Synopsis: Basil chemotypes for daily care and perfumery, used in many therapeutic formulas, is widely grown, and healing to mind and body. A detailed synopsis of uses and properties.
Basil Essential Oil & Hydrosol Profile ~ a plant of many mysteries
By Jeanne Rose
COMMON NAME/LATIN BINOMIAL ~ Basil is Ocimum basilicum. There are several chemotypes. Holy Basil or Tulsi Basil is Ocimum sanctum or O. tenuiflorum sometimes mistakenly named Basilicum sanctum.
Other Common Name/Naming Information – Basil (Ocimum mimimumorbasilicum is called cooking Basil, great Basil, St. Joseph’s plant or just Basil and Holy Basil or Tulsi (Ocimum tenuiflorum or O. sanctum). They are treated as annuals although some act as perennial. Holy basil contains eugenol and depending on the species and cultivar and it has a strong, herbaceous, often sweet smell. The leaves may taste somewhat like anise, but for me, it is only slightly licorice or anise scented.
Family – Lamiaceae family. There are several species and hybrid species, varieties and also chemotypes (chemical varieties) depending mainly on what men decide they want but also on terroir especially changes in chemistry caused by elevation and other factors such as bloom time and the time of year the plant is harvested.
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COUNTRIES OF ORIGINS ~ Basil is known for thousands of years, by the Greeks and the Romans, and probably originated in India. Ocimum tenuiflorum (synonym Ocimum sanctum), commonly known as Holy Basil, tulasi, or tulsi, which is native to the Indian subcontinent and widespread as a cultivated plant throughout the Southeast Asian tropics. It is revered as the ‘elixir of life’.
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HARVEST LOCATION ~ Basil linalool and chavicol type from Egypt, Holy Basil from India.
ENDANGERED OR NOT ~ Basil is not endangered although there are some native species that are.
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GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF PLANT HABITAT AND GROWTH. This plant is generally considered a tender annual. The seeds are sown directly into the ground, it likes a sunny location with well-drained soil, thinned or transplanted to 12 inches apart, water deeply every 10 days (or so), and chopped and distilled before it forms flowers. Basil is best used fresh, whether for culinary use or distillation.
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Several varieties/chemotypes can be grown
Cinnamon basil – Ocimum sp., this refers to a number of different varieties of Basil that are related because of their spicy odor, 18″. This variety offers dark green shiny leaves and pink flowers.
Lemon basil – O. x basilicum ‘Citriodorum’, a hybrid of African and American basil, 12″-18″. Fine-leafed plant with distinct lemon fragrance.
Lettuce Leaf basil – O. crispum, 15″. A large leaf variety of Basil with large, crinkled green leaves which have a sweeter flavor and milder scent than other varieties.
Opal basil – O. basilicum. ‘Purpurascens’, an improved variety of dark purple Basil. 12″-18″. A variety that has red-purplish foliage and pink flowers.
Spicy Globe – O. basilicum, 8″-10″. Has green foliage and is a small, compact plant size. and spicy scent.
Thai basil – O. basilicum., 24″-36″. An upright, plant with flavor and fragrance distinctly different from other basils.
Mountain Rose Herbs lists three types of Basil.
Krishna (Ocimum tenuiflorum) is known for its medicinal value and peppery crisp taste.
Rama (Ocimum sanctum) is known for its cooling and mellow flavor.
Vana (Ocimum sp.), aka. “forest type”, is known for its fragrance.
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• The seeds from Strictly Medicinal seeds in Oregon (formerly Horizon Herbs).
Photo credited to Andrea Lay
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PORTION OF PLANT USED IN DISTILLATION, HOW DISTILLED, EXTRACTION METHODS AND YIELDS ~ Plant is harvested prior to the flowers and the leaves are steam- or hydro-distilled.
Yield – Depending on the season when distilled, the yield is 0.1% to 1.66%.
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Basil CT linalool organic, Basil CT linalool Egypt, Basil Tropical Oils
ORGANOLEPTIC CHARACTERISTICS of most Basil oil
- Color – colorless to pale yellow
- Clarity – clear
- Viscosity – non-viscous
- Intensity of odor – 5
- Taste – bitter, aromatic
ODOR DESCRIPTION/ AROMA ASSESSMENT ~ Basil is a good example of how a chemotype alters the scent of a plant. Basil can grow in various areas from the very hot to the less hot. The hotter the area the more that the Basil will reflect the heat by producing more chavicol. If the area is higher in altitude, the Basil may produce more Linalool. Besides the many botanicals varieties of Basil, all with varying odors to complicate the matter there are also chemotypes (chemical varieties).
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CHEMISTRY OF BASIL CHEMOTYPES
A chemotype describes a plant that have the same morphological characteristics (relating to form and structure) but produce different quantities of chemical components in their essential oils.
In Basil, there are chemotypes CT chavicol, CT eugenol, CT linalool, and CT thymol, . Light intensity and higher temperature encourages camphor. High altitude often encourages linalool; and eugenol and thymol often have to do with the heat of the climate.
Basil Chavicol or methyl chavicol (aka estragole), is very strongly herbaceous odor, not for perfumery, and is better in household products or soap.
Basil eugenol, high in eugenol, found in the “production of new types of basil oils grown in Indiana are rich in specific chemical constituents that have application in new products will require a close relationship with both essential oil brokers and end-processors.” It has a spicy clove-like scent.
Basil Holy has a strong herbaceous and spicy odor with a slight green and fruity back note.
Basil linalool. This CT (CT = chemotype or chemical variety) is gently medicinal and has a sweet, green odor, very fine to use in perfumery, and any products that are used for the younger persons.
Basil thymol smells spicy and astringent and best for applications more medicinal in nature.
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Classifying by chemotype is more prevalent now than it was 10-15 years ago. Another way to say it is that chemotype (chemical variety) refers to the particular plant that have the same morphological (body shape) characteristics, but which produce different quantities of the chemical constituents in the resultant essential oil.
Chemical Components – The strong clove scent of sweet basil (Basil CT eugenol) is derived from eugenol, the same chemical as actual cloves. Scent and chemistry is different depending on the season and the variety.
The various Basils have such different scents because the herb has a number of chemotypes that come together in different proportions. (“The essential oil composition over the different seasons was quite idiosyncratic, in which the principal components of one season were either trivial or totally absent in another”.)1. The strong clove scent of sweet Basil is derived from eugenol, the same chemical as actual cloves. Basil and Oregano contain large amounts of (E)-beta-caryophyllene, BCP, which might have a use in treating inflammatory bowel diseases and arthritis. BCP is the only product identified in nature that activates CB2 selectively; it interacts with receptors (CB2), blocking chemical signals that lead to inflammation, but without triggering mood-altering effects. Use in blends for perfume or for scent.
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The citrus scent of lemon Basil and lime Basil reflects their higher portion of citral, which causes a healing lung effect evident in several plants including Melissa officinalis, and of limonene, which gives actual lemon peel its scent. African blue Basil has a strong camphor smell because it contains camphor and camphene in higher proportions. Licorice Basil contains anethole, the same chemical that makes Anise smell like Licorice, and in fact is sometimes called “Anise basil.”
Other chemicals that help to produce the distinctive scents of many Basils, depending on their proportion in each specific variety or breed, include: 1,8-cineole, beta-caryophyllene, camphor, citronellol (in scented geraniums-the Pelargoniums, Roses, and Citronella), eugenol, fenchyl acetate, linalool (a floral scent that is also in Coriander), linalyl acetate, methyl eugenol, myrcene (most types of Bay leaf, Hops, Thyme), pinene (which is, as the name implies, the chemical that gives pine oil its scent), ocimene, terpineol, trans-ocimene.
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Tulsi Basil essential oil has been found to consist mostly of eugenol (~70%), β-elemene (~11.0%), β-caryophyllene (~8%) and germacrene (~2%), with the balance being made up of various trace compounds, (mostly terpenes).
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Basil and Oregano contain large amounts of (E)-beta-caryophyllene (BCP), and these might have a use in treating inflammatory bowel diseases and arthritis.
BLENDING AND PERFUMERY
BASIL Blends Best with most of the Mediterranean herbs such as Lavender, Marjoram, Rosemary, and Sage, and with most of the seed oils; it modifies and softly changes the green scents in perfumerysuch as Galbanum, Mugwort and even Violet leaf, and the stronger conifer scents such as Redwood or Sequoia.
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Citrus/Green Formula
Blending/Perfumery ~ This green, spicy note works well with citrus and is used as a bridge or a full note in many commercial perfumes.
Top Note ~30 drops of combinations of Citrus oils such as Bergamot, Lemon, Tangerine
Heart Note ~12 drops of Basil (linalool will be softer, Holy Basil stronger, do not use Basil chavicol or Basil thymol)
Bridge or in Heart Note ~ 5-10 drops of a green note such as Coriander seed or Galbanum
Base Note ~ 20-30 drops of Atlas Cedar and Vetivert
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I want to thank PRIMA FLEUR BOTANICALS for their ongoing assistance to provide the new essential oils for these essential oil blog posts as well as their support to provide better information for the entire aromatherapy community.
GENERAL PROPERTIES of BASIL
Basil CO2 from the leaves, Ocimum basilicum & O. sanctum, has a strong Basil smell and is more like the Basil taste and smell than the steam-distillate of the leaves. It can be used wherever the SD is used and in culinary as well. Try a bit in your hair care products for that refreshing, distinctive Basil odor and stimulating quality. In perfumery, it is both sweet and spicy. Basil always blends well with Bergamot, Clary Sage, Clove Bud, Lime, Juniper, Lemon, Neroli, and Rosemary.
Holy Basil, O. sanctum
For the Properties and Uses of Basil, also check my books, Herbs & Things, Herbal Body Book, The Aromatherapy Book, and 375 Essential Oils and Hydrosols, you will find more information there.
Properties are by (AP=application by IG=ingestion or IN=inhalation).
AP – application – it is antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antibacterial, anti-infectious, and antibiotic.
IG – ingestion – as stomachic, antispasmodic, digestive tonic, possibly an intestinal antiseptic, and carminative.
IN – inhalation – as restorative, general stimulant, maybe an emmenagogue
Please be aware of which chemotype you are using as the eugenol and thymol types can be an irritant on the skin.
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PROPERTIES AND USES ~ Tulsi Basil has been shown to have some antibacterial activity against E. coli and S. aureus and is better known as an adaptogen and astringent herb used as an Ayurveda remedy for various things including removing stress and for longevity. Also, it is used in Thai cuisine and as an insect repellent when leaves are added to stored foods and grains. Sweet Basil and other Basil types are stimulant, anti-bacterial, some types are more to less slightly to very medicinal.
Herbal Body/Hair Care – Basil that wonderful, delicious smelling herb which loses most of its scentual delight when dried is best used fresh in your creations. Quickly dry and mash to a powder, mix with powdered sweet Lavender and brush into the hair to perfume it.
Or take 3 ounces of neutral spirits, get quality product from http://www.Organicalcohol.com, add 7 drops of sweet Lavender EO and 7 drops sweet Basil EO, shake well, and add ½ ounce Lavender hydrosol and succuss. Use this to perfume and treat your hair to help health and growth.
Jeanne Rose Formula for Split Ends and Hair Growth – Occasionally as needed, use 1 tsp. of Olive oil that you have added 1 drop each of Basil oil and Rosemary oil. Apply this to the scalp and massage in thoroughly. Let this sit overnight, shampoo in the morning. This is for healthy hair, hair growth and to reduce split ends. Also, make an infusion of the herbs of Basil and Rosemary. Use the fresh herbs if possible. Use the strained infusion as a rinse after your shampoo and as a spray on the hair when needed. For a more complete formula and uses on the hair, refer to of Jeanne Rose’s Herbal Body Book, p. 70.
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DIFFUSE/DIFFUSION ~ Basil EO when used in the diffuser, particularly with Rosemary and Lavender oil is a brain and memory stimulant. But Basil is strong and pungent, use Basil linalool here and use the diffuser or inhaler only briefly and moderately for best effect.
Emotional/Energetic Use: When inhaled, this Basil oil is considered to reduce depression, relax the mind after intellectual overwork, soothe the nerves and reduce stress. This is used by inhalation, a drop in the palms of the hand, rub hands together briskly and then inhale the scent.
Holy Basil has strong ritualistic and energetic uses.
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HYDROSOL: Basil hydrosol is just a wonderful product; however, its scent depends on which chemotype you use. It can be added to a hair conditioner or hair application to stimulate growth and for hair loss; a teaspoon in a glass of water or carbonated water can be calming and to soothe a fiery feeling or it can be used in foods such as vegetables and pasta. Basil hydrosol has a slight licorice taste and is a digestive.
Basil Oils and Tulsi Hydrosol
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CULINARY USE ~ This sweet, spicy herb Basil is a very important flavoring herb for the kitchen, it was used extensively to flavor turtle soup and is perfect, always, with Tomato. Fresh Basil is best but, in a pinch, you can use 1-drop of Basil oil on two ounces of the dried herb. Toss the mixture and store away in an airtight container in the dark while the scent infuses the dried herb. You can also chop fresh Basil and just cover with a good quality Olive oil and store in the fridge until needed. Use sooner rather than later. For pesto sauce, pound fresh Basil with Olive oil, Pine nuts, Parsley, Garlic, Parmesan, and salt and pepper and use this on pasta, freshly sautéed Onions or spread on toasted bread, vegetables, or salad.
Pesto Sauce is a blend of basil, pine nuts, garlic, olive oil, and Parmesan cheese. The Basil itself used in a traditional Pesto Genovese is a special type grown only in Italy. Only the top two sets of leaves are harvested for the Pesto and it makes a completely different tasting foodstuff than what we make in the USA.
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HERBAL USE ~ Herb Basil is added to honey and Nutmeg and used to ease diarrhea and some say as a tea to ease childbirth pain. Basil leaves with Comfrey and Rosemary make an excellent cleansing bath herb formula.
Look at Jeanne Rose Herbal Body Book for a host of uses.
Basil Leaf
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INTERESTING AND HISTORICAL INFORMATION ~ InGerard’s Herbal, “The juice mixed with fine meal of parched barley, oil of Roses, and Vinegar, is good against inflammations, and the stinging of venomous beasts”, and Nicholas Culpeper noted of Basil that “Galen and Dioscorides were against it, that it would not grow with Rue and it helped a deficiency of Venus on the one kind but spoils all her actions in another.” The Oxford English Dictionary quotes speculations that Basil may have been used in “some royal unguent, bath, or medicine“. Basil is still considered the “king of herbs” by many cookery authors.
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KEY USE ~ Various CT (chemotypes) are used in perfumery, hair care, and to inhale as a brain ‘tonic’. See ‘375 Essential Oils and Hydrosols” for more information, pages 46-48.
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JEANNE ROSE’S (TOMATO TALES) BASIL EO
Jeanne Rose’s (Tomato Tales) Basil EO ~ My first experience with the essential oil of Basil was not a positive one. This was in 1970 and what I was smelling had no relationship to the sweet herb Basil I was used to having in my cooking. I learned from old texts that the essential oil could be a tonic to my hair, and I also knew that Rosemary EO and herb were used for hair growth. I decided to combine these two and made a hair tonic with Basil and Rosemary oil and Jojoba Oil as a carrier oil. These three items have the following qualities: Basil as a stimulant, Rosemary for hair growth and Jojoba to keep dark hair dark. I started using this formula in 1970 and have used it ever since. At 87, my hair is still dark with just an edge of white around the forehead. Now I like the scent of Basil.
1969 ~My first experience with the essential oil of Basil was not a positive one. It was in 1969 when I was still known as a ‘coutourière to Rock ‘n Roll stars’ around the country, and also in the beginning of my herbal career. My herb shop of choice then was Nature’s Herb Company, owned by Nathan Podhurst. It was located in downtown San Francisco on what was then a slightly crummy street (281 Ellis St) near Glide Memorial Church.
I had purchased a bottle of Basil Oil and was smelling the essential oil of Basil and knew that what I was smelling had no relationship to the sweet herb Basil I was used to using in cooking. This smelled strongly herbal and camphorous and not very much edible. The only thing that I thought of doing with it was using it somehow in hair care.
I was referencing many old antiquarian books and had found this formula in a 250-year-old cosmetic book. The formula as written was using a pint of alcohol and ounces of essential oil. I reduced it to 4 oz of alcohol, ¼ oz of Lavender water (?), 10 drops of Lavender oil and 10 drops of Basil oil. The alcohol I used was a 150-proof Stolichnaya Vodka as it was a favorite of and spoken highly about by Herb Caen. At that time, I did not know much about alcohol except I did not like vodka so would not drink it.
I shook this mixture and let it stand for 3-months, shaking it at intervals. According to the book I read, women used this mixture of Lavender and Basil oil to perfume their hair. I came to like it eventually as I thought it was an excellent tonic and would help the hair growth. (original formal in my original Herbs & Things, p 186-187. Later, I would change up this formula, use better ingredients, add Rosemary oil, and call it Hair Growth Formula; and used it as an application as well as in a shampoo.
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NOTE ~ I always capitalize the name of the herb or essential oil so that you will know I am speaking of the plant and not the color or taste; as an example Rose is the plant while rose is a color.
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Scientific Data: Essential oil from Ocimum basilicum (Omani Basil): a desert crop.
Al-Maskri AY1, Hanif MA, Al-Maskari MY, Abraham AS, Al-sabahi JN, Al-Mantheri O.
Abstract: The focus of the present study was on the influence of season on yield, chemical composition, antioxidant, and antifungal activities of Omani basil (Ocimum basilicum) oil. The present study involved only one of the eight Omani basil varieties. The hydro-distilled essential oil yields were computed to be 0.1%, 0.3% and 0.1% in the winter, spring, and summer seasons, respectively. The major components identified were L- linalool (26.5-56.3%), geraniol (12.1-16.5%), 1,8-cineole (2.5-15.1%), p-allylanisole (0.2-13.8%) and DL-limonene (0.2-10.4%). A noteworthy extra component was beta-farnesene, which was exclusively detected in the oil extracted during winter and spring at 6.3% and 5.8%, respectively. The essential oil composition over the different seasons was quite idiosyncratic, in which the principal components of one season were either trivial or totally absent in another. The essential oil extracted in spring exhibited the highest antioxidant activity (except DPPH scavenging ability) in comparison with the oils from other seasons. The basil oil was tested against pathogenic fungi viz. Aspergillus niger, A. fumigatus, Penicillium italicum and Rhizopus stolonifer using a disc diffusion method, and by determination of minimum inhibitory concentration. Surprisingly high antifungal values were found highlighting the potential of Omani basil as a preservative in the food and medical industries.
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REFERENCES
1.Nat Prod Commun, 2011 Oct;6(10):1487-90.1.
Culpeper’s Complete Herbal. London. 1824. (author’s collection)
Gerard’s Herbal. The Herball or Generall Hiftorie of Plantes. London. 1632 [author’s collection]
Mabberley, D. J. Mabberley’s Plant-Book, 3rd edition, 2014 printing, Cambridge University Press.
Rose, Jeanne. 375 Essential Oils and Hydrosols. Berkeley, California: Frog, Ltd., 1999
Rose, Jeanne. The Aromatherapy Book: Applications & Inhalations. San Francisco, CA.
Rose, Jeanne. The Herbal Body Book. Berkeley, CA. Frog, Ltd.
Rose, Jeanne. The Herbal Guide to Food Book. Berkeley, CA. Frog, Ltd.
Herbal Studies Course/ Jeanne Rose. San Francisco, CA.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basil
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22164790 • EO from O. basilicum (influence of season on yield,
Oxford English Dictionary – the complete edition
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Moderation in All Things.
Be moderate in your use of essential oils as they are just not sustainable for the environment.
Be selective and more moderate in your usage.
Use the herb first as tea or the infusion. —JeanneRose 2014
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SOME CAUTIONS TO REMEMBER for all Essential Oils
DISCLAIMER: This work is intended for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for accurate diagnosis and treatment by a qualified health care professional. Dosages are often not given, as that is a matter between you and your health care provider. The author is neither a chemist nor a medical doctor. The content herein is the product of research and personal and practical experience. Institute of Aromatic & Herbal Studies – Jeanne Rose©
Basil from 1997