''Ocimum tenuiflorum'', commonly known as holy basil, ''tulsi'' or ''tulasi'', is an aromatic perennial plant in the family

Lamiaceae The Lamiaceae ( ) or Labiatae are a family of flowering plants commonly known as the mint, deadnettle or sage family. Many of the plants are aromatic in all parts and include widely used culinary herbs like basil, mint, rosemary, sage, savory ...

. It is native to the Indian subcontinent and widespread as a cultivated plant throughout the Southeast Asian tropics. ''Tulsi'' is cultivated for religious and traditional medicine purposes, and also for its

essential oil An essential oil is a concentrated hydrophobic liquid containing volatile (easily evaporated at normal temperatures) chemical compounds from plants. Essential oils are also known as volatile oils, ethereal oils, aetheroleum, or simply as the o ...

. It is widely used as a herbal tea, commonly used in Ayurveda, and has a place within the Vaishnava tradition of Hinduism, in which devotees perform worship involving holy basil plants or leaves. The variety of ''Ocimum tenuiflorum'' used in Thai cuisine is referred to as Thai holy basil ( th, กะเพรา ''kaphrao'') and is the key herb in

phat kaphrao ''Phat kaphrao'' ( th, ผัดกะเพรา, ; ), also spelled ''pad krapow'', ''kaprao'', is one of the most popular Thai à la carte dishes. History By some accounts, ''phat kaphrao'' was included as part of Prime Minister Field Mars ...

, a stir-fry dish; it is not the same as Thai basil, which is a variety of '' Ocimum basilicum''. In Cambodia, it is known as ''mreah-prov'' ( km, ម្រះព្រៅ).

Morphology

Holy basil is an erect, many-branched subshrub, tall with hairy stems. Leaves are green or purple; they are simple, petioled, with an ovate blade up to long, which usually has a slightly toothed margin; they are strongly scented and have a

decussate Decussation is used in biological contexts to describe a crossing (due to the shape of the Roman numeral for ten, an uppercase 'X' (), ). In Latin anatomical terms, the form is used, e.g. . Similarly, the anatomical term chiasma is named aft ...

phyllotaxy. The purplish flowers are placed in close whorls on elongated

raceme A raceme ( or ) or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are produced as the s ...

s. The three main morphotypes cultivated in India and Nepal are ''Ram tulsi'' (the most common type, with broad bright green leaves that are slightly sweet), the less common purplish green-leaved ( Krishna or ''Shyam tulsi'') and the common wild ''vana tulsi'' (e.g., ''Ocimum gratissimum'').

Origin and distribution

DNA barcodes of various

biogeographical Biogeography is the study of the distribution of species and ecosystems in geographic space and through geological time. Organisms and biological communities often vary in a regular fashion along geographic gradients of latitude, elevation, i ...

isolates of tulsi from the Indian subcontinent are now available. In a large-scale phylogeographical study of this species conducted using

chloroplast A chloroplast () is a type of membrane-bound organelle known as a plastid that conducts photosynthesis mostly in plant and algal cells. The photosynthetic pigment chlorophyll captures the energy from sunlight, converts it, and stores it in ...

genome sequences, a group of researchers from Central University of Punjab, Bathinda, have found that this plant originates from North-Central India. This basil has now escaped from cultivation and has

naturalised Naturalization (or naturalisation) is the legal act or process by which a non-citizen of a country may acquire citizenship or nationality of that country. It may be done automatically by a statute, i.e., without any effort on the part of the in ...

into a

cosmopolitan distribution In biogeography, cosmopolitan distribution is the term for the range of a taxon that extends across all or most of the world in appropriate habitats. Such a taxon, usually a species, is said to exhibit cosmopolitanism or cosmopolitism. The ext ...

Chemical composition

Some of the

phytochemical Phytochemicals are chemical compounds produced by plants, generally to help them resist fungi, bacteria and plant virus infections, and also consumption by insects and other animals. The name comes . Some phytochemicals have been used as poisons ...

constituents of ''tulsi'' are oleanolic acid, ursolic acid, rosmarinic acid, eugenol,

carvacrol Carvacrol, or cymophenol, C6H3(CH3)(OH)C3H7, is a monoterpenoid phenol. It has a characteristic pungent, warm odor of oregano. Natural occurrence Carvacrol is present in the essential oil of ''Origanum vulgare'' (oregano), oil of thyme, oil ob ...

, linalool, and

β-caryophyllene Caryophyllene (), more formally (−)-β-caryophyllene, (BCP), is a natural bicyclic sesquiterpene that is a constituent of many essential oils, especially clove oil, the oil from the stems and flowers of ''Syzygium aromaticum'' (cloves), the esse ...

(about 8%). ''Tulsi ''essential oil consists mostly of eugenol (~70%) β-elemene (~11.0%), β-caryophyllene (~8%), and germacrene (~2%), with the balance being made up of various trace compounds, mostly terpenes.

Genome sequence

The genome of the tulsi plant has been sequenced and reported as a draft, estimated to be 612 mega bases, with results showing genes for biosynthesis of

anthocyanin Anthocyanins (), also called anthocyans, are water-soluble vacuolar pigments that, depending on their pH, may appear red, purple, blue, or black. In 1835, the German pharmacist Ludwig Clamor Marquart gave the name Anthokyan to a chemical compo ...

s in ''Shyama Tulsi'', ursolic acid and eugenol in ''Rama Tulsi''. The

predicted protein Protein structure prediction is the inference of the three-dimensional structure of a protein from its amino acid sequence—that is, the prediction of its secondary and tertiary structure from primary structure. Structure prediction is different ...

s and other annotations are available fro
caps.ncbs.res.in/Ote

Uses

''Tulsi'' (Sanskrit: Surasa) has been used in

Ayurvedic Ayurveda () is an alternative medicine system with historical roots in the Indian subcontinent. The theory and practice of Ayurveda is pseudoscientific. Ayurveda is heavily practiced in India and Nepal, where around 80% of the population rep ...

and Siddha practices for its supposed treatment of diseases.

Insect repellent

For centuries, the dried leaves have been mixed with stored grains to repel insects.

Nematicidal

The essential oil may have

nematicidal A nematicide is a type of chemical pesticide used to kill plant- parasitic nematodes. Nematicides have tended to be broad-spectrum toxicants possessing high volatility or other properties promoting migration through the soil. Aldicarb (Temik), a c ...

properties against ''

Tylenchulus semipenetrans ''Tylenchulus semipenetrans'' (Citrus nematode, Citrus root nematode) is a species of plant pathogenic nematodes and the causal agent of slow decline of citrus. ''T. semipenetrans'' is found in most citrus production areas and diverse soil textu ...

'', '' Meloidogyne javanica'', '' Anguina tritici'', and '' Heterodera cajani''.

Disinfection

Water disinfection using ''O. tenuiflorum'' extracts was tested by Bhattacharjee et al 2013 and Sadul et al 2009. Both found an

alcoholic extract A tincture is typically an extract of plant or animal material dissolved in ethanol (ethyl alcohol). Solvent concentrations of 25–60% are common, but may run as high as 90%.Groot Handboek Geneeskrachtige Planten by Geert Verhelst In chemistr ...

to be more effective than aqueous or

leaf juice Juicing is the process of extracting juice from plant tissues such as fruit or vegetables. Overview There are many methods of juicing, from squeezing fruit by hand to wide-scale extraction with industrial equipment. Juicing is generally the ...

. Sundaramurthi et al 2012 finds the result to be safe to drink, and additionally to be antimicrobial. A constituent analysis by Sadul found alkaloids,

steroid A steroid is a biologically active organic compound with four rings arranged in a specific molecular configuration. Steroids have two principal biological functions: as important components of cell membranes that alter membrane fluidity; and a ...

s, and tannins in the aqueous, and alkaloids and steroids only in the alcoholic extract.

Significance in Hinduism

''Tulsi'' is a sacred plant for

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

s, particularly the Vaishnavite sect. It is worshipped as the avatar of Lakshmi, and may be planted in courtyards of Hindu houses or Hanuman temples. The ritual lighting of lamps each evening during ''Kartik'' includes the worship of the ''tulsi'' plant. Vaishnavas followers of Vishnu are known as "those who bear the'' tulsi'' around the neck". '' Tulsi Vivah'' is a ceremonial festival performed between Prabodhini Ekadashi (the 11th or 12th lunar day of the bright fortnight of the

Hindu month The Hindu calendar, Panchanga () or Panjika is one of various lunisolar calendars that are traditionally used in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, with further regional variations for social and Hindu religious purposes. They adopt a s ...

of Kartik) and Kartik Purnima (the full moon of the month). Every evening, Bengali Hindus place earthen lamps in front of tulsi plants. During the Kati Bihu festival celebrated in Assam, people light earthen lamps (''

diya Diya may refer to: * ''Diya (film)'', 2018 Tamil- and Telugu-language film * Diya (Islam), Islamic term for monetary compensation for bodily harm or property damage * Diya (lamp), ghee- or oil-based candle often used in South Asian religious ceremo ...

'') at the foot of the household tulsi plants and pray.

Gallery

File:Holy Basil in India.jpg, On Deccan Plateau, India File:Tulsi or Tulasi Holy basil.jpg, Leaves and flowers File:Thulasi.jpg, In a home garden File:Tulasi Leaf.jpg, Leaves File:Ocimum tenuiflorum inflorescence closeup.jpg, Inflorescence File:Ocimum tenuiflorum (Tulsi) Flower.jpeg, Flower File:Holy Basil flowers.jpg, Flowers File:ಮನೆ ಅಂಗಳ ತುಳಸಿ ಕಟ್ಟೆ.JPG, Altar with ''tulsi'' plant for daily worship in a courtyard File:Japa mala (prayer beads) of Tulasi wood with 108 beads - 20040101-01.jpg, Prayer beads made from ''tulsi'' wood File:Ocimum tenuiflorum2.jpg, Plant shrub File:Holy Basil (Ocimum tenuiflorum) plant captured at night.jpg, At night

References

External links

{{Taxonbar, from=Q960124 Herbs tenuiflorum Plants used in Ayurveda Flora of tropical Asia Plants described in 1753 Indian spices Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus