By Philippe Mathelet
Holy Basil: Harmony of Body and Mind
Holy Basil is an adaptogenic plant that increases the body's resistance to stress. It helps to fight insomnia, anxiety, and nervous disorders.
Holy basil against stress
Originating from India, Holy Basil (Ocimum tenuiflorum) holds a major place in Ayurvedic medicine under the name Tulsi, a word meaning incomparable.
Indeed, beyond its therapeutic virtues, in India holy basil is associated with the goddess Laksmi, the wife of the God Vishnu, which explains its presence in the environment of Hindu temples. Seated on a lotus and depicted with four hands, Laksmi symbolises prosperity, abundance and luck.
That is why, in India, a Holy Basil plant is grown in front of every house.
It is also traditional to dip a leaf of this revered plant in water to purify it before drinking.
Alexander the Great brought it back to the West and Holy Basil enjoyed immediate success among Greek and then Roman doctors.
Among the fifty species of Basil and several dozen varieties, Holy Basil is a shrub of the Lamiaceae family that can reach 1.5 metres in height.
Its square stem is branched, pubescent and its leaves are long, lanceolate and finely veined.
Its flowers are violet and concentrate the active principles.
Holy Basil is above all an adaptogenic plant that increases the body's resistance to stress, thus avoiding all complications caused by these tension situations when they become chronic.
Holy Basil can be described as a remedy of harmony capable of restoring order within us.
By acting on the corticosurrenal and medullosurrenal glands, Holy Basil has the ability to regulate sleep disorders caused by stress and to bring us back to calm and rest of body and mind.
These articles are for information only and are neither medical advice, nor a diagnosis, nor a prescription.
The articles in this section reflect the experience and reading of their author, who does not practise any medical profession. They are published for information and never replace a consultation with a doctor or pharmacist. Food supplements are not medicines. If you are under treatment, pregnant, breastfeeding or ill, ask a health professional before any use.