Find out more about the Exotic Basil plant of our Aromatherapy Herbarium blog series.

EXOTIC BASIL

Ocimum basilicum var. basilicum

DIRECTIONS

Exotic basil (Ocimum basilicum var. basilicum) is an annual plant of the Lamiacea family native to Asia.

Please respect the doses because in excess essential oil of basil can induce stupor. It must always be used diluted on the skin. For cooking, one or two drops of essential oil are enough to perfume a dish for five to six persons.

DO NOT USE IN

– pregnant or breast-feeding women,
– children under the age of twelve years,
– persons whose professional activity requires vigilance,
– persons allergic to one of the components (linalool, geranial or neral),
– persons with asthma without the advice of an allergologist before the first use.

Aerophagia

1 drop of EO of basil, 1 drop of EO of peppermint.

Pour the 2 drops of each of the essential oils mixed with vegetable oil on vegetables during the meal.

Digestion

1 drop of EO of exotic basil,1 drop of EO of lemon, 1 drop of EO of peppermint.

Mix the essential oils in a teaspoon of honey, added to a herbal tea.

Fatigue and Stress

1 drop of EO of basil, 1 drop of EO of rosewood, 1 drop of EO of black spruce, 1 drop of EO of Scots pine, 1 drop of EO of thyme linalool, 5 drops of arnica CO.

Apply this mixture along the spinal column three times daily for ten days.

Spasmophilia

Take 2 drops of essential oil of basil on a neutral tablet, two to three times daily over the problem periods.

There are more than a hundred varieties of basil, including “camphor basil” and “holy basil”. All species are highly fragrant. Thirty to fifty centimeters high, exotic basil has branching and hairy square stem that often becomes woody. The dark green leaves are small, oval and lanceolate. The white or pinkish flower spikes are grouped along the stems and appear in summer. The seeds are black, fine and oblong. The name basil is derived from the Greek basileus (king) and indicates its royal plant quality. It suffered from homonymy in Antiquity. Pliny who recommended it against epilepsy, confused it with the fabulous serpent, basilisk, and stated that if one placed pieces of the plant under a stone exposed to the sun this formidable reptile will eventually come out. He assigned to basil numerous properties and aphrodisiac qualities: “it is for this reason that it is introduced in the vulva of jennies at mating time”. Basil is always presented as an ornamental and medicinal plant in the West. The Italian Mattioli, physician and botanist, observed in the 16th century: “There are few gardens or windows which are not covered with basil in wooden crates or terracotta pots. “In India, where mysticism goes hand in hand with gastronomy, the plant is dedicated to the wife of Vishnu and has a religious status.

CULTIVATION AND PRODUCTION
Exotic basil is cultivated in Madagascar; in its different species, it thrives all throughout the Mediterranean basin where it is included in many recipes. In France, it becomes “sauce basil” and in the South “pistou” from the Niçois verb meaning “pound”, because it is pounded in a mortar to turn it into a paste used in cooking. In Sub Saharan Africa it is given to children as a vermifuge or used against migraines.

FRAGRANCE
Exotic basil has a herbaceous and fresh odour with an anise note not found in “common basil” used traditionally for cooking.

EXTRACTION AND YIELD
Essential oil of Ocimum basilicum is obtained by steam distillation of the leaves and flowers. The yield of the order of 0.1%, is of one hundred grams of essential oil per one hundred kilograms of plant.

CHEMICAL FORMULA 
Essential oil of basil contains monoterpenes, monoterpenols, sesquiterpenes, oxides and ketones, among others, however its essential component is a phenol-methylether, methyl-chavicol or estragol (approximately 80% to 90%).

MAIN INDICATIONS
Essential oil of basil is a powerful antispasmodic: it is very effective against menstrual pain. It is also a nervous system regulator. It treats all depression and fatigue conditions as well as spasmophilia. On a digestive level, it soothes spasms (hiccough) and gastric or enteric pains.

RELATED SPECIES
Camphor basil (Ocimum canum camphoriferum), Eugenol-containing holy basil (Ocimum tenuiflorum eugenoliferum), lettuce leaf basil, Genovese basil, small-leaf basil.