Healing Power and Curative Properties
Mouth Infections
The leaves are quite effective for the
ulcers and infections in the mouth. A few leaves chewed will cure these condtions.
Insect Bites
The herb is a prophylactic or preventive and curative for insect stings or bites. A teaspoon of the juice of the leaves is taken and repeated after a few hours. Fresh juice must also be applied to the affected parts. A paste of the fresh roots is also effective in cases of bites of insects and leeches.
Stress
Basil leaves are regarded as an adaptogen or anti-
stress agent Recent studies have shown that the leaves'afford significant protection against
stress. Even healthy persons can chew 12 leaves of basil, twice a day, to prevent
stress. It purifies
blood and helps prevent several common ailments.
Skin Disorders
Applied locally, basil juice is beneficial in the treatment of ringworm and other
skin diseases. It has also been tried successfully by some naturopaths in the treatment of leucoderma.
Eye Disorders
Basil juice is an effective remedy for sore eyes and night-blindness, which is generally caused by deficiency of vitamin A. Two drops of black basil juice should be put into the eyes daily at bedtime.
Teeth Disorders
The herb is useful in teeth disorders. Its leaves, dried in the sun and powdered, can be used for brushing teeth. It can also be mixed with musturd oil to make a paste and used as tooth paste. This is very good for maintaining dental health, counteracting bad breath and for massaging the gums. It is also useful in pyorrhoea and other teeth disorders.
Headache
Basil makes a good
medicine for
headache. A decoction of the leaves can be given for this disorder. Pounded leaves mixed with sandalwood paste can also be applied on the forehead for getting relief from heat,
headache and for providing coolness in general.
Other Diseases
A decoction of the leaves can be given with beneficial results in gout and gonorrhoea. This decoction is also useful in
neuralgia. The juice of the leaves is a well-known remedy for
earache and dullness of hearing. A few drops of the juice can be put in the ear for the treatment of these conditions. The powder of the leaves is used as snuff for expelling maggots from the nose.
The seeds of the plant are useful in diarrhoea, chronic dysentery, habitual
constipation, gonorrhoea, internal piles, cough,
kidney disorders and
fever. The mucilaginous jelly, formed by infusing 4 to 12 grams of the seeds in
cold water for sometime, can be taken with sugar to treat these diseases. The
cold infusion can also be taken for relieving
pain after childbirth. A poultice of the seeds are beneficial for sores and sinuses.