BASIL ESSENTIAL OIL
Family: Lamiaceae
Common Name: Basil ('true' sweet basil, French basil or common basil)
Botanical Name: Ocimum basilicum
Ocimum basilicum CT methyl chavicol - contains up to 75-85% methyl chavicol
Ocimum basilicum CT linalool - contains up to 55% linalol
Extraction method: Steam distillation from the leaves and flowering tops
Odour: Sweet basil is a pale-yellow or almost colourless mobile liquid with a sweet-spicy, slightly green, fresh top note and a balsamic-woody undertones.
General Description:
A tender, annual herb with dark green, ovate leaves, greyish-green beneath, an erect square stem up to 60 cm high, bears whorls of two lipped greenish or pinky-white flowers. The whole plant has a powerful aromatic scent.
Botanist Sir John Parkinson writes, "The smell thereof is so excellent that it is fit for a king's house." The plant is still greatly valued in present-day Greece, both for cooking and as a medicinal herb.
Native to tropical Asia and Africa. The most frequently used essential oils of Ocimum basilicum comes from the tropical regions of the southern hemisphere — Reunion, the Comoro Islands and Madagascar; it is also found in Vietnam and India. The European or 'true' sweet basil oil is produced in France, Italy, Egypt, Bulgaria, Hungary and the USA.
Ocimum sanctum or Holy Basil is native to India (is high in eugenol); it is considered a sacred herb in India, where it has been planted around doorways to banish evil spirits.
Basil is often planted on window ledges to purify the air.
History/Folk lore:
Ocimum comes from the Greek word meaning 'I feel' and basilicum from the word `basilikos' meaning 'royal', hence its name Royal Herb. A mix up with the Latin 'basilicus' referring to serpent briefly gave Basil an unsavoury reputation. Unscrupulous magicians thought they could create scorpions by crushing Basil between two stones.
Wiser Indian folklore held Basil sacred to Krishna and Vishnu, endowing it with protective qualities. Some Indian tribes chew basil leaves before taking part in religious ceremonies to gain inspiration. Ocimum sanctum or Holy basil is used extensively in Ayurvedic medicine.
Main Uses In Massage:
Basil has an extremely powerful antispasmodic action on smooth muscle. It can be used effectively in abdominal massage for colic , and any other spasm of the digestive tract. It may be useful in lower back of abdominal application for dysmenorrhoeal or applied to the chest or upper back for respiratory spasms.
Is often used as an antidepressant, when the client is lethargic and tired and complains of an inability to concentrate or think clearly.
It is both physically relaxing and mentally stimulating, making it useful for stressful situations such as exams or interviews.
Therapeutic Properties or Actions:
Analgesic, antidepressant, antiseptic, antispasmodic, carminative, cephalic, digestive, emmenagogue, expectorant, febrifuge, nervine, sudorific.
Body Systems & Therapeutic Uses:
Nervous system - Considered one of the 'finest remedies' for the brain and a cephalic. Clears the head, relieves intellectual fatigue, and gives the mind strength and clarity.
Digestive system - Useful in digestive disorders such as vomiting, gastric spasms, nausea, dyspepsia and hiccoughs.
Respiratory system - Antispasmodic property has a beneficial action on the respiratory system and is used for the relief of sinus congestion, asthma, bronchitis, and influenza. A warming oil which tonifies yang and lifts the spirit.
Energetics - Recommended for people who are physically or mentally exhausted.
Precautions:
Common Name: Basil ('true' sweet basil, French basil or common basil)
Botanical Name: Ocimum basilicum
Ocimum basilicum CT methyl chavicol - contains up to 75-85% methyl chavicol
Ocimum basilicum CT linalool - contains up to 55% linalol
Extraction method: Steam distillation from the leaves and flowering tops
Odour: Sweet basil is a pale-yellow or almost colourless mobile liquid with a sweet-spicy, slightly green, fresh top note and a balsamic-woody undertones.
General Description:
A tender, annual herb with dark green, ovate leaves, greyish-green beneath, an erect square stem up to 60 cm high, bears whorls of two lipped greenish or pinky-white flowers. The whole plant has a powerful aromatic scent.
Botanist Sir John Parkinson writes, "The smell thereof is so excellent that it is fit for a king's house." The plant is still greatly valued in present-day Greece, both for cooking and as a medicinal herb.
Native to tropical Asia and Africa. The most frequently used essential oils of Ocimum basilicum comes from the tropical regions of the southern hemisphere — Reunion, the Comoro Islands and Madagascar; it is also found in Vietnam and India. The European or 'true' sweet basil oil is produced in France, Italy, Egypt, Bulgaria, Hungary and the USA.
Ocimum sanctum or Holy Basil is native to India (is high in eugenol); it is considered a sacred herb in India, where it has been planted around doorways to banish evil spirits.
Basil is often planted on window ledges to purify the air.
History/Folk lore:
Ocimum comes from the Greek word meaning 'I feel' and basilicum from the word `basilikos' meaning 'royal', hence its name Royal Herb. A mix up with the Latin 'basilicus' referring to serpent briefly gave Basil an unsavoury reputation. Unscrupulous magicians thought they could create scorpions by crushing Basil between two stones.
Wiser Indian folklore held Basil sacred to Krishna and Vishnu, endowing it with protective qualities. Some Indian tribes chew basil leaves before taking part in religious ceremonies to gain inspiration. Ocimum sanctum or Holy basil is used extensively in Ayurvedic medicine.
Main Uses In Massage:
Basil has an extremely powerful antispasmodic action on smooth muscle. It can be used effectively in abdominal massage for colic , and any other spasm of the digestive tract. It may be useful in lower back of abdominal application for dysmenorrhoeal or applied to the chest or upper back for respiratory spasms.
Is often used as an antidepressant, when the client is lethargic and tired and complains of an inability to concentrate or think clearly.
It is both physically relaxing and mentally stimulating, making it useful for stressful situations such as exams or interviews.
Therapeutic Properties or Actions:
Analgesic, antidepressant, antiseptic, antispasmodic, carminative, cephalic, digestive, emmenagogue, expectorant, febrifuge, nervine, sudorific.
Body Systems & Therapeutic Uses:
Nervous system - Considered one of the 'finest remedies' for the brain and a cephalic. Clears the head, relieves intellectual fatigue, and gives the mind strength and clarity.
Digestive system - Useful in digestive disorders such as vomiting, gastric spasms, nausea, dyspepsia and hiccoughs.
Respiratory system - Antispasmodic property has a beneficial action on the respiratory system and is used for the relief of sinus congestion, asthma, bronchitis, and influenza. A warming oil which tonifies yang and lifts the spirit.
Energetics - Recommended for people who are physically or mentally exhausted.
Precautions:
Can be highly depressant in large doses. Can be an irritant to the skin (methyl chavicol content)
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I will be posting more information about other essential oils on this blog so keep checking back.
Information on this page is for educational purposes only and should not replace advice from a medical practitioner.
© Graphics are property of Aromatherapy For Australia. Please do not use images without permission or without credit or link back to this blog post. Please read our Terms & Conditions
Information on this page is for educational purposes only and should not replace advice from a medical practitioner.
© Graphics are property of Aromatherapy For Australia. Please do not use images without permission or without credit or link back to this blog post. Please read our Terms & Conditions
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