Of Basil and Venom, Part 1
Mars is responsible for the basil plant. Some martial plants look more the part. They irritate the skin upon touch. They have thorns and stingers. Some are poisonous or caustic. By contrast, basil beckons you to smell it. Come closer. Basil is soft. If you squeeze just a little too hard, it crumbles into a black-bruised thing. And yet, while we may call basil “sweet,” if you taste it, there is pungency there. Some clove, some bite. This quality is more pronounced in basils that grow in the heat of their homelands.
Mars's plants tend to be warming and drying. They act on the immune system and metabolism. They often stimulate circulation and in doing so, move nourishing, immune-supporting blood throughout the body. Plants of Mars are usually pungent and salty (mineral-rich). They support the fever process and tend to be highly antimicrobial, antifungal, and antiparasitic. They are fighters. They are also energizing. Mars plants offer vigor and vitality. They wake us up. They get us moving. They shift us out of coldness, slowness, tension, stuckness, and sluggishness. Basil fits every one of these descriptions.
This small, “sweet,” unassuming plant is a surprise. Sharp stings hide in strange places. You’ll see.
Basil Medicinal Uses
Scientific Name: Ocimum basilicum
Scientific Family: Lamiacea, the mints
English Common Names: Sweet Basil, Common Basil, Garden Basil, St. Joseph's Wort
Common Names In Other Languages, in Alphabetical Order*
Arabic: رَيْحَان (rayḥān), حَبَق (ḥabaq); Armenian: ռեհան (ṙehan); Azerbaijani: reyhan; Bulgarian: босилек (bosilek); Campidanese: affàbbica, brasìle; Cantonese: 羅勒／罗勒 (lo/ lak); Cyrillic: босиљак; Mandarin: 羅勒／罗勒 (zh/luólè); Finnish: basilika; French: basilic; Greek: βασιλικός (vasilikós); Ancient: ὤκιμον (ṓkimon); Hebrew: בזיליקום, ריחן; Hindi: मीठा तुलसी (mīṭhā tulsī); Italian: basilico; Japanese: バジル (bajiru); Korean: 바질 (bajil); Logudorese: basìle, affàbbica; Maori: pātira; Marathi: तुळस (tuḷas); Persian: ریحان (reyhân); Polish: bazylia; Portuguese: manjericão, alfavaca; Punjabi: ਤੁਲਸੀ f (tulasī), ਨਿਆਜ਼ਬੋ (niāzabo); Romanian: busuioc; Sicilian: basilicò; Spanish: albahaca; Tagalog: albahaka, balanoy, solasi; Thai: กะเพรา (gà-prao); Turkish: fesleğen, reyhan; Udi: ираьгьаьн (irähän); Urdu: تلسی f (tulsī)
*If there’s a language you’d like to see here that you don’t, send me an email.
Native Lands: Asia (India and Iran in particular) and the tropics of Africa
Parts Used: Leaf and flower, with some specific uses for seed and root
Preparations: Tea, tincture, infused oil, infused vinegar, hydrosol, essential oil, poultice
Tincture Dosage: Fresh (1:2 95%) or dry (1:4 60%); either preparation 2-4 ml up to 3x a day
Energetics: Warming and drying (though the seeds are cooling and moistening)
Planetary Ruler: Mars, with a strong tie to the constellation Scorpius
Organ Affinities: Cardiovascular, digestive, immune, and nervous systems
Herbal Actions: Aphrodisiac, anticonvulsive, antiemetic, antifungal, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antiparasitic, antispasmodic, anxiolytic, cardioprotective, carminative, circulatory stimulant, decongestant, diaphoretic, diuretic, galactagogue, exhilarant, expectorant (upper chest), hepatoprotective, hypoglycemic, immunomodulant, and nervine
Other Known Skills: Insecticidal
Corrigents: Violet (Viola odorata); Lemon juice with sugar water (called sikanjbin in Indusyunic medicine)
Basil is a wide-spectrum medicinal ally. Most of its actions can be understood when you know that basil stimulates blood flow (bringing nourishing warmth and fresh “food” to the cells), relaxes and enlivens the nervous system, and has strong antioxidant and antibacterial effects. Basil is also a protective tonic for the heart and the liver. Because basil seeds and basil leaves have such different properties, it is a plant that can help most people if worked with thoughtfully.
To demonstrate basil's broad effects, here are a few rich herbal traditions and how they use basil. Traditional Iranian medicine uses basil in cases of anxiety, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, headaches, nerve pain, and convulsive disorders (Akbar, 2020). Similarly, in traditional Uyghur medicine basil is used for the treatment and prevention of cardiovascular diseases. Basil seems to have a particular skill in protecting the myocardium through plant’s antioxidant and circulatory-stimulating actions. In Indusyunic medicine, a syrup of basil seeds is “effective against cardiac debility and palpitation” (Usmanghani, K. et. al., 1997). Basil seeds and leaves are used in rural Kashmir for disorders of the digestive, cardiovascular, respiratory, gynecological, renal, musculoskeletal, and neurological systems (Bhat, et. al., 2020).
In Ayurvedic medicine, basil is used to alleviate coughs, asthma, bronchitis, eye inflammation, intermittent and malarial fevers, excess mucus, earaches, headaches, indigestion, and spasmodic affections, like cramping (Pushpangadan, et. al., 2012). Basil seeds pacify the dryness and heat of Pitta constitutions. This use finds a parallel in Indusyunic medicine, where basil seeds are a “household remedy for heat when used in syrups in summer season” (Usmanghani, K. et. al., 1997). By contrast, basil leaf helps with the cold and stuck nature of Kapha constitutions. The whole plant is suitable for Vata types (dry, tense, prone to atrophy), because seeds offer moisture whereas the leaf encourages both relaxation and invigoration (more on that below).
Basil can support those who struggle with cholesterol levels and heart disease. In Morocco, basil is one of the plants most widely used to reduce plasma cholesterol and attend to the risks of atherosclerosis-related diseases — which led researchers to investigate. They found that the “hypolipidaemic effect exerted by Ocimum basilicum extract was markedly stronger than the effect induced by fenofibrate treatments. Further it was demonstrated that Ocimum basilicum aqueous extract displayed a very high antioxidant power” (Amrani, et. al., 2006).
Basil is insecticidal and has long been used to ward unwanted pests and spirits (Admad et. al., 2015). The plant is traditionally used as a repellent for mosquitoes and houseflies in western Spain, and is effectively used by the indigenous people of the Bolifamba region in Cameroon for protection against mosquito and other insect bites (Akbar, 2020). If you’ve not been able to keep pests away and are stung or bit, a basil poultice has been used in scorpion and python bites (Akbar, 2020) — though, if you get stung by a scorpion or bit by a snake, please go to the hospital. While we’re on topical uses, studies using basil leaf juice “against acne vulgaris gave encouraging results” (Khare, 2004).
Like other highly aromatic plants, basil is skilled at handling infections. Basil has been worked with in cases of colds, cystitis, nephritis, toothaches, ear infections, and diarrhea caused by infection including dysentery (Bhat, et. al., 2020). In Kashmir, the seeds are the most commonly used part of the plant as a digestive tonic and for urino-genital system complaints such as syphilis, gonorrhea, chronic diarrhea, and dysentery as well as in cases of ear infections (Admad et. al., 2015). Basil is worked with in cold and flu, helping to decongest the sinuses and lungs and manage fever (Akbar, 2020). Throughout west Africa, basil is a key ingredient in malaria remedies and bronchitis. Its crushed leaves are used to alleviate conjunctivitis (Iwu, 2014).
As an antispasmodic, basil is useful where there is convulsion, tension headaches, and "hot" coughs. In rural Kashmir, and likely elsewhere, people massage their bodies daily with basil seed oil to help relieve epilepsy and other musculoskeletal problems (Bhat, et. al., 2020). Tension in the digestive system can be soothed with basil too, where its carminative effect helps relieve gas and encourages nutrient absorption via digestive enzymes (Admad et. al., 2015). Basil is worked with as an anti-nausea, stomachache, and excess mucus remedy in various parts of Africa (Tchatchouang, et. al., 2017; Iwu, 2014). Further supporting the stomach, teas and tinctures of basil have “presented significant antiulcer activity against aspirin, indomethacin, alcohol, histamine, reserpine, serotonin, and stress-induced ulceration” (Bhat, et. al., 2020).
Basil has been used traditionally for diabetes. Institutional scientific studies support what traditions around the world have known. Basil's antioxidant and anti-inflammatory skills seem to reduce blood sugar levels. Basil also supports the liver and kidneys, which can be harmed in diabetes (Othman, et. al., 2021). Other studies suggest that basil inhibits or slows sugar release (Ezeani, et. al., 2017). Whatever the mechanism of action, basil seems to be hypoglycemic.
That's all incredible. There's even more I didn't include because at some point you have to stop writing. But I want to talk about the aspect of basil I most treasure.
Ibn al-Baitar, an 11th-century botanist and pharmacist, recorded that badrooj (basil) is an aphrodisiac (Akbar, 2020). Contemporary herbalist Juliet Blankespoor calls it an exhilarant (2022). Exhilarants are hard to describe but you know them when you smell or eat them. Rose, vanilla, chocolate, and honey are all exhilarants, to give you an idea. Like other mints, basil relaxes the nervous system while energizing it. In his book The Wild Medicine Solution, herbalist Guide Mase compares this seemingly paradoxical effect to having your head rubbed — it’s invigorating and relaxing. I think this is why basil is an aphrodisiac. Herbal aphrodisiacs aren’t “herbs that make you want to have sex” so much as herbs that help us feel alive and desirous in many ways. Stimulating aphrodisiacs often bring blood flow to the pelvis as well, which basil does (which is why basil can be helpful in cases of stagnant or scant menstrual bleeding).
Basil, whether extracted in alcohol or water, distilled as a hydrosol, essential oil diluted with a carrier oil used topically or as aromatherapy, is helpful in the alleviation of mental fatigue, rhinitis, and spasm — opening up mental, emotional, and physical congestion (Akbar, 2020). In Unani medicine, basil leaves and seeds are prescribed in melancholia, palpitation, and debility (Khare, 2004). Studies suggest that basil increases memory retention and memory retrieval, likely due to its antioxidant activities via flavonoids, tannins, and terpenoids (Admad et. al., 2015).
Basil lifts the spirits, energizes us, and brings a sharpness to our experience. It’s this skill of awakening to the moment that draws me to basil and continues to stun me. I’ll come back to it when talking about Mars and this plant’s relationship with Scorpio. Basil is “enlivening, helping to allay fatigue and mental dullness… for an overworked mind, a massage with basil-infused oil can ease mental tension, tightness, and headache ” (2022). Basil is also a “folk remedy for boredom” (Admad et. al., 2015). Basil offers vibrancy. It insists that we be here.
When Not To Basil
When I spend a long time getting to know a plant, I am so in love. I am in awe. What can’t you do? When I read other herbalists’ monographs, sometimes I feel this stirring wonder in their writing too and the pragmatist in me thinks, Okay, but everyone shouldn’t take all herbs all the time. When should I not reach for this herb? So here’s my outline of that for you.
Big Cautions
If you are taking antihypertensive, anticoagulant, or antiplatelet drugs, basil can have additive effects that mess with your dosage. You can have some basil on your pasta but I wouldn’t have 3 dropperfuls of basil tincture a day (a standard dose).
Basil can lower blood sugar levels. This makes it so helpful for some people and not at all indicated for people who already struggle with hypoglycemia. If you need to monitor your blood sugar levels and start working with basil medicinally, keep a very close eye on any changes and talk to your doctor.
Basil’s use in pregnancy is complicated. My short answer is while pregnant or nursing, you can eat it as a flavoring agent in food but a high quantity of it in a tincture formula or tea blend seems unnecessary when holy basil exists and has such similar actions without the risks. I wouldn’t give basil to infants either.
Here’s the long answer for those interested. The German Commission E Monographs advise that basil “should not be taken during pregnancy, nursing, by infants or toddlers, or over extended periods of time” due to its high estragole content. According to the Botanical Safety Handbook, traditional Chinese medicine indicates the same (Gardner, et. al., 2013).
At the same time, it’s a food herb and it has been used to encourage breast milk flow traditionally (Akbar, 2020). Curious. So a closer look as estragole is in order.
Basil contains an alkenylbenzene called estragole. Some studies have suggested caution with plants that have this constituent because it can be broken down in the body into substances that are carcinogenic. Fennel, tarragon, parsley, and several other food herbs contain estragole too but basil has it in significantly higher quantities. That said, basil has also been shown to be highly antioxidant and chemopreventative. A 2018 review by the journal Expert Opinion on Drug Metabolism and Toxicology, found that (here, using OB as shorthand for Ocimum basilicum) “from a toxicological perspective, since the tumorigenic potential of alkenylbenzenes is counteracted by other OB constituents such as nevadensin, it can be concluded that OB consumption in food and preparations is safe” (emphasis mine) (Sestili, et. al., 2018).
David Hoffman has produced a compelling argument that estragole-containing herbs, including basil, are safe for humans at standard doses, pointing to 1) the unusually high concentration and amount of estragole (100-1000x more than the human diet or standard herbal doses) given to mice in studies and 2) the fact that plants with estragole have been a major part of the human diet for centuries, which is not true for mice.
Still, I’d reach for the holy basil if I were working with a pregnant client. They are not the same plant but they have a lot in common.
Basil essential oil has wonderful cognitive support properties but the essential oil industry puts forward a lot of bad ideas. Please don't ingest essential oils. I also wouldn’t put it on the skin directly without a carrier oil. Hydrosols are a much safer, more sustainable choice anyway.
Considerations
Basil is warming and stimulating. If you’re already red in the face, keyed up, ready for action, quick to anger (you know, kind of Aries-like) and you’re looking to cool off, soothe that upward energy — I would meet that Mars with some Venus. Consider combining with herbs like rose or violet.
My research has given me mixed messages on the long-term use of basil seeds. In Indusyunic medicine, basil seed is considered an acute medicine for short-term use. Like other highly mucilaginous herbs, basil seeds can slow digestion and absorption, and bring too much moisture to the body (Usmanghani et. al., 1997). On the other hand, in Unani medicine “a mucilaginous jelly of seeds, prepared by steeping one teaspoonful of the seeds in water, and mixed with sugar or its syrup, is prescribed as a tonic to the heart, brain, live and intestines” (Khare, 2004). Tonics are usually used over a long period of time to restore and strengthen the body. I need to do more research and talk to practitioners who have worked with the seeds inside long-standing traditions to really understand this. What I’d say is if you want to work with basil seeds, take breaks and note any changes to digestion or mucus in the body.
Another "more research needed" note. I'm unclear on basil's impact on stomach acid. Despite being a carminative and digestive tonic in so many cultures, some of the studies I read imply that basil lowers stomach acid and pepsin. It's not clear to me if that's conjecture. I'm inclined to follow the lead of traditional medicine here but it raises an eyebrow. Some people who experience heartburn and acid reflux have too much stomach acid but by and large, most people have too little. There's a chance basil is not well-indicated for people with low stomach acid, or at least herbalists need to be aware of that possibility when formulating. If you're an herbalist reading this and have experience here, email me!
Planting and Harvesting
Basil is a companion plant that helps attract bees and repel unwanted insects. It does well in a container or directly in the soil as long as it can get full sun and warm soil. It prefers hot days and warm nights. Basil likes the soil to be pretty moist but water at the base rather than from above. Raining down water can increase the risk of soil-borne diseases (Blankespoor, 2022).
Basil grows to 1-2 feet tall and like most mints, will become bushier the more you trim it. Regularly taking from your basil will also deter flowering, which changes the flavor. If you leave 6 inches of the plant intact, it will regrow and give you another harvest. You can use the basil you gather in food or in medicine. You can also dry it in open baskets or on screens.
Even though we would prefer basil not flower, Juliet Blankespoor notes that she likes to leave a few plants intact (as in, she never takes from them) so pollinators can visit their flowers. I recommend this too. It’s how we are good neighbors and show respect.
If you’d like to grow basil from seed, it takes 5-10 days to germinate at 70°-80°F so you’ll want to start them indoors. You also could wait until it’s consistently warm enough outside as they are such faster germinators. I’m growing it from seed this year (mostly for the joy of seeing it grow from the start, having gotten much closer to this plant) but in the past, I’ve bought a seedling at the grocery store and stuck it in a pot. That basil did beautifully.
Coming Up In Part 2
In Part 2 of “On Basil and Venom,” I’m focusing on basil and scorpions in magic, myth, and starlore. It will be less technical and a bit more dreamy, though still with a long resources list.
Stay tuned!
[Update: actually, you can read it here.]
Resources and References
In general, I want to recommend Sarah Corbett's herbal programs (which are such a steal). A good portion of my sources come either from her resources section, resources she shares in her courses, or her approach to conducting herbal research is what led me to what you see below. To boot, her programs are themselves a major ongoing resource in my life.
Admad Ch, M. Batool Naz, S. Sharif, A. Akram, M. Asad Saeed, M. (2015). “Biological and Pharmacological Properties of the Sweet Basil (Ocimum basilicum).” British Journal of Pharmaceutical Research 7(5): 220-229.
Akbar, S. 2020. Handbook of 200 Medicinal Plants. Springer Nature: Switzerland, AG.
Amrani, S., Harnafi, H., Bouanani, N., Aziz, M., Caid, H., Manfredini, S., Besco, E., Napolitano, M., Bravo, E. (2006). Hypolipidaemic activity of aqueous ocimum basilicum extract in acute hyperlipidaemia induced by triton WR-1339 in rats and its antioxidant property. Phytotherapy Research, 20(12).
Bahekar, S., Kale, R., Nagpure, S. (2012). Review on Medicinal Plants Used in Scorpion Bite Treatment in India. Mintage Journal of Pharmaceutical and Medical Sciences.
Binorkar, S. V. (2012). Herbal Medicines Used in the Management of Scorpion Sting in Traditional Practices. American Journal of Pharmtech Research, 2(3).
Blankespoor, Juliet (2022). The Healing Garden: Cultivating & Handcrafting Herbal Remedies. Mariner Books: Boston, NY.
Bhat, G.M., Majeed, H. Islam, M.A., Rather, T.A., Bakshi, M., Shahkan, F.A., Bhat Ahmad, R. (2020). Indigenous Medicinal Properties of Ocimum basilicum L. in rural Kashmir. The Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry, 9(5), 1876-1881.
Dambolena, J., Zunino, M., López, A., Rubinstein, H., Zygadlo, J., Mwangi, J. Thoithi, G., Kibwage, I., Mwalukumbi, J., Kariuki, S. (2010).Essential oils composition of Ocimum basilicum L. and Ocimum gratissimum L. from Kenya and their inhibitory effects on growth and fumonisin production by Fusarium verticillioides, Innovative Food Science & Emerging Technologies, 11(2), 410-414.
Dioscorides, Goodyer, J., & Gunther, R. T. (1959). The Greek Herbal of Dioscorides. Hafner.
Ezeani, C., Ezenyi, I., Okoye, T., Okoli, C., (2017). Ocimum basilicum extract exhibits antidiabetic effects via inhibition of hepatic glucose mobilization and carbohydrate metabolizing enzymes. J Intercult Ethnopharmacol 6(1).
Hoffman, D. “Fennel fruit, estragole and the breast feeding mother.” https://herbcraft.org/hoffmannfennel.html
Iwu, M. 2014. "Pharmacognostical Profile of Selected Medicinal Plants." Handbook of African Medicinal Plants. CRC Press.
Khare, C. P. (2004). Indian Herbal Remedies. Berlin: Springer.
Othman, M., Khaled, A., Al-Bagawi, A., Fareid, M, Ghany, A., Habotta, A., Abdel Moneim, A. (2021). Hepatorenal protective efficacy of flavonoids from Ocimum basilicum extract in diabetic albino rats: A focus on hypoglycemic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic activities. Biomed Pharmacother.
Pushpangadan, P., George, V. (2012). Handbook of Herbs and Spices Vol. 1. Sawston, Cambridge: Woodhead Publishing.
Secoy, D. M., & Smith, A. E. (1977). Superstition and Social Practices against Agricultural Pests. Environmental Review: ER, 2(5), 2–18.
Tchatchouang, S., Beng, V.P., Kuete, V. (2017). Medicinal Spices and Vegetables from Africa. Academic Press.
Therapeutic Research Center. (2021). Basil Monograph. Retrieved March 2023 from https://naturalmedicines.therapeuticresearch.com/
Usmanghani, K., Saeed, A., Alam, M. (1997). Traditional Medicine of Herbal, Animal and Mineral Origin in Pakistan. Karachi: University of Karachi.
Originally written in April 2023