2016-02-01
Joybynature.com Team
Feb
01

No matter what cast, every Indian family owns a Holy basil or tulsi plant. It is considered to be one of the most sacred and most worshiped plants in the country. Holy basil belongs to the family of mint. It is a plant which is native of tropical Asia. It is believed that holy basil is been cultivated in India for more than 3000 years. It benefits the body, mind and spirit. It is also used in Ayurveda as a medicine. Here are a few benefits of holy basil.

  1. Anti-Bacterial

Tulsi is anti-bacterial and antibiotic in nature. It combats the harmful bacteria growing on our skin and inside our body. This is why holy basil is considered one of the best remedies to combat bacteria.

  1. Treats Diabetes

Holy basil is one of the oldest and most used home remedy to treat diabetes. People suffering from type 2 diabetes and advised to include holy basil in their diet. This helps to regulate and control their blood sugar level. It prevents the sudden plunge of sugar level in the blood.

  1. Beneficial For Joints

People suffering from arthritis often find their joints swollen up. Holy basil is anti-inflammatory in nature and thus helps to reduce inflammation or swelling from the body. Drinking holy basil tea or simply adding it to your green tea will help to soothe your swollen joints. Take a few leaves of holy basil and add them to a cup of boiling water. Cover the vessel and let it steep for 10 minutes. Strain and add a tablespoon of honey to this tea. Drink while it is still warm. Else, you can also brew market bought tulsi tea, to know more about it click here.

  1. Calms Your Mind

Holy basil alleviates your mood, reduces depression and anxiety and calms down your body and mind because it contains de-stressing properties. Some researches have shown that it also fights mental diseases like dementia and Alzheimer's.

  1. Boosts Digestion

Holy basil regulates the secretion of acids in our stomach and intestines and stimulates the production of protective mucus in the body, which help to digest our food properly. People who suffer from acidity or eat a lot of spicy food, often complain about stomach ulcers. Being anti-inflammatory in nature, holy basil soothes and treats stomach ulcers.

  1. Good For Heart

Researches have shown that holy basil helps to reduce the bad cholesterol from the body and helps to treat many other cardiovascular diseases. Chewing holy basil leaves thoroughly or drinking tulsi tea helps greatly to treat heart problems.

 

  1. Heals Wounds

Extracts of holy basil are used to treat a wound which prevent from getting it infected or development of pus. A paste made from the leaves of holy basil, when applied to the wound, retards the fungal and bacterial growth in the wound. It also speeds up the healing process and strengthens the new growing tissues and skin.

  1. Combats Flu

Holy basil is a natural way to treat common flu. It is also used to treat a cough and cold. Being anti-inflammatory in nature, it soothes a sore throat and reduces the swelling on the throat, which in turn reduces the irritation that usually a person suffering from a cough complains about. It is also a great remedy to treat bronchitis or whooping cough. Drinking tulsi tea 2-3 times a day helps to soothe the irritation faster. You can also add a few drops of basil essential oil in a pot of boiling water and inhale the steam after covering your head with a thick towel or wash cloth. This steam will clear up your choked nose.

  1. Reduces Body Temperature

Holy basil was used to reduce the high body temperature in high fever in olden days. It was said that one should add 100 holy basil leaves in 1-liter water, boil it and drink this water slowly throughout the day. This will bring down the temperature in the person suffering from high fever.

Nowadays holy basil is available in the market in many forms, so just in case you don’t have a tulsi plant in your house, don’t fret over it, try using it in a different form like tulsi juice or tulsi tea. To know more about holy basil, click here.

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