Tuesday, March 20, 2012

The role of Basil or Tulsi in ancient herbal treatment


Basil also called as Tulsi in India is an ancient herbal cure for various ailments. Basil is being used commonly all over India for home treatments as well as in alternative treatment centers. It is a small shrub that is believed to have divine powers. One can see Basil in every Hindu home in India. Although most of them are unaware of its medicinal properties, they worship it as one of their deities.

The reason for growing Basil or Tulsi at home had a purpose in ancient times. The plant is usually grown in pots and placed in the center of a house where sun light is available in plenty. The shrub spreads a pleasant aroma that keeps the house fresh throughout the day. The air that is filled with the essence of the plant is actually an inducer of immunity. Most people having the shrub at their homes remain health from common ailments and epidemics.

Healing powers and benefits of Basil or Tulsi are incredible. The ancients immersed the leaves of the plant in water and claimed it to be holy and every one had to have a sip of the drink. The secret behind this is that everyone at home had their quota of Basil essence daily to improve their immunity. It was also used to treat fever, common cold, coughs, throat irritation, respiratory disorders, mouth ulcers, skin related ailments and other external ailments including treatment for eyes.

Some of the long term benefits of using Basil or Tulsi include dissolving of kidney stones, increasing memory power and strengthening of nervous system. It is also an excellent herb for digestive disorders. Since the herb had the cloak with religious tint, for a long time the herb was ignored by people of different faiths. Now that the medicinal value of Basil or Tulsi is well known to the world a lot of research is being conducted to discover more healing properties of the herb.