Holy Basil: The Sacred Spice That Knocks-Out Stress

Holy basil (Ocimum tenuiflorum or Ocimum sanctum) has a long history of use for cooking and healing. This herb, which is called Tulsi in its native land, is one of the most important ingredients in Ayurvedic medicine. What makes this plant so special is that it's a healing superfood. Primarily holy basil functions as an adaptogen, which helps your body manage stress. Unhealthy levels of stress, especially when it's on-going, takes a huge toll on your body. By helping your body maintain balance and manage stress, Tulsi offers a wide range of health benefits.

Enhance Stress Response.

Adaptogens are a group of plants that naturally help your body regulate physical, mental, and emotional stress. The primary adaptogenic metabolic pathway that holy basil takes balances adrenaline, cortisol and corticostrone stress hormone levels. In addition, the triterpenoic acid and caryophyllene (a primary terpene) found in holy basil enhance your body's adaptive stress response. Tulsi's adaptogenic properties balance out your stress hormones, boost your mood, and improve memory and mental clarity. And the same properties that give holy basil its stress-relieving qualities also help it combat health issues connected to stress. For example, Tulsi can help you lose weight by turning off the stress-response that signals your body to store fat.

Improve Immunity

Holy basil also functions as an immune booster. Researchers think this is because Tulsi acts as an anti-inflammatory and oils from the plant have antioxidant properties. Tulsi's anti-inflammatory properties also make it a helpful treatment for joint pain. In practice, holy basil acts as an effective, natural, and powerful antibacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-viral agent. Many use it to treat illnesses including bronchitis, the common cold, influenza, malaria, and typhoid. There's also promising research using holy basil seed oil in cancer treatment.

Keep The Body Healthy

Holy basil functions as a powerful detoxifying agent. It helps keep your liver healthy and purifies your blood. One happy side-effect of this is that it'll improve your skin's appearance by reducing pimples and acne. Holy basil is also known to lower blood sugar and prevent blood clotting. Those can be good things, but these properties also come with a warning. If you already have type 2 diabetes and are on medication to control blood sugar holy basil could result in excessively low blood sugar. And if you're on medications that slow clotting taking holy basil might increase the chances of bruising and bleeding. You'll also want to make sure you stop taking holy basil two weeks before any scheduled surgery.

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Make sure you get all the benefits holy basil can offer by using only the highest quality. Crucial FOUR's special freeze-drying process preserves the natural ingredients in Tulsi in a form that's easily absorbed and metabolized. Click here to pick some up in our online store.