What Are the Benefits of Tulsi?

Also called holy basil and ocimum tenuiflorum, tulsi is an herb that produces purple flowers, which are considered sacred in India. The leaves, stems, and seeds of the tulsi plant have a variety of uses in herbal medicine.

Function

• Herbal practitioners believe that tulsi has properties that decrease inflammation throughout the body and lower blood sugar levels. A 2009 study at the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute in Nagpur, India found that tulsi contains antioxidants -- substances that some believe prevent the growth of cancerous tumors in the human body.

Types of Uses

• Traditional uses for tulsi in herbal medicine include treatment of diabetes, the common cold, influenza, asthma, bronchitis, earaches, lung disease, headaches, upset stomach, heart disease, fevers, viral hepatitis, malaria, tuberculosis, ringworm, and poisoning from mercury or the bites of snakes and scorpions, according to RxList.

Expert Insight

• A 2009 study at Panjab University in Chandigarh, India found that the combined use of tulsi and another herb known as cloves helped protect the lungs from bacterial infections. These results lend some credence to its effectiveness in treating respiratory infections like bacterial bronchitis.

Time Frame

• Tulsi is generally considered safe when taken for short-term use, such as a period of a few weeks, according to RxList. The effects of taking tulsi daily for extended periods of time are unknown.

Considerations

• It may not be safe to take tulsi with anticoagulants like warfarin or phenobarbital prescribed for insomnia, as the herb has the potential to increase the actions of these drugs, according to RxList. If you are pregnant or nursing, avoid taking tulsi, as its effects upon fetal and infant development are unknown.