Basil Essential Oils

Basil herb has well over 40 confirmed varieties, meaning that when you buy Basil Essential Oils, it may be from one or more of those unique species. The most common comes from Ocimum basilicum, or sweet basil.

Cooks around the world treasure the flavor of basil for everything from stew to savory biscuits. Some basil essential oils can be used in culinary applications provided the chef uses care with the amounts. The oils also have other applications for promoting health in aromatherapy and various herbal remedy products.

History

Basil originated in Asia, potentially as far east as China. It was a well-known herb throughout the ancient world, embraced by Egyptians for embalming and preserving. The Greeks associated basil with the legendary basilisk (a monster that had the wings of a bat, body of a serpent, and head of a rooster). Any person bitten by this malevolent bloke, or those exposed to its breath, used basil to cure the poison. From this mythological foundation basil moved into the Greek apothecary as an herbal remedy product for treating insect stings and animal bites.

Hit and Myth

Like many ancient herbs Basil had a fair amount of folklore associated with it. In Medieval times people believed that scorpions lived under pots of basil, yet putting a pot of basil on your balcony acted as an invitation to pursue a woman’s affections. Romanian custom had a twist on that idea, namely a lad accepting a sprig of basil from a girl was officially engaged.

Basil in the West

Basil arrived in America in the early 1600s at Massachusetts Bay. The herb took readily to temperate growing conditions and various farmers began cultivating and selling it. Most people think of basil today as a culinary herb for Italian style food, but these essential oils have far more potential applications than just the kitchen.

What is an Essential Oil?

Essential oils are distilled from the root, flower, stems, leaves or bark of a plant. This creates a highly concentrated liquid – a little dab will do you! These are different from fragrance oils or perfume oils that contain artificial elements and do not offer health benefits like those found in essential oils. For more information on the uses of aromatherapy essential oils, follow the link to this informative site.

Health Benefits:

Basil oil acts as a calming tonic on the digestive system, making it helpful for motion sickness, indigestion and nausea. It offers various nutritional elements including iron, calcium, magnesium, and Vitamin A. As an antispasmodic basil essential oil may provide relief from flu or common colds as well as asthma and sinus conditions.

In the Ayurvedic tradition of India healers use the herb for diarrhea, colds, and skin conditions. Since basil has antibacterial qualities minor cuts and scrapes definitely benefit from its application. Cosmetic companies use basil to topical skin herbal remedy products promoting skin tone quality.

As an aromatic basil deters stress, tension, and depression, resulting in greater mental clarity. Other health benefits include improved metabolism, easing pain from minor sprains and bruises and easing the discomfort of insect bites.

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NOTE: The information provided above, as with everything on BasilBasics, is subject to the Disclaimer. This is not intended to be medical advice, and we suggest you consult with your physician prior to altering any course of action.

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Sources for Basil Essential Oils

Below you will find several sources for Basil Essential Oils. If you do not find exactly what you are looking for, click on the store name to go directly to the store's website to search more easily.

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