Holy Basil (Tulsi) (Ocimum tenuiflorum) · Herb Profile

At a glance

Botanical name: Ocimum tenuiflorum
Family: Lamiaceae
Part used: Leaf, Flower
Taste: Pungent, Bitter
Temperature: Warm
Moisture: Dry

Safety at a glance

In pregnancy

Generally considered safe

While breastfeeding

Limited data; traditional Indian use during lactation. Moderate use likely compatible.

For children

Safe in culinary amounts; therapeutic — caution under 12

Cautions

Theoretical anticoagulant effect — caution pre-surgery; may lower blood sugar

General contraindications

Culinary safe; avoid therapeutic doses

Stewardship

Holy Basil (Tulsi) is cultivated throughout India; three major cultivars (Rama, Krishna, Vana). Stewardship: honored in Hindu tradition as sacred — Eden's position is that we do not endorse the religious use but honor the plant as Creator-given.

In the traditional record

Tulsi/Holy Basil — considered sacred in Hinduism; planted around temples; referenced in Charaka Samhita as a sacred medicinal plant

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Educational use

The Apothecary is educational and does not constitute medical advice. Nothing here is intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before changing what you take, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or managing a diagnosed condition.

On our sources

These entries draw on public-domain materia medica, most of it published before 1900, alongside a smaller number of modern reference works. Energetic qualities such as warming, cooling, drying and moistening are a traditional framework for describing how a plant behaves in the body, not a laboratory measurement. Where a period source states one, we cite it. Where none does, and for many North American herbs none exists, the value reflects modern herbal consensus rather than a historical text. When we cannot support a caution with real evidence, we say nothing rather than guess.