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Recent scientific studies suggest that both the Green and Red varieties of Holy Basil may aid in lowering blood pressure, helping liver functions and reducing the risks of diabetes.
In addition to being a sacred medicinal herb, this Basil is also a potent natural pest repellent and companion plant. The oils naturally repel mosquitoes and house flies, giving it another reason to keep this plant in and around your home. Please read Briscoe's Tips for more information on growing and using this versatile herb!
IMPORTANT: The binomial name for this plant is Ocimum sanctum. It's common name is Holy Green Basil.
Basil is a wonderful plant to plant near your kitchen windows or doorways, not just for its use in your favorite dishes, but because this culinary herb has terrific natural pest repellent properties! Said to effectively keep house flies and mosquitoes away, planting Basil near entryways to your home, rubbing it on your skin and clothing, and planting it around your yard and patio will help reduce the amount of unwanted summer pests. Planting it in your garden will also keep destructive pests like Thrips, white flies, and aphids away from neighboring plants. Basil blooms are also very attractive to butterflies and other useful pollinators.
Basil is said to increase the health and flavor of many vegetables like asparagus, bell peppers, cabbage and especially tomato plants when companion planted together. For best results, do not plant Sage or Rue near your Basil, as this is said to inhibit the plant's growth and flavor. Instead, grow Chamomile near your Basil plants to encourage its success.
Tulsi Basil is a venerated herb in the Hindu religion; its name means 'the incomparable one" and a Hindu household is considered incomplete without this herb. In Ayurvedic medicine, it is considered 'Rasayana' which means an herb that expands happiness. This herb is one of our most popular, and that is no doubt due to its many attributes:
And the list goes on and on. There are many reports of folks ingesting Tulsi basil on a daily basis with amazing results. We are not physicians, and we encourage customers to consult with a medical professional before using any herb for medicinal purposes (and Tulsi should not be used by pregnant women) but we did want to share our method of brewing a nice batch of Holy Green Basil Tea - an easy and delicious way to enjoy the benefits of this amazing plant.
Easy To Brew:
You can use either fresh or dried herbs. In addition, add a bit of honey!
This is for one cup:
1 teaspoon of fresh Tulsi leaves (no stems)
or
1/2 teaspoon of dried Tulsi leaves
Bring water to a boil, take off of the heat, and pour over Tulsi leaves
Let this steep, covered, for 20 minutes. Add a teaspoon of honey and enjoy!
PS: We've heard of folks using their Keurig filter for another means of brewing.