digestive aid to relieve nausea and an upset stomach;

- Basil is antispasmodic, so aids in the healing and relief of headaches and migraines, vertigo and even colic;

- As a culinary herb, basil is one of the most cleansing and helps with healing kidney and urinary problems;

- Basil tea can reduce the rate of conversion of sugars into fat, although the mechanism is not known yet very well in the herbal medicine;

- Basil provides a source of beta-carotene, estragole, eugenol, borneol and Vitamin C;

- Basil is used as an aphrodisiac too.