Herbal Tea: Tulsi / Holy Basil
Tulsi, also known as holy basil, is the plant Ocimum tenuiflorum, sometimes named Ocimum sanctum. Tulsi is important in Ayurveda, the traditional medicine of India, and the plant also has spiritual significance in Hinduism. It is used both as a seasoning and as an herbal tea. While it can be blended with other herbs, it is frequently consumed as an herbal tea on its own.
Tulsi is usually classified into two varieties, one with green leaves, and another with purple leaves. Another variety of this plant is also used as a seasoning in Thai food; this variety is called Thai holy basil or kha phrao (กะเพรา), and is a different species from the usual "Thai basil" which is a variety of the sweet basil plant Ocimum basilicum. Another species of basil, African basil, Ocimum gratissimum, is sometimes called "Vana Tulsi".
Tulsi is easy to grow and has requirements similar to sweet basil; it likes sun, and can be grown as a perennial in tropical climates and an annual in colder climates.
Health Benefits & Risks:
Tulsi has been studied for a wide variety of health uses and purposes; although the research is young and not fully conclusive, there is evidence for a wide variety of potential health benefits. There are also a few potential concerns with its use.In vitro studies have found evidence that extract of the seed and leaf of tulsi has antiviral properties[1], and stimulates the immune system.[2] A study on rats found that it can protect against liver damage caused by a toxic chemical.[3] A study on mice found an extract of the herb inhibited the progression of breast cancer.[4] In vivo studies on lung cancer cells found that tulsi can induce cell death and suppress the growth of cancer cells.[5] A study on rabbits found that tulsi prevented damage caused by stress, partly due to its antioxidant content.[6]
Tulsi is able to grow in areas with a high concentration of chromium, which would normally harm most plants; it can accumulate the metal in its leaves to potentially toxic levels. Tulsi grown in polluted areas is thus not safe for human consumption.[7] You can avoid this problem by buying organic tulsi and being familiar with the source of the herb, or by growing your own in soil that you are familiar with. There is some evidence that tulsi can slow blood clotting, with an effect comparable to that of aspirin;[8] it should be used with caution in situations where slowed blood clotting could be harmful, such as before surgery or childbirth.
References:
1. M. Shynu, M. Saini, B. Sharma, L.K. Gupta, P.K. Gupta, Ocimum tenuiflorum possesses antiviral activity against bovine herpes virus–1, Indian Journal of Virology, Vol. 17, No. 1, 2006.
2. M. Shynu, Gupta Praveen, Sharma Bhaskar, Saini Mohini, Immunomodulatory potential of Ocimum tenuiflorum extracts in bovine peripheral blood mononuclear cells in vitro, Journal of Immunology and Immunopathology Vol. 9, No. 1&2, 2007.
3. R.R. Chattopadhyay, S.K. Sarkar, S. Ganguly, C. Medda, T.K. Basu, Hepatoprotective activity of Ocimum sanctum leaf extract against paracetamol induced hepatic damage in rats, Indian Journal of Pharmacology, Vol. 24, No. 3, 1992.
4. Pratima Nangia-Makker, Larry Tait, Victor Hogan, Fred Miller and Avraham Raz, Inhibition of breast cancer progression by a medicinal herb Ocimum sanctum, Proceedings of the American Association of Cancer Research, Vol. 47, 2006.
5. Venkataraman Magesh et. al., Ocimum sanctum induces apoptosis in A549 lung cancer cells and suppresses the in vivo growth of lewis lung carcinoma cells, Phytotherapy Research, Vol. 23, No. 10, 2009.
6. J. Sethi, S. Singh, S. Sood, A. Talwar, S. Seth, Antistressor activity of Ocimum Sanctum (Tulsi) against experimentaly induced oxidative stress in rabbits, Methods Find Exp Clin Pharmacol, Vol. 29, No. 6, 2007.
7. Rai Vartika; Vajpayee Poornima; Shri Nath Singh; Mehrotra Shanta, Effect of chromium accumulation on photosynthetic pigments, oxidative stress defense system, nitrate reduction, proline level and eugenol content of Ocimum tenuiflorum L., Plant science, Vol. 167, No. 5, 2004.
8. Surender Singh, H. M. S. Rehan, D. K. Majumdar, Effect of Ocimum sanctum fixed oil on blood pressure, blood clotting time and pentobarbitone-induced sleeping time, Journal of Ethnopharmacology, Vol. 78, No. 2-3, 2001.
Examples of this style of tea: (8 including sub-styles - hide)
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Teabag | 
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