Holy basil, Bush tea leaf, Sacred Basil
Ocimum tenuiflorum

Family: Lamiaceae

What it is like

A small herb. It keeps growing from year to year. It grows to 70-100 cm high. It has a sprawling suckering habit. There are many branches and they are soft and pithy. It is branched. The base is woody. The leaf stalk is 1-2.5 cm long. The leaf blade is oblong and 2.5-5.5 cm long by 1-3 cm wide. It is hairy. The edges can be wavy or have teeth. The flowers are very small and white. They occur among calyxes along an erect stalk at the ends of the plant. The nutlets are brown and oval. They are about 1 mm long by 0.7 mm wide.

There are between 100 and 150 Ocimum species. It has anticancer properties.

Where it is found

It is a warm temperate plant. It needs a sunny sheltered position. Soil should be kept moist. In Asia it grows up to 600 m altitude. In China it grows in dry sandy areas. It can grow in arid places. In Hobart Botanical gardens. It suits hardiness zones 9-10.

Countries/locations it is found in

Andamans, Africa, Asia, Australia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Caroline Islands, China, Chuuk, Cook Islands, Cuba, Dominican Republic, East Africa, East Timor, Ethiopia, Fiji, FSM, Hawaii, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Kenya, Kiribati, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Marquesas, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Myanmar, Nauru, Nepal, Pacific, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Pohnpei, Rotuma, SE Asia, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Tasmania, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tuvalu, USA, Vanuatu, Vietnam, West Indies, Yap

How it is used for food

The soft seeds when soaked in water give a drink. The leaves are used for flavouring. They are used to flavour fruit jellies, sweet breads and preserves. The fresh leaves can be added to salads. They are also used as a substitute for tea. The flowers are eaten.

The seeds are sold in markets. It is a sacred plant within Hinduism. It is cultivated. It is eaten in larger amounts during famines.

Edible parts

Leaves for tea, herb, seeds, spice, flowers

How it is grown

It is grown from seed. Seeds are sown directly.

Leaves suffer cold injury if stored below 12°C after harvest.

Its other names

Local names

Ajaka, Aring, Baranda, Basilic des moines, Basilic sacre, Bidai, Brinda, Bryanda, Fusthula, Gaggera, Hsiang tsai, Kadiring, Kala-pi-sein, Kala tulsi, Kalitulshin, Kamangi, Kaphrao, Katriin, Kom ko dong, Krishna tulasi, Lamar, Loko-loko, Maeng-luk, Manjari, M'reas prov, Mreah preu, Mreahs prow, Nalla tulasi, Parnasa, Patrapuspha, Phak ka phao, Pin-sein-net, Ruku fuik, Ruku-ruku, Sacred balm, Saph'au, Sheng luo le, Sulasi, Suvasa tulasi, Tarp hao, Te marou, Thai basil, Trittavu, Tulasa, Tulasi chajadha, Tulsi, Tunrusi, Warung

Synonyms

Lumnitzera tenuiflora (L.) Spreng.; Ocimum anisodorum F. Muell.; Ocimum brachiatum Hassk.; Ocimum caryophyllinum F. Muell.; Ocimum flexuosum Blanco; Ocimum hirsutum Benth.; Ocimum inodorum Burm. f.; Ocimum monachorum L.; Ocimum sanctum L; Ocimum sanctum L. var. angustifolium Benth.; Ocimum sanctum L. var. cubensis Gomes; Ocimum scutellarioides Willd. ex Benth.; Ocimum subserratum B. Heyne ex Hook. f.; Ocimum tenuiflorum L. f. villicaulis Domin; Ocimum tenuiflorum L. var. anisodorum (F. Muell.) Domin.; Ocimum tomentosum Lam.; Ocimum villosum Roxb.; Moschosma tenuiflorum (L.) Heyne.; Geniosporum tenuiflorum (L.) Merr.; Plectranthus monachorum (L.) Spreng.;