Basil – 6 GREAT HEALTH BENEFITS

Basil is a significant plant with flavorful and various medicinal properties. Basil plant is aromatic herb whose leaves are used for various purposes. Basil leaves increase flavor in food and relieves various health issues. There are approximately 60 varieties of basil herb, all of these has different appearances and flavor. Sweet basil is bright and pungent while lemon basil, cinnamon basil like the names have lemon and cinnamon flavors respectively. There are various basil health benefits like enhancing immunity, anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties, keeps brain healthy, enhance energy, improves blood clotting, make thyroid gland healthy.

Here are some uses of basil herb for various purposes in daily life and health issues.

1. Enhance Cardiovascular Health – Basil leaves contain antibacterial and anti inflammatory properties which are useful in maintaining healthy blood circulation. It keeps healthy blood pressure. Basil helps to prevent dangerous platelet aggregation; their clumping together can form blood clots in arteries resulting in cardiac arrest. Basil leaf reduce inflammation which can cause cardiovascular diseases. Basil is a good source of magnesium which promotes cardiovascular health by inducing healthy blood flow, reducing irregular heartbeats or contraction of heart/ blood vessels.
2. Antibacterial Properties – Essentials oils extracted from basil leaves have the ability to resist several pathogenic bacteria growth. The unique component called flavonoid gives body protection at a cellular level. It also contains orientin and vicenin two water soluble flavonoids; these two protect cell structure as well as chromosomes from radiations and oxygen based damage.
3. Anti Inflammatory Properties – Basil contains strong essential oils like eugenol, citronellol and linalool. They reduce various inflammations which can cause several diseases like heart diseases, rheumatoid arthritis, an inflammatory bowel condition, asthma, osteoarthritis.
4. Fights Cancer – Phytochemicals which are present in basil which help naturally to fight with cancer of skin, lung, liver and oral. It can increase antioxidant properties, a death of cancerous cells and prevent a tumour to spread around.
5. Improve Digestive System and Maintain body’s pH – Basil balances the acidity in the body and keeps healthy pH level. It helps to grow healthy bacterial growth in the gut and improves digestion and immunity. Along with this, it decreases the harmful bacterial growth to prevent various diseases. It kills stomach bacteria and worms as well as reduce water retention, loss of appetite and acid reflux.
6. Improves Bone Density – Basil is a good source of vitamin K which is essential to maintain bone density. The body can not use calcium without vitamin k. Low bone density is not good especially in women after menopause.