Basil: An Underestimated Medicinal Plant

Often reduced to its role in the kitchen, basil (Ocimum basilicum) is nevertheless one of the most historically charged plants of the Mediterranean flora. A true crossroads between table and apothecary, it has accompanied humanity since antiquity, both for its culinary uses and for its long-standing place in herbal traditions.

An Underestimated Digestive Leaf

Common basil stands out for its highly aromatic leaves, rich in volatile compounds. It is best known in the kitchen, but medicinal traditions also used it for the belly: slow digestion, gas, mild cramps, and discomfort after meals. Its strength is not to act forcefully, but to help release what contracts.

Digestive and Antispasmodic Properties

Basil has carminative, antispasmodic, and mildly anti-inflammatory properties, and is mainly used to support simple digestive troubles. Its aromatic molecules, such as linalool and eugenol, contribute to its relaxing effect on the smooth muscles of the digestive tract. Rosmarinic acid supports its antioxidant profile and explains part of its traditional use on minor irritations.

The genus Ocimum counts more than seventy species spread across the world. Some of these plants were emblems. Here is how four civilisations lived with them.

History & Mythology

Basilikón, the Herb of Kings

Ancient Greece and Rome

The word comes from the Greek basilikón— « royal », « fit for a king » — derived from basileús, the king. According to Greek mythology, basil was born where Ocimus fell, a warrior killed in battle: where his blood touched the earth, the plant sprang up. Whether one believes it or not, the name remained.

Theophrastus mentions it in his Enquiry into Plants around 300 BCE, and Dioscorides names it ókimon in his Materia Medica in the 1st century. The plant traveled from India along the spice routes and established itself permanently in the Mediterranean.

« Its seeds develop all the better for being sown with curses. »Pliny the Elder — Naturalis Historia, Book XX

Tulsi, the Bride of Vishnu

Vedic India

For Hindus, sacred basil—a distinct species from culinary basil, known as Tulsi—is not just a plant: it is considered a divine manifestation. An ancient legend tells of a woman of perfect devotion to Vishnu who was transformed into basil after her death, in order to remain eternally by his side. In Sanskrit, its name, Tulasī, means « the incomparable ».

For centuries, this plant has held a central place in Indian homes. Cultivated in a small stone shrine at the heart of the family courtyard, it is watered every morning and evening as an act of devotion. In autumn, a traditional festival called Tulsi Vivah symbolically celebrates its union with Vishnu—and marks the beginning of the human wedding season.

« Where Tulsi grows, there is no misery. Brahma dwells in its roots, Vishnu in its stems and leaves, Rudra in its flowering tops. »Padma Purana — words attributed to Shiva addressing the sage Narada

The Leaves That Cool

Haiti and the Caribbean

On the other side of the Atlantic, basil holds a sacred place in Haitian Vodou. In this tradition, born from the encounter between West African knowledge and colonial Catholicism, aromatic leaves — fey in Creole — are the language through which one addresses the lwa, the spirits.

Basil is part of two major purification rituals. The lave tèt — the ceremonial washing of the head that opens Vodou initiation — where freshly bruised leaves release their fragrance into warmed water. And the Saut-d'Eau pilgrimage, every 16 July, where the faithful enter the sacred waterfall and rub their bodies with fresh herbs to wash away the misfortunes and sorrows of the year.

Every bath is different: the herbs chosen, the day, the place — it all depends on the lwa concerned and what the practitioner seeks to achieve. In this system, the plant is never merely medicinal. It is always also spiritual.

« The leaves cool. »Vodou adage reported by Haitian ethnographers, on the soothing role of leaf baths

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How to Prepare Basil

Infusion remains the simplest way to enjoy basil outside the kitchen. Let a small handful of fresh leaves, or one teaspoon of dried leaves, steep for 5 to 8 minutes in water around 85 °C. Cover the cup to preserve the aromas.

The leaf mainly contains volatile compounds — linalool, eugenol, methyl chavicol — as well as polyphenols such as rosmarinic acid, linked to its digestive, antioxidant, and soothing action.

Selected References

Pliny the Elder. Natural History, Book XX.
Dioscorides. De Materia Medica, Book II (1st century).
Boccaccio. Decameron, Day IV, Tale V (c. 1353).
Parkinson, John. Theatrum Botanicum (1640).
Culpeper, Nicholas. The English Physitian (1652).
Grieve, Maud. A Modern Herbal (1931, reissued 1971).
Wood, Matthew (2008).
The Earthwise Herbal — A Complete Guide to Old World Medicinal Plants
. North Atlantic Books.
Cohen, M. M. (2014). « Tulsi — Ocimum sanctum: A Herb for All Reasons. » Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine, 5(4), 251–259.
Azizah, N. S., et al. (2023). « Sweet Basil ( Ocimum basilicum L.) — A Review of Its Botany, Phytochemistry, Pharmacological Activities, and Biotechnological Development. » Plants, 12(24), 4148.
Filip, S. (2017). « Ocimum basilicum L. — A Review on its Chemical Constituents and Pharmacological Activities. » Differential Nutrition-Health Properties of Ocimum basilicum, PMC9222536.
Padma Purana; Devi Bhagavata Purana (classical Vedic texts).
Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America — Exaltation of the Holy Cross (liturgical tradition).
ReVista, Harvard DRCLAS — « The Coolness of Cleansing: Ritual Baths in Haitian Vodou. »

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