Tulsi Queen of Herbs

Tulsi's Health Benefits

In recent years there has been a resurgence of interest in investigating the traditional health promoting uses of Tulsi. A considerable, rapidly expanding body of modern scientific information is currently available confirming many of the life-supporting benefits described in ancient India Ayurvedic (“Knowledge of Life”) writings.

Key historical documents include the Rigveda (“Book of Eternal Knowledge”), thought to have been developed around 5000 BC, the Carak and Susrut Samhita medical texts, circa 2700 to 600 BC, and Nighantu Adarsha, revised in 800 AD. In such Ayurvedic scriptures, Tulsi is frequently mentioned as one of the main pillars of herbal medicine. The sacred plant is described as a protector of life, preventing misery and disease from birth through old age and death — and even then aiding the passage to the heavens.

Traditional medical uses

Renowned as a general tonic and vitalizer, “The Elixir of Life”, Tulsi has been traditionally employed in hundreds of different formulations for the treatment of a wide range of disorders, including those of the mouth and throat, lungs, heart, blood, liver, kidney, and the digestive, metabolic, reproductive and nervous systems. Tulsi is commonly used to treat coughs, colds and flu, head and ear aches, rheumatism and arthritis, malaria, fever, allergies, and various skin diseases, to reduce the toxicity of various poisons, including insect and reptile bites, to expel intestinal parasites, repel insects and purify the air.

Modern perspectives

Current scientific research offers substantial evidence that Tulsi protects against and reduces stress; enhances stamina and endurance; increases the body's efficient use of oxygen; boosts the immune system; reduces inflammation; protects against radiation damage; lessens aging factors; supports the heart, lungs and liver; has antibiotic, antiviral and antifungal properties; enhances the efficacy of many other therapeutic treatments; and provides a rich supply of antioxidants and other nutrients.

Overall, Tulsi is a premier adaptogen, helping the body and mind to adapt and cope with a wide range of physical, emotional, chemical and infectious stresses, and restore disturbed physiological and psychological functions to a normal healthy state.

These general vitality enhancing and health promoting properties, in addition to Tulsi's many more specific therapeutic actions, likely account for much of the exceptionally broad range of Tulsi's traditional medical uses, as well as contributing to its mythological importance and religious sanctity.