The Tradition of Holy Basil

Holy Basil, known as Ocimum sanctum in Latin, has for thousands of years been revered as Tulsi in Ayurvedic medicine. Tulsi means The Incomparable One, which is the reality of this majestic herb. When in New Delhi, we visited with the leader of India’s Ayurvedic Medical Association. We asked that vaidya, or Ayurvedic master, why Holy Basil is considered the Mother Medicine of Nature in his tradition. He replied that it is a rasayana, or an herb that on its own nourishes a person’s growth to perfect health and enlightenment.”* We asked why people in the West find that Holy Basil promotes a positive stress response and elevates their spirit, and he replied that, “Holy Basil delivers nutrients to the mind necessary for the experience of enlightenment.” *

Scientific Confirmation of Traditional Wisdom

Phytonutrients within Holy Basil are some of the most prized molecules in the plant pharmacy. To make a drug from Holy Basil, pharmaceutical companies could deliver those molecules in an isolated form, but that would no longer be the infinitely complex Holy Basil treasured by traditional medicine. At New Chapter®, therefore, we deliver the wisdom of Holy Basil in its most complete herbal form. We are, of course, also respectful of those “prized molecules”, but choose to deliver them with the numerous other naturally occurring chemistries to deliver the full intelligence of the herb.

The scientific world is giving heed to these molecules. In the United States, researchers have determined that Holy Basil’s “active” molecules promote a healthy inflammation response.* These “active” molecules’ cell protective properties have been studied in vitro with respect to cells of the breast, oral cavity, colon, prostate, skin, and liver .* They have also been studied worldwide for their effect on normal cell growth.*

The whole is more than the sum of its parts, but the whole must contain the parts. That is why New Chapter’s Holy Basil is the only source of this herb that provides both supercritical and hydroethanolic extracts to capture the fullness of this herb in its purest and most concentrated form.

To Enlightenment!