Basil (Ocimum basilicum), also called great basil or Saint-Joseph’s-wort, is a culinary herb of the family Lamiaceae (mints). It is also called the “king of herbs” and the “royal herb”. It is a hardy annual plant, best known as a culinary herb prominently featured in Italian cuisine, and also plays a major role in Southeast Asian cuisines of Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and Taiwan. The king of herbs basil herb is one of the ancient and popular herbal plants brimming with notable health-benefiting phytonutrients. This highly prized plant is revered as “holy herb” in many cultures all around the world. Basil is originally native to Iran, India and other tropical regions of Asia. This bushy annual herb is especially grown for its medicinally useful leaves and seeds. Besides being popular as spice, basil contains essential oils which are used in medicine and chemical industry. Basil is also often cultivated for ornamental purposes. Basil is grown for its fragrant tasty leaves that can be added raw to salads, sandwiches or used in cooked dishes such as the ever popular pasta with tomato and basil sauce. In addition to its culinary uses, basil is also used in perfumes, soaps, shampoos and dental preparations.
| Name | Basil |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Ocimum basilicum |
| Native | Iran, India and other tropical regions of Asia. |
| Common/English Name | Great basil or Saint-Joseph’s-wort |
| Name in Other Languages | Urdu & Punjabi: Tulsi Chamorro: Atbahakat English: Basil Tongarevan (spoken): Mili Fijian: Tomole Hawaiian: Kī ‘a‘ala I-Kiribati: Te marou Mangarevan: Tamore miri Tahitian: Miri Italian: Basilico Maori (Cook Islands): Mili German: Basilienkraut Niuean: Momili Palauan: Rur a ked Tuvaluan: Mili Pukapukan: Mili Chinese: Luo le Spanish: Albaca Oriya: Dhalatulasi Tongan: Akau pāpālangi Arabic: Reihan Samoan: Lā‘au sauga French: Basilic Nauruan: Dementsi Japanese Rōmaji: Me-bōki Portuguese: Alfavaca Swedish: Basilika Hindi: Tulsi Tamil: Thulasi Malayalam: Sivatulasi Telugu: Tulsi-chettu Gujarati: Sabje Bengali: Kalotulsi Marathi: Tulasa |
| Plant Growth Habit | Hardy annual or short-lived perennial herbs |
| Growing Climate | Grows best under warm, tropical climates. Does best in warm environments that receive about six hours of sun each day. |
| Soil | Prefers fertile, well-drained loamy soils rich in organic matter. Most soils in Utah are well suited for basil production. Choose sites that have good air circulation around the plants. |
| Plant Size | 100 cm in height |
| Stem | 100 cm in height |
| Leaf | Ovate to elliptic-ovate, 3-6 (-11) cm long, 1.3-3 (-5) cm wide, both surfaces copiously dotted with sessile oil glands, upper surface puberulent, lower surface strigose on veins, margins subentire to remotely crenulate, apex acute, base cuneate, petioles 1-2 cm long. |
| Flower | Quite large, white or purple, arranged in terminal spikes. |
| Flavor/Aroma | Strong, pungent, often sweet smell. |
| Taste | Taste somewhat like anise |
| Varieties/Types |
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| Major Nutrition | Vitamin K (phylloquinone) 99.6 µg (83.00%) Manganese, Mn 0.276 mg (12.00%) Copper, Cu 0.092 mg (10.22%) Iron, Fe 0.76 mg (9.50%) Vitamin A, RAE 63 µg (9.00%) Vitamin C (Ascorbic acid) 4.3 mg (4.78%) Calcium, Ca 42 mg (4.20%) Vitamin B9 (Folate) 16 µg (4.00%) Magnesium, Mg 15 mg (3.57%) Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine) 0.037 mg (2.85%) |
| Health Benefits |
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| Calories in 1 cup (24 gm) | 6 K cal |