The plant is an erect, herbaceous, much-branched, softly hairy annual. The leaves are elliptic-oblong, acute or obtuse, entire or serrate, pubescent on both sides and minutely gland-dotted; the flowers are in close whorled racemes, purplish or crimson. The nutlets are sub-globose or broadly ellipsoid, slightly compressed, nearly smooth, pale brown or reddish and show small black markings.

Expectorant, stomachic, diuretic, antiseptic and cardiac stimulant, febrifuge (root).

Herbal Monograph
Holy Basil
Ocimum sanctum
Maimes Report on Holy Basil

Ascorbic acid, beta carotene, carvacrol, eugenol, eugenol-methyl-ether, methyl-chavicol(leaf); beta sitosterol, linolenic acid, oleic acid, palmitic acid, xylose (seed); saponin and tannin (plant).

Used in catarrh, cough, bronchitis, ringworm and other cutaneous diseases, stomachic in gastric disorders of children and in hepatic affections.

It may be best for pregnant or breast-feeding women to avoid use of the herb, especially the volatile oil.14 People with serious kidney or liver damage should not use basil volatile oil internally, as they could theoretically have trouble eliminating it from their bodies.