Holy basil
Ocimum tenuiflorum L.Lamiaceae // leaf · flowering aerial parts
Overview
Plant parts
leaf, flowering aerial parts
Known constituents
eugenol, rosmarinic acid, ursolic acid
Research corpus coverage
Chemistry notes
- CHEMISTRY: Relevant reported constituents include eugenol; rosmarinic acid; ursolic acid; constituent presence alone does not establish clinical efficacy.
Uses & Evidence
Traditional / historical use
Documented traditional use — not a claim of established efficacy.
TRADITIONAL: Holy basil has been used for stress; respiratory and digestive complaints; this records historical/traditional use and does not establish efficacy.
MODERATE · regulatory monograph · WHO Monographs on Selected Medicinal Plants
Modern evidence
EVIDENCE: For the major use set (stress; respiratory and digestive complaints), the evidence assessment is limited/mixed: Limited small human trials; insufficient high-certainty evidence.
MODERATE · randomized controlled trial · WHO Monographs on Selected Medicinal Plants
Mixed findings, product heterogeneity, or indirect evidence are preserved in the detailed profile.
Preparation
Forms used traditionally
A listed form does not imply it suits every plant part, or that one preparation is interchangeable with another — see the plant’s own notes below.
PREPARATION: The medicinal material is leaf; flowering aerial parts; traditional and modern forms include infusion/tea, tincture, powder/capsule, extract. No dose or potency is specified.
MODERATE · regulatory monograph · EMA European Union herbal monographs and list entries
Preparation-specific evidence should not be generalized across extracts, teas, oils, or whole herb.
Safety
Additional safety notes (general, unstructured)
Free-text safety notes carried from their source — not broken out by species, route, or hazard type, and not equivalent to the structured records above. Each note names the kind of source it came from.
SAFETY: Major issues include Possible hypoglycemia and bleeding effects. Contraindications/cautions include Bleeding disorders; fertility concerns from animal data are uncertain.
HIGH · regulatory monograph · EMA European Union herbal monographs and list entries
SAFETY: Clinically relevant interaction concerns include Potential additive effects with anticoagulants and diabetes drugs.
MODERATE · regulatory monograph · EMA European Union herbal monographs and list entries
Some interactions are theoretical or based on case reports/pharmacokinetics rather than outcome trials.
SAFETY: Pregnancy/lactation reference: Avoid medicinal use in pregnancy because reproductive safety is uncertain.
MODERATE · regulatory monograph or evidence synthesis · WHO Monographs on Selected Medicinal Plants
Absence of evidence is not evidence of safety.
Preparation × species risk matrix
Unknown means insufficient evidence was located — not that a form is safe.
Cats
- tinctureCaution
- concentrated extractUnknown
- essential oilUnknown
- glyceriteUnknown
- infused oilUnknown
- salveUnknown
- smoke/combustionUnknown
- tea/infusionUnknown
- whole herbUnknown
Dogs
- tinctureCaution
- concentrated extractUnknown
- essential oilUnknown
- glyceriteUnknown
- infused oilUnknown
- salveUnknown
- smoke/combustionUnknown
- tea/infusionUnknown
- whole herbUnknown
Identity
- Synonym
GBIF resolves Ocimum sanctum L. as a synonym of Ocimum tenuiflorum. The older name still appears in herbal and taxonomic literature.
HIGH · GBIF Species Match API
Botanical synonym
Ocimum sanctum L.
Taxonomic identity note
- Holy basil is treated here as Ocimum tenuiflorum L. in the family Lamiaceae; recorded older names include Ocimum sanctum L..
Sources
Research records are source-linked but may not yet be editorially reviewed.
WHO monograph
EMA monograph
- Plants of the World Online1 claim
botanical taxonomy database
- GBIF Species Match API1 claim
authoritative taxonomic database