Herb Weavers Journal #72 - Basil - 4th Feb 2025

Basil

This fabulously versatile herb has health and magical benefits in abundance and its easy to grow.

Basil contains high levels of Eugenol which support lowering blood pressure and cholesterol. It helps reduce inflammation and also helps improve blood flow through its high magnesium levels.

It also contains vit C, calcium, iron and potassium, all of which help to kill bacteria, fight bad fungi and help reduce digestion issues in the stomach and gut. The herb has also been used for acne, migraines, mental alertness and diarrhea problems.

Because basil is commonly used as a flavouring within food, it has very little in the way of contra-indications which makes it a very safe herb to use, you can also buy it in essential oil and gel form for the skin and dried or fresh leaves can be added to herbal teas too.

The oil which is much more concentrated should not be eaten and should be added to a good quality carrier oil before being placed on the skin.

This delicate, but delightful plant is also used to provide antimicrobial protection, it has antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral properties. It calms swelling which makes it ideal to massage into swollen muscles and to sooth aches and pains. It even appears in some earache remedies as it is known to help cure ear infections. Many have used in insect repellents and this makes a healthy alternative to Deet and other chemical based treatments.

It has carminative properties which ensure improved digestion and it also eases flatulence and in the middle ages it was used to treat melancholy and stress very well, helping to lift low mood, and even just burning the oil or using a herbal tea to inhale the smell can help with this.

Basil helps support oral hygiene and as an odour eliminator, it can even be added to homemade cleaning products and sprayed around the house.

The great thing about Basil is it is so easy to come by, you can buy living plants in most supermarkets now and small seedlings in the garden centres, so with a little bit of love and nurture, you don’t even need to venture outdoors to use this lovely plant.

One thing I will say, is if you are keeping a pot or 2 in your windowsill, they are prone to white fly, so be careful and they don’t like big fluctuations in heat and cold.