Basil fragrant - ocimum basilicum l.

Family of labial flowers - Lamiaceae (Labiatae)

Botanical characteristics. Annual herbaceous plant. Introduced into culture, it is grown as an edible plant.

Root branching, located relatively finely. Stalk straight, branched, up to 60 cm high. Leaves opposite, oblong-ovoid, short-petioled, entire or narrow-toothed. The whole plant is covered with hairs. Flowers are bipedal, collected in whorls of 6-10 pieces, forming a long inflorescence on the tips of the stems. The corolla petals are pale pink, less often violet. The fruit consists of four nuts of dark brown color. Blooms from July until frost.

Used parts of the plant. The medicinal raw material is the above-ground part of the plant, collected during the period of the beginning of flowering of the plant. Dry the basil in the shade outdoors. Raw materials have a balsamic smell, a pleasant taste.

Chemical composition. The aerial part of the plant contains an essential oil, which includes eugenol, methylhavicol, camphor; Glycosides, saponins, tannins, proteins, organic acids, carbohydrates, vitamins, microelements.

Application. All parts of the plant are used in folk medicine as a means of exciting appetite after exhaustion of the body. Use fresh plants in the form of salads. Its preparations, infusions and decoctions, fresh juice have anti-inflammatory effect; Used for coughing, especially with whooping cough, bronchial asthma, epilepsy, as an excitant in the suppression of the central nervous system, weakening of the function of breathing, circulatory disorders, as a cytotoxic agent for asthenia. In foreign literature there are reports that basil preparations are used in atherosclerosis, stomach diseases, tumors of various etiologies, beriberi, for the treatment of skin diseases. It is an effective lactogen for breastfeeding women. In Bulgaria, they use pyelitis and cystitis. In India - with chronic bowel disease, dysentery, mainly in children.

Seeds in the form of broths are used for the common cold, for washing the eyes, treating skin diseases.

Eugenol is used in the cosmetics industry, for flavoring tobacco, as well as for the production of other essential oils by chemical processing.

Fresh juice of leaves and flowers - an effective remedy for headache, dizziness soothing and hypnotics; Use it to remove pigment spots and wrinkles; As an analgesic and antiseptic.

Basil leaves are the source of the production of rutin, carotene and essential oil. In connection with the spicy taste and pleasant scent of sweet-scented pepper, the leaves are used as a condiment for salads, gravies, soups, meat and fish dishes.

Preparation

• To obtain a decoction, take 15 grams of seeds or aboveground parts of the plant, pour 200 ml of boiling water, insist on a boiling water bath for 30 minutes, cool for 10 minutes, strain and take 20-30 minutes before meals 1/3 cup 2-3 times a day . This decoction can also be used for external use. To wash the eyes, dilute the broth at a rate of 1: 1.
• For infusion, take 20 g of flowers, leaves or a mixture of them, pour 200 ml of boiling water, insist on the bath for 15 minutes, cool 45 minutes, filter. Take 1/3 cup 3 times daily before meals for 30 minutes.
• Fresh juice of leaves and flowers take 1 tbsp. Spoon 2-3 times daily before meals. To strengthen the teeth, the juice is drunk with pharynx and held for 1-2 minutes in the mouth.