History
There are more than 100 varieties of the herb, and they come in different sizes, shapes, colours and scents. The botanical name is derived from the Greek meaning king. The name basilicum, is from the Latin name for royal, therefore the plant is often known as the royal herb. In Europe it was considered to be a symbol of fertility, others associate it with death or evil (especially in Crete).Ingredients
Bontanical Name: Ocimum basilicum
Origin: Egypt
Method of Extraction: Steam distillation
Plant Part:Flowering Herb
Note: Top
Vaporisation: Add 5-10 drops of essential oil into warm water by using diffuser.
Massage: Add 4-5 drops of essential oil into 10ml of carrier oil for facial or body massage or as a home-made body oil after shower. It is very good for muscular and spiritual relaxation.
Bathing: Add 8-10 drops for a full bath. It can stimulates blood circulation and is ideal way to relax.
Inhalation: Add 3-5 drops of essential oil into a bowl of steaming water. Place a towel over the head, close your eyes and inhale deeply. It can help to relieve physical and mental stress, especially headache and respiratory system problems.
Clay mask (Cleansing and Whitening): Add 1-2 drops of essential oils to the mixtures of floral water and clay mask.
Personal skin care product (e.g Shampoo,Bath Gel,Facial cream etc.): Add 4-5drops of essential oils to your own skin care products, create the unique personalised skin care products.
Perfume: Add 4-5 drops of essential oils and 4-10 drops of solubiliser into 10ml water to create your own personalised perfume.
Contra-indication: Avoid during pregnancy
Blending Base Measurement:
1% Essential oil in (5/10/30/50/100)mL = (1/2/6/10/20) drops per volume of essential oil respectively
2% Essential oil in (5/10/30/50/100)mL = (2/4/12/20/40) drops per volume of essential oil respectively
2.5% Essential oil in (5/10/30/50/100)mL = (3/5/15/25/30) drops per volume of essential oil respectively
Eye care = 0.5% Face = 1% - 2% Adult full body = 2% - 2.5%
*Remarks: Thin oil can apply onto skin directly. Thick oil is sticky, diluted with thin oil will be better
Proportion: Thick Oil 10-20%Thin Oil 80-90%
Health benefits of Basil essential oils Basil is one of the essential oils used in aromatherapy. It belongs to the family known as mint. In addition to its health benefits, it is used for cooking to add flavor to the meal. Basil effective for acne In a study to evaluate the effectiveness of essential oils made of Citrus sinensis and sweet basil combined with acetic acid in the treatment of acne as an alternative to antibiotic treatment due to antimicrobial resistance in the development of acne. 28 patients volunteered and were divided into four groups of equal number, each group were treated with essential oils (Citrus sinensis and sweet basil), keratolytic medication, and acetic was combined with essential oils and keratolytic medication to third and fourth groups respectively. The group treated with essential oils were more stable physically and chemically compared to others and was ranked 75% as excellent. Antianxiety effect of Basil In a study carried out to show the anti-anxiety and sedative action of Basil among mice. The basil oil extract was given intraperitoneally at 200mg/kg compared with hydroalcoholic extract given at 100, 150, and 200 mg/kg to each group respectively. The results showed that basil oil extract has a higher anti-anxiety and sedative effects compared to hydroalcoholic extract. Antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties A study was done on the evaluation of the chemical composition, antioxidants, and anti-inflammatory activities of sweet basil. The sweet basil was processed using molecular distillation and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS) was subsequently used to identify for new components/compounds. The different fractions gotten from sweet basil showed a lot of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties. Any disorders resulting from excessive oxidative stress can be managed with Basil effectively. 4. Antidepressants effects In a study to investigate the efficacy of Basil essential oils in the treatment of depression-related behavioral, biochemical, and histopathological changes resulted from the exposure of mice to chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) and to explore the pathology mechanism underlying it. The study showed evidence that CUMS causes depression. The results showed that basil reduced greatly the corticosterone level, upregulated gene expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, and protein. Also, astrocytes and new nerve cell levels were increased in numbers with basil. 5. Antimicrobial activity In a study to demonstrate the effectiveness of bail essential oils against multidrug-resistance clinical strains of E.Coli. The basil essential oils were tested against the standard stain of E.Coli and 60 other clinical strains collected from patients implicated with E. Coli infection of the respiratory tract, skin, and so many others. The treatment with basil essential oils showed active against the clinical stain of E. Coli and inhibited growth. References Ali, Soad & Wahab, M & Ayuob, Nasra & Suliaman, M. (2017). The antidepressant-like effect of Ocimum basilicum in an animal model of depression. Biotechnic & histochemistry : official publication of the Biological Stain Commission. 92. 1-12. 10.1080/10520295.2017.1323276. Li H, Ge Y, Luo Z, et al. Evaluation of the chemical composition, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of distillate and residue fractions of sweet basil essential oil. J Food Sci Technol. 2017;54(7):1882-1890. doi:10.1007/s13197-017-2620-x Matiz G, Osorio MR, Camacho F, Atencia M, Herazo J. Diseño y evaluación in vivo de fórmulas para acné basadas en aceites esenciales de naranja (Citrus sinensis), albahaca (Ocimum basilicum L) y ácido acético [Effectiveness of antimicrobial formulations for acne based on orange (Citrus sinensis) and sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L) essential oils]. Biomedica. 2012 Jan-Mar;32(1):125-33. Spanish. doi: 10.1590/S0120-41572012000100014. PMID: 23235794. Rabbani M, Sajjadi SE, Vaezi A. Evaluation of anxiolytic and sedative effect of essential oil and hydroalcoholic extract of Ocimum basilicum L. and chemical composition of its essential oil. Res Pharm Sci. 2015;10(6):535-543. Sienkiewicz M, Łysakowska M, Pastuszka M, Bienias W, Kowalczyk E. The potential of use basil and rosemary essential oils as effective antibacterial agents. Molecules. 2013;18(8):9334-9351. Published 2013 Aug 5. doi:10.3390/molecules18089334