Properties: Pungent, Bitter, Warm
Meridans Entered:
Primary: Heart, Spleen, Kidney
Traditional Actions/Indications:
- Calms the Shen
Anxiety, depression, stress, insomnia
- Tonifies the Heart, Spleen and Kidney Yang
Poor circulation, heart disease
Adrenal fatigue, foggy brain, memory loss
Arthritis, muscle aches
Suggested Daily Dosage: 5-15g in decoction.
Cautions: It is contraindicated in case of qi deficiency and blood dryness.
Notable Constituents:
- Oleanolic acid
Triterpinoid component of olive oil that displays suppression of superoxide free radical production and immunomodulatory activity.
- Ursolic acid
Common acid in the plant kingdom with antioxidant and antitumour activities.
- Rosmarinic acid
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory with platelet aggregation inhibitory factors.
- Eugenol
Essential oil component most famous from cloves that is used to alleviate toothache which compromises ~70% of the essential oil component of Tulsi.
Notes:
There are three types of Holy Basil:
1. Krishna (O. tenuiflorum): It has purplish leaves and has the highest concentrations of of adaptogenic triterpenoic acids.
1. Vana (O. gratissimum): It is high in eugenol and is native to India and Africa.
1. Rama (O. sanctum): This is the most common type now grown in the US.
Does not appear in any formulae listed on this site
Research Links & References: (click to display)
Research Links:
Reference Notes:
Individual herb information has sourced mainly from TCM Wiki and American Dragon for basic data and then updated manually with my own notes. Zhou, Xie and Yan (2011): Encyclopedia of Traditional Chinese Medicines, Vol. 5, has been used for entries not available from those sources with additional material searched for and filled in where available. Western herbs not appearing in the Chinese literature have used Ross (2010): Combining Western Herbs and Chinese Medicine: A Clinical Materia Medica, White Rabbit Institute of Healing and therapeutika.ch. Choices of which source to use or combine have been my own.
These pages are intended to assist clinicians and are not intended for self-diagnosis or treatment for which a qualified professional should be consulted. Actions and indications are taken from traditional uses and do not necessarily reflect the evidence base which should be researched independently. Dosages are for guidance only and will vary dependening on the potency of the batch and the tolerance of the individual so should be evaluated by a professional based on individual needs.
