What is Tulsi and Why You Might Want To Try It
10 Benefits of Tulsi – The Queen of Herbs
1. Fights Acne
Tulsi kills bacteria and infections, therefore it’s a great natural home remedy for acne and other skin irritations. Holy basil benefits the skin and heals skin infections both internally and externally — and it’s completely safe!
The primary compound of holy basil oil is eugenol, the active ingredient in the powerful antimicrobial clove oil, which is widely believed to help combat many skin disorders. Research shows that tulsi is a natural acne treatment, and when used with coconut oil as a carrier, it’s more viscous and absorbs into the skin even better.
2. Protects Against Diabetes
Tulsi has the ability to control blood glucose levels; several test tube and animal experiments, as well as human clinical trials, show that tulsi has anti-diabetic activity. Studies using diabetic laboratory animals show that tulsi can reduce blood glucose, correct abnormal lipid profiles and protect the liver and kidneys from the metabolic damage caused by high glucose levels.
3. Helps Fight Cancer
In general, tulsi may not only work as a natural cancer treatment, but it may also help prevent it.† Research shows that people who regularly consume tulsi are less likely to be immune-compromised and less susceptible to developing cancer cells.† According to research, the phytochemicals in tulsi prevent chemical-induced lung, liver, oral and skin cancers because they increase antioxidant activity, alter healthy gene expressions, induce cancer cell death, prevent blood vessel growth contributing to cell growth and stop metastasis, which is the spread of cancer from one organ to another.
Tulsi also helps protect your body from radiation poisoning and heals damage from radiation treatment. It selectively protects the normal tissues against the destructive effects of radiation. Laboratory studies published in Alternative Medicine Review show that tulsi protects against toxic chemical-induced injury by increasing the body’s levels of antioxidant molecules, such as glutathione, and enhancing the activity of antioxidant enzymes. These enzymes protect cellular organelles and membranes by fighting free radical damage caused by a lack of oxygen and other toxic agents.
In fact, the journal Nutrition and Cancer published an interesting review outlining the important research involving tulsi’s ability to help fight against cancer that we’ve seen the past several years. The doctors involved in this research agree that conventional chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatments during the past three decades haven’t been able to contain the disease, and they have serious side effects. Many natural agents, especially tulsi leaves and extracts from other plants, prove to be nontoxic, easily available and have proven anticancer properties.
4. Balances Hormones
Elevated cortisol levels can be dangerous; it’s commonly known as the stress hormone, and it can have a major impact on our learning, memory, immune function, bone density, weight gain and heart disease. Luckily, tulsi has the amazing ability to regulate cortisol levels and keep hormone levels balanced naturally. Tulsi has a physical effect on the body and mental benefits as well. By drinking tulsi tea or adding tulsi to your meals, you help calm your system and keep your body running smoothly.
5. Relieves Fever
Tulsi leaves act as antibiotic, germicidal and disinfectant agents; they protect us from bacteria and viruses. When we have a fever, it’s proof that our bodies are fighting against an infection. Therefore, with its infection-fighting properties, tulsi helps fight a fever and restores your health quickly.
6. Helps Improve Respiratory Disorders
Tulsi is generally effective in helping to alleviate almost all varieties of respiratory disorders, including working as a bronchitis natural remedy as well as a deep cough remedy for coughs that usually come on with another type of upper respiratory infection, such as the cold or flu. The components of tulsi leaves like camphene, eugenol and cineole provide relief from congestion and other symptoms of respiratory disorders. This means tulsi has also been used as an asthma natural remedy, as it relieves congestion and allows for easier breathing.
7. Good Source of Vitamin K
Vitamin K is an essential fat-soluble vitamin that plays an important role in bone health and heart health. It’s one of the main vitamins involved in bone mineralization and blood clotting, but also helps maintain brain function, a healthy metabolism and cellular health. One cup of tulsi leaves has more than your daily recommended value of vitamin K, making it a perfect source to prevent vitamin K deficiency, and can be beneficial to your bone density, digestive health and brain function.
8. Dental Care
Tulsi has the power to fight bacteria in your mouth that lead to dental issues, such as cavities, plaque, tartar and bad breath. Tulsi leaves serve as a mouth freshener because they kill the bacteria and germs hiding in your mouth.
Tulsi can help diminish ulcers in the mouth, and it’s generally thought to stop the growth of oral cancer cells caused by chewing tobacco. For this natural dental care, try adding a drop of tulsi essential oil to your toothpaste or drinking one cup of tulsi tea every day.
9. Relieves Headaches
Because tulsi has sedative and disinfectant properties, it’s a natural headache remedy that can help relieve migraine pain. This is especially true with headaches due to sinus pressure. Tulsi is anti-congestive and helps reduce the buildup and tension due to sinus issues. An easy way to take advantage of this tulsi benefit is by drinking one cup of tulsi tea every day — or by diffusing tulsi essential oil.
10. Supports Eye Health
Our eyes are susceptible to viral, bacterial and fungal infections that can be very dangerous. Thankfully, holy basil has the power to fight these detrimental infections. Tulsi can help fight against conjunctivitis (pink eye) and boils; it also has anti-inflammatory and soothing properties that help protect your eyes from environmental damage and free radicals.
Tulsi leaves help prevent a range of eye issues, including cataracts, vision defects and opthalmia. Tulsi has also been used as a glaucoma natural treatment and natural treatment for macular degeneration.
Glaucoma, for instance, is caused by a buildup of fluid in the eye that puts pressure on the optic nerve, retina and lens; the pressure can permanently damage the eye if not treated. Macular degeneration, another major vision inhibiter, is age-associated vision loss and blurry vision related to damage to the macula, or center of the eye.
In traditional systems of medicine, different parts of tulsi — the leaves, stem, flower, root, seeds and even whole plant — have been recommended for the treatment of bronchitis, bronchial asthma, malaria, diarrhea, dysentery, skin diseases, arthritis, painful eye diseases, chronic fever and insect bites.
In fact, of all the herbs used within Ayurveda, tulsi is preeminent, and scientific research now confirms its beneficial effects. There is mounting evidence that tulsi can address physical, chemical, metabolic and psychological stress through a unique combination of pharmacological actions.
Ayurveda is the world’s oldest medical system. It has a holistic approach to health and disease that focuses on preserving and promoting good health and preventing disease through healthy lifestyle practices — including regular consumption of adaptogenic herbs that have the power to enhance the body’s ability to maintain balance in a world with a ton of stressful components. For this reason, Ayurvedic practitioners recommend the regular consumption of tulsi tea as an essential lifestyle practice.
Revered in India as “The Queen of Herbs,” Tulsi (also known as Holy Basil or “The Incomparable One”) has been used for centuries to support immunity, stress response, anti-aging, and the body’s natural detoxification process. The herb has been valued for centuries because of its benefits for the mind, body, and spirit.
Tulsi for Stress
Tulsi is a powerful “adaptogen,” an intelligent herb that adapts to physical, emotional and environmental stress, then works to normalize and balance the body. Stress is linked to many aspects of both physical and mental health, and healing and balance can only come about when the underlying stress is identified and addressed. Adaptogens reduce the intensity and negative impact of physical, emotional and environmental stressors.
Tulsi works to help support healthy cortisol levels by mitigating stress. Called “the stress hormone,” cortisol regulates and controls the influence of many of the physical and emotional changes that occur in the body in response to stress. Cortisol plays an important role in the body, releasing a boost of energy and strength in times of “flight or fight.” But the body cannot remain in a constant state of continual stress. Regular use of Tulsi helps to balance the body on all levels and support its response to every day stressors.
Tulsi for Health
Tulsi is also a powerful antioxidant, and has been used in Ayurveda for centuries. It is particularly effective with slow or congested digestion as well as emotional digestion. When the body is continually bombarded by high levels of cortisol and other stress hormones, it can lead to increased appetite, weight gain and poor digestion, potentially leading to anxiety, depression or a suppressed immune system.
Tulsi works to lift mood, stamina and endurance with a calming energy. Adaptogenic herbs do not alter mood, but rather, they help the body function optimally. Tulsi creates a general sense of well-being, working to boost energy and enhance focus in order to deal with ongoing conflict and stress.
The anti-aging properties of Tulsi have been revered in Ayurvedic medicine for thousands of years. Studies have found that Tulsi is protective against oxidative damage and reduces free radicals, while it balances antioxidant enzymes.
Keep Healthy with an Alkaline Body
Cancer cells thrive in acidity (low pH), but not in alkalinity (high pH), so a diet high in alkaline foods like fruits and vegetables that also limits acidic foods, such as those from animal products, will raise blood pH levels and create an environment in the body that discourages cancer growth.
Whether a food is considered “acidic” or “alkaline” depends on its pH value (measured on a 14-point scale). A pH of seven is considered neutral, with foods below seven considered more acidic and foods above seven considered more alkaline. Alkaline foods such as fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes and root vegetables are all broken down into short-chain fatty acids that contain prebiotic nutrients that nourish good bacteria in your gut, says Dr. Michael Gaynor. These good bacteria help decrease inflammation throughout your body that might otherwise contribute to cancer, while foods such as refined sugar and flour, as well as too much saturated animal fat, create an acidic environment in your gut because they’re difficult to digest. Taken from article by Mitchell L. Gaynor, founder of Gaynor Integrative Oncology in New York City, a medical oncologist and author of The Gene Therapy Plan: Taking Control of Your Genetic Destiny with Diet and Lifestyle.
| MILDLY ALKALINE FOODS | MODERATELY ALKALINE | HIGHLY ALKALINE |
| Almond Milk Distilled Water Artichokes Asparagus Brussels Sprouts Cauliflower Comfrey Kohlrabi Lamb’s Lettuce Leeks New Baby Potatoes Peas Pumpkin Onion Rutabaga Swede Squash (Butternut, Summer, etc.) Watercress White Cabbage Coconut Grapefruit Pomegranate Almonds Fennel Seeds Lentils Tofu Sesame Seeds Herbs & Spices Avocado Oil Olive Oil Coconut Oil Flax Oil Grapeseed Oil Hemp Oil pH Miracle Omega 3-6-9 Oil |
Fresh Coconut Water Arugula Beets Basil Capsicum/Pepper Cabbage Lettuce Carrot Chives Collard/Spring Greens Coriander Endive Ginger Green Beans Leeks Lettuce Mustard Greens Okra Radish Red Cabbage Red Onion Turnip Zucchini Lemon Lime Rhubarb Butter Beans Lima Beans Soy Beans (fresh) White (Navy) Beans Chia/Salba Seeds Hemp Seeds Quinoa |
pH 9.5 Water Green Drinks Himalayan Salt Real Salt Avocado Broccoli Cabbage Celery Cucumber Endive Garlic Grasses (alfalfa, kamut, straw, shave, wheatgrass, etc.) Kale Parsley Sprouts (alfalfa, bean, pea, soy, etc.) Spinach Tomato Soy Nuts. . . (soaked soybeans, then air-dried) Soy lecithin, pure |
|
HIGHLY ACIDIC FOODS |
MODERATELY ACIDIC |
MILDLY ACIDIC |
| Alcohol Coffee & Black Tea Fruit Juice (sweetened) Cocoa Honey Jam Jelly Mustard Miso Rice Syrup Vinegar Yeast Dried Fruit Beef Chicken Eggs Farmed Fish Pork Shellfish White Rice Cheese Dairy Artificial Sweeteners Syrup Mushroom |
Fresh, Natural Juice Ketchup Mayonnaise Butter Apple Apricot Banana Blackberry Blueberry Cranberry Grapes Guava Mango Mangosteen Orange Peach Papaya Pineapple Strawberry Goat’s Cheese Vegan Cheese Brown Rice Rye Bread Wheat Wholemeal Bread Wild Rice Wholemeal Pasta Walnuts Ocean Fish |
Rice, Soy, & Coconut Milk Cantaloupe Fresh Dates Nectarine Plum Sweet Cherry Watermelon Black Beans Garbanzo Beans Kidney Beans SeitanAmaranth Buckwheat Groats Buckwheat Pasta Millet Oats/Oatmeal Soybeans Spelt Couscous Rice/Soy/Hemp Protein Freshwater Wild Fish Brazil Nuts Flax Seeds Hazelnuts Macadamia Nuts Pecans Pumpkin Seeds Sunflower Seeds Sunflower Oil |
ALKALINE FOODS |
ACID FOODS | ||
| VEGETABLES
Artichokes |
FRUITS Avocado Coconut Grapefruit Lemon Lime Pomegranate Rhubarb Tomato |
MEATS Pork Lamb Beef Chicken Turkey Custaceans Other Seafood (apart from occasional oily fish such as salmon) |
DAIRY PRODUCTS Milk Eggs Cheese Cream Yogurt Ice Cream |
| DRINKS Almond Milk Fresh Vegetable Juice Green Drinks Herbal Tea Lemon Water (pure water + fresh lemon or lime) Non-sweetened Soy Milk Pure Water (distilled, reverse osmosis, ionized) Vegetable Broth |
OTHERS Vinegar White Pasta White Bread Wholemeal Bread Biscuits Soy Sauce Tamari Condiments (Tomato Sauce, Mayonnaise etc.) Artificial Sweeteners Honey |
DRINKS Fizzy Drinks Coffee Tea Beers Spirits Fruit Juice Dairy Smoothies Milk Traditional Tea |
|
| SEEDS, NUTS & GRAINS Almonds Any Sprouted Seed Buckwheat Groats Caraway Seeds Cumin Seeds Fennel Seeds Hemp Seeds Lentils Sesame Seeds Spelt |
CONVENIENCE FOODS Sweets Chocolate Microwave Meals Tinned Foods Powdered Soups Instant Meals Fast Food |
FATS & OILS Saturated Fats Hydrogenated Oils Margarine (worse than butter) Corn Oil Vegetable Oil Sunflower Oil |
|
| FATS & OILS Flax Hemp Avocado Olive Evening Primrose Borage Oil Blends |
OTHERS Sprouts (soy, alfalfa, mung bean, wheat, little radish, chickpea, broccoli, etc.) Hummus Tahini |
FRUITS All fruits, aside from those listed in the alkaline column. |
SEEDS & NUTS Peanuts Cashew Nuts Pistachio Nuts |
| General Guidance:
Stick to salads, fresh vegetables and healthy nuts and oils. Try to consume plenty of raw foods and at least 2-3 liters of clean, pure water daily. |
General Guidance:
Steer clear of fatty meats, dairy, cheese, sweets, chocolates, alcohol and tobacco. Packaged foods are often full of hidden offenders and microwaved meals are full of sugars and salts. Over cooking also removes all of the nutrition from a meal. |
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