Holy basil is a common name of a world-renowned herb Tulasi. It is a secret herb that has a mythological back ground. Tulasi is supposed to be a beloved of Lord Krishna, a reincarnation of Lord Vishnu, the operator of this world. Hence the herb got its name from there. This herb is worshipped throughout India as well as in various other parts of this world. It is especially associated with lord Krishna and is found in every temple of His. Even you can trace a Tulasi plant in almost every Indian home.
As per the properties of Tulasi are considered, it has a diversified usage. It has both therapeutic as well as general usage. Due to its application in various aspects of our life it has been considered as healer. References of holy basil can be traced back in Riga Veda, the oldest written book of the world. It clearly mentions that people at that time were aware of the multiple benefits of Tulsi and used them very often. Even the Charka Samhita, a medicinal book of ayurveda is also mentioned various therapeutic uses of Tulsi and has mentioned it in list of esteemed herbs.
In general Tulasi is of two types,
· Shyama Tulsi or the Tulsi that has black colored leaves
· Rama Tulsi or the Tulsi with green colored leaves.
If we compare the therapeutic values of these two varieties, black colored Tulsi is of more importance than the other one.
Uses of Tulsi
· Respiratory tract problems – Tulsi is very effective in treating the cold and related disorders. It is a boon for respiratory tract disorders. It helps in treating all the disorders that are related to our throat. Tulsi is blessed with certain properties that helps in increasing the immunity of the body therefore it helps in fighting against any antigen or infection that invades our body. It is also very helpful in expelling out the extra amount of mucus that gets accumulated in our respiratory tract especially in lungs.
· Headaches – some analgesic properties have been discovered in Tulsi and are a great assert in providing remedy to various pains that might happen in the body. It has been seen that Tulsi is very helpful in relieving the head aches. It has certain properties that helps in releasing spasm in the muscles hence is extremely helpful in relaxing the body.
· Abdominal disorders – it is one of the potent herbs that are very helpful in treating all a kind of abdominal disorders. It is very effective in increasing the peristaltic movements in the GI tract. It is very helpful in improving the appetite. It also has some mild laxative properties therefore helps in evacuation of the bowel.
· Inflammation – Tulsi is considered a good herb that has the anti-inflammatory properties. It is very effective in suppressing any kind of edema that happens in the body. It is very much used in reducing the pain and improve the blood circulation in the body thereby is very helpful in fading away wit the swellings that creeps in our body.
· Heart diseases – Tulsi is useful in curing heart related problems. It provides strength to the heart muscles and also helps in improving the blood circulation. It also helps in improving the blood supply to heart muscles. It is also helpful in reducing the cholesterol levels in the body.
Tulsi- most worshipped plant in Hindu culture. It has a mythological background as tulsi is considered as lord Krishna's wife. Literal meaning of tulsi is incomparable so as the name suggest, it really has properties that are incomparable with any other herb. Every thing mentioned in Indian mythology has a scientific background. So as the culture of planting tulsi in center of court yard in Hindu homes. It is a strong belief that those who plant tulsi in there houses never get ill, as it is very lovable to lord Krishna and lord Krishna has blessed this herb with this property. Scientific reason of this story is that tulsi contains such a chemical composition that no mosquitoes and flies can come near the plant because of it s peculiar odor. Thereby by planting tulsi in courtyard prevents entry of these creatures in house thus rendering home safe from any diseases caused by these organisms.
Biological name of tulsi is Ocimum sanctum and in common English language it is called holy basil. This herb is commonly found everywhere in India. Plant height varies from 2 - 4 ft. It flowers in winter season i.e. about December to February. It contains some biological active chemical compounds like ursolic acid, luteolin and apigenin extracted from leaves. Herb has katu and tickt rasa predominance. It is ushan (hot) virya in potency. It has laghu (light) and ruksh (dry) properties. Its major act is of as krimighan (anti bacterial and anti parasitic). Plant parts used are leaves, flower, seeds and root.
Tulsi is being used in variety of herbal ayurvedic formulations. Most dominantly it is used in bronchitis and asthmatic conditions. It gives great relief in cough especially one predominated by kapha.
Tulsi because of its great healing property has been indicated in variety of diseases. Being ushan (hot) in potency it is regarded as vata and kapha suppressant, hence all the diseases caused by vata and kapha can be treated with the help of tulsi.
As we begin with the skin problems, as mentioned earlier it acts as anti bacterial and anti parasitic, therefore is widely used in infectious diseases. It act on nervous system providing them strength, relieves stress and also helps in relieving pain, as it is vata suppressant. It work as appetizer and promotes digestion by helping in secretion of digestive enzymes. It helps in preventing flatulence and avoids constipated stool. It also keeps check on any infection that might invade our digestive system. Tulsi is also seen very useful in heart disease. It provides strength to heart and helps in proper working. It also helps to detoxify any toxin that might be circulating through our body via blood thereby have the property to purify blood.
Tulsi finds great importance in respiratory tract disease. It gives marvelous results in upper respiratory tract infection (URTI). As mentioned earlier that it acts rigorously on kapha hence it works as good expectorant relieving from wet cough. It also finds its good use in bronchitis and asthmatic conditions. It helps to fight the cause of allergy by which our respiratory tract gets inflamed and then resolves the causative agent. Good results have also been seen in anti-tubercular treatment as it works as antibiotic eliminating the bacteria. It also shows good results in chest pains. Tulsi finds great use in fever as it act as antipyretic, pain reliever, and provides strength to our body.
Some beneficial results were also seen in diabetes and micturation related problems. It also acts as an antidote for many poisons. Tulsi is known to possess anti-cancerous properties.
Some home remedies for tulsi:
? Power of seed of tulsi when taken with water gives great results in menstrual disorder ? Root of tulsi is powdered and kept overnight in water, if taken daily early morning proves to be very beneficial in diabetes. ? Tulsi juice drops are very effective in earache. ? Tulsi juice when mixed with ginger juice is very effective in abdominal disorder in children ? Powder of tulsi leaves added with saunth (dried ginger) and sugar when taken with hot water is a famous remedy for fever ? A Tulsi seed processed in castor oil is very effective remedy for hair lice problem. ? It is said that if one tulsi leaf if swallowed daily, that person never suffers from cancer.
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