Taxonomy

Occurrence

The Tulsi or O. tenuiflorum is native to India and also grows well throughout the Indian Sub-Continent. It is also grown for various purposes in the South East Asian countries.

Chemical Composition

The main chemical constituents of Tusli are oleanolic acid, ursolic acid, rosmarinic acid, eugenol, carvacrol, linalool, β-caryophyllene, β-elemene, and germacrene D. Extracts of O. sanctum has some anti-bacterial properties against E. coli, S. aureus, P. aeruginosa.

Medicinal Value

Our ancestors knew about its value and so every home had this plant. They made tulsi as a worshipping thing as it would be planted in every house and temples atleast for worshipping. For this cause, It was considered a plant from then. Some of the benefits of tulsi are,

• It is a best stress buster. Chewing Tulsi leaves or having tulsi tea can help control stress and anxiety.
• There are a number of benefits in consuming tulsi leaves in empty stomach.
• It is a best remedy for common cold, cough and asthma.
• Tulsi leaf paste, neem paste, ginger powder and pepper powder can help reduce fever.
• Consuming tulsi leave juice with honey can reduce obesity, kidney stones and also it detoxifies the blood.
• Eating 4 to 5 Tulsi leaves in empty stomach every morning will cure all digestive tract problems.
• Shade dried powdered tulsi leaves can be used to brush teeth which helps prevent Bleeding gums.
• Putting in a few drops of tulsi juice in the eyes can help cure sore eyes and night blindness.

Nowadays, most of the houses never have tulsi plants. We must pass our ancestors’ knowledge to our future generations. This is relatively easy. This can be done by planting a tulsi in our homes.

Note

O. tenuiflorum and O. sanctum are morphophytes of the same species like the polymorphism of Jaguars and Panthers. Both plants exist in the same habitat but with slightly different appearance and functions. O. tenuiflorum is has purple colored leaves, stems, flowers while O. sanctuum is fully green!

This article provides knowledge about various Ocimum species – Click Here.