Basil appears to have been a big topic of discussion yesterday. While flipping through my RSS Reader, I came across Robb Wolf’s post on Russian Kale with Thai Basil. I do something similar with grass-fed ground beef, kale, and onions quite often, only I don’t think my kale is at home in Moscow and, were I to throw basil in with it, I don’t think it would be basil of Thai descent. This is another good recipe from Robb showing how easy it is to make a delicious, nutrient-packed meal from real ingredients in no time (and you can always sub other kinds of kale and basil into the dish). The farmer’s market here has been loaded with basil for about the past month or six weeks, so I’ve been taking advantage. Basil in salads. Basil on eggs. Basil on basil. Well, you get the idea.

And then, I saw this article on Science Daily: How Basil Gets Its Zing. It’s not much of a health-related topic other than the mention of a few volatile oils, but it is a look into the function and structure of these chemicals being researched by The Salk Institute and The University of Michigan.

For the health aspects of basil, here is an excerpt from my article The Spice of Life about basil.

Basil
Herb Name: Ocimum basilicum
Part of Plant Used: Leaves
Botanical Origin: India, Asia, and Africa
History and Folk Use: A cousin of peppermint, basil takes its name from Greek - the word “basilikohn,” meaning “royal,” reflecting the high regard that this herb held. It was a symbol of hospitality in India and of love in India.
Known Active Ingredients: Flavonoids: orientin, vicenin; Volatile oils: estragole, eugenol, limonene, others
Modern Indications: Although best known for its use in Italian foods, basil is also heavily used in Thai, Vietnamese, and Laotian cuisine. The flavonoids orientin and vicenin are of particular interest to researchers. These flavonoids have been found to protect the chromosomes against radiation and oxygen-based damage. The volatile oils in basil have potent anti-bacterial properties and, similar to oregano, make basil better at bacterial inhibition than commonly used antibiotics. E.Coli 0157:H7 (the one in the press of late) is just one of the numerous bacteria that this herb is effective at limiting, some of which have developed resistance to antibiotics. Eugenol blocks the enzyme cyclooxygenase (COX), which is the same enzyme that medications like aspirin, acetaminophen, and ibuprofen block, qualifying basil as an anti-inflammatory. It contains beta-carotene, which helps to protect cells against free radical damage and staves off oxidation of blood cholesterol.


If you enjoyed this post, share it on StumbleUpon or Health Ranker (or both!)

Posts from 1 year ago:
The Epitome of America's Obesity

Print This Post Print This Post

Tags: