Also called Holy Basil, Tulsi is a popular herb in India which has been around for more than one millennium, and is highly respected because of its wonderful healing properties. Tulsi is not all that popular in the West, but it is gradually gaining acceptance and still more people are expected to accept the herb when they become more aware of the health benefits of Tulsi.
The leaves of this herb have expectorant properties which help to clear off phlegm and mucus from the lungs as well as the bronchial tubes. This health benefit of Tulsi makes it useful for treating chest cold, bronchitis and slight cough. It can also be used for the treatment of sore throat, fever and common cold. Digestion is enhanced and the stomach is strengthened by taking Tulsi leaves. The juice contained in the Tulsi leaves is capable of reducing high body temperature (fever) when the leaves are boiled in about a liter of water as tea for drinking.
Tulsi is capable of strengthening the kidneys. By mixing Tulsi leaves juice with honey and drinking the mixture, kidney stones could be eliminated faster. The herb detoxifies and mildly increases the flow of urine; it could thus help in the reduction of the level of uric acid in the blood. It should be noted that high concentration of uric acid causes formation of kidney stones. Tulsi also lowers cholesterol levels.
Tulsi has anti-oxidants like eugenol and vitamins responsible for the protection of the heart from free radicals. This health benefit of Tulsi makes it a great herb for countries like the United States where heart diseases are responsible for most deaths. Stress levels, that affect the heart, can be lowered (lowering blood pressure), raw nerves can be soothed, and ophtalmia, macular degeneration, glaucoma, cataracts and other vision problems can be treated by drinking Tulsi tea; the eyes are also thus protected from damage by free radicals.
Influenza and asthma can be treated with Tulsi. The health benefit of Tulsi in treating these conditions can be derived by mixing ginger, honey and Tulsi leaves together. Flu can also be relieved with a mixture prepared from cloves, table salt and Tulsi leaves.
Another health benefit of Tulsi is that a herbal toothpaste can be made from it by drying some Tulsi leaves, grinding to powder form, and adding a little water or mustard oil to form a soft paste. Your teeth can be made healthy and strong by brushing with this Tulsi herbal toothpaste. The toothpaste can also be rubbed on the gums to hinder the inflammation of the gums, and can be used to eliminate bad breath and other teeth problems like pyorrhea.
The health benefits of Tulsi include treatment of night blindness and sore eyes by washing face with water from soaked Tulsi leaves or applying two drops of its juice to the eyes. Treatments of measles, cholera, whooping cough and urinary tract infections as well as prevention of infections are also some of the herb’s other uses; the health benefits of Tulsi are so many.
