Ocimum tenuiflorum, commonly known as tulasi (), tulsi, or holy basil, is an aromatic perennial plant in the family Lamiaceae.
Tulasi is cultivated for religious and traditional medicine purposes, and also for its essential oil. It is widely used as an herbal tea, commonly used in Ayurveda. It has a place within the Vaishnavism tradition of Hinduism, in which devotees perform worship involving the plant or its leaves.
Morphology
Holy basil is an erect, many-branched subshrub, tall with hairy stems. Leaves are green or purple; they are simple, petioled, with an blade up to long, which usually has a slightly toothed margin; they are strongly scented and have a
decussation phyllotaxis. The purplish flowers are placed in close whorls on elongated
.
The three main morphotypes cultivated in India and Nepal are Ram tulsi (the most common type, with broad bright green leaves that are slightly sweet), the less common purplish green-leaved (Krishna or Shyam tulsi) and the common wild vana tulsi (e.g., Ocimum gratissimum).
Phytochemicals
The plant and its oil contain diverse
, including
,
,
eugenol,
,
carvacrol,
linalool,
camphor, and
cinnamyl acetate, among others.
One study reported that the plant contains an eponymous family of 10
Lignan compounds called
tulsinol A-J.
Specific in the essential oil are camphor (32%), eucalyptol (19%), Bisabolene (17%), eugenol (14%), germacrene (11%) and β-bisabolene (11%).
Uses
Culinary
Thai cuisine
The leaves of holy basil, known as
kaphrao in the
Thai language (กะเพรา), are commonly used in
Thai cuisine for certain stir-fries and curries such as
phat kaphrao (ผัดกะเพรา) — a stir-fry of Thai holy basil with meats, seafood or, as in
khao 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.
should not be confused with
horapha (โหระพา), which is normally known as
Thai basil,
[ Gernot Katzer's Spice Pages] or with Thai lemon basil (
maenglak; แมงลัก).
Minangkabau cuisine
Holy basil (in Minangkabau language and Indonesian language are known as
) is also widely used for
Padang cuisine, particularly for its
gulai variety, which involves fish as the primary source of protein.
These Minangkabau fish gulais that commonly use holy basil such as
gulai ikan mas (carp gulai),
gulai ikan kakap (red snapper gulai),
gulai kepala ikan kakap (red snapper's head gulai),
samba ikan gadang or
pangek (braised fish gulai),
and
gulai telur ikan (fish roe gulai). Holy basil leaves are used to enhance flavour.
File:Kraphao mu khai dao.jpg| Phat kaphrao mu – Thai holy basil with pork – a common dish in Thailand.
File:Gulai kapalo lauak.jpg|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).
Insect repellent
For centuries, the dried leaves have been mixed with stored grains to repel insects.
Nematicidal
The essential oil may have
nematicide properties against
Tylenchulus semipenetrans,
Meloidogyne javanica,
Anguina tritici, and
Heterodera cajani.
Significance in Hinduism
Tulasi has been used in
Ayurveda and
Siddha medicine practices for its supposed medicinal properties.
Tulasi is a sacred plant for , particularly the Vaishnavite sect. It is worshipped as the avatar of Lakshmi, and is often planted in of Hindu houses or temples to Hanuman.
Tulsi Vivah is a ceremonial festival performed between Prabodhini Ekadashi (the 11th or 12th lunar day of the bright fortnight of the Hindu calendar of Kartika) and Kartik Purnima (the full moon of the month).
Every evening, Odia people and Bengalis Hindus place earthen lamps in front of tulsi plants. During the Kati Bihu festival celebrated in Assam, people light earthen lamps ( diya) at the foot of the household tulsi plants and pray.
Gallery
File:Ocimum tenuiflorum flower.jpg|Flowers
File:Ocimum tenuiflorum inflorescence closeup.jpg|Inflorescence
File:Tulsi 4 20170715.jpg|Leaves of Ocimum tenuiflorum L.
File:Japa mala (prayer beads) of Tulasi wood with 108 beads - 20040101-01.jpg|Prayer beads made from tulsi wood
See also
External links
