Ocimum tenuiflorum – A Medicinal Plants with its versatile uses

Abstract

From Vedic period countries like India and Nepal are using crude plants as medicine. In Developing Countries a major portion of the total population still uses the traditional medicines which are obtained through the plant resources. According to the estimation of WHO that 80% of world population of the rural areas are dependent over the herbal traditional medicines as their primary health care, thus the study on the properties and uses of these natural medicinal plants resources are getting interest for the area of research. These medicinal plants are rich in the secondary metabolites, which are considered as the rich sources of the drugs and essential oils of therapeutic importance. One such plant of interest is Ocium Tenuiflorum also known as Ocimum sanctum, Holi Basil, or Tulasi. Traditionally used since the times of ancient civilization in India and called as the “Queen of Herbs”. It contains 7.0% eugenol, carvacrol (3%) and eugenol-methyl ether (20%). It also contains caryophyllin, ursolic acid, rosmaric acid, thymol, methyl chavicol, citral, carvacrol, β-caryophyllene.