15 Amazing Health Benefits of the Holy Basil – Brew Wholesome Goodness

Ocimum tenuiflorum is an integral part of our lives. Wondering what it is? It is our very own tulsi, truly an ‘incomparable plant’. Before you get any ideas; no, this is not basil or Ocimum Basillicum. It is holy basil. Basically, there are two kinds of Rama Tulsi which have green leaves, and the one with brown leaves is called Shyama tulsi. The holy basil plant is not only coveted for its pious reasons. Its medicinal properties are also beyond compare. Use it in varied forms; fresh, dried or powdered, and you can reap its incredible benefits.

Tulsi has a pride of place in many people’s homes, and it is considered auspicious to have tulsi in their ‘aangan’, or courtyard. They will begin their day on a holy note by watering and offering prayers to the holy basil.

Before we go into the details of explaining the myriad benefits of tulsi tea, we also want you to know that it is an adaptogenic herb; the kind of herb that has a normalizing effect on your body, helping you deal with stress better.

The Benefits of Tulsi Tea

It’s all thanks to the active ingredient Eugenol, which makes tulsi such a powerful plant. The other two key ingredients that make a significant difference are ursolic acid and carvacrol, which contain anti-microbial properties. Tulsi tea also helps fight free radicals better. Free radicals, in fact, are the chief cause of most chronic degenerative diseases.

Just sipping on tulsi tea can fetch you a world of benefits:

• Jumpstarts your weight loss
• Eliminates instances of headaches
• Respiratory benefits
• Boosts your digestive system
• Get amazing skin and hair
• Improves your cardiovascular system
• Reduces fevers and chills
• Improves oral and dental health
• Gets rid of kidney stones
• Improves your insulin levels
• Beats stress
• Prevents Cancer
• Helps quit smoking
• Helps in conditions like arthritis
• Improves the health of your nervous system

Tulsi Tea Benefits – Find out How You Can Reap Maximum Benefits

We already know of the numerous benefits of tulsi tea, let’s get down to discussing each one in detail and find out how exactly does it help us.

1. Jumpstarts your weight loss

If you are on a mission to lose all the extra weight quickly, then wait up, don’t fall for fad diets that promise miracles but have serious side-effects. You have not gained weight in a few days, so how can you lose all that weight in a few days? Weight loss is an organic process and no amount of supplementing and insane hours in the gym can make you slim overnight. But yes, you can still reach your fitness goals if you eat right, exercise and drink tulsi tea. How, you ask? Well, this tea boosts your metabolism and puts the fat burning process in overdrive. This is what you can call the au naturale way to drop those extra pounds.

2. Eliminates instances of headaches

A headache can literally make you drop everything and lie down on the bed, writhing in pain. Headaches are such a mammoth hurdle when it comes to productivity. Tell me something; if you have one, can you focus on your work or on anything? You cannot even watch old reruns of your favorite programs. Tulsi tea comes to your rescue when you are in the middle of a splitting headache. The aroma of this shrub provides ample relief from headaches. Entice your senses with this magical tea.

3. Respiratory benefits

Tulsi tea is especially great for respiratory illnesses, from simple illnesses such as a cold and cough to a more severe condition such as bronchitis and asthma. Tulsi helps notch up the immune system, treat coughs and also acts as an expectorant to eliminate the phlegm. Tulsi is full of essential oils that have healing properties and is particularly beneficial for clearing up congestions. Camphene, eugenol, and cineole are the three essential oils that form the magical plant called tulsi. It is antibacterial, anti-fungal and anti-inflammatory, what else can you wish for? It should be your go-to when you are trying to fight infections.

4. Boosts your Digestive System

One cuppa of steaming holy basil tea has numerous benefits, and one of the top benefits include an improved digestive system. It regenerates your liver, and that enables a healthier digestive system. It boosts metabolism, the proper absorption of nutrients, and assimilation of lipids and carbohydrates.

5. Get amazing skin and hair

The fact that it is chock-a-block with anti-oxidants and a host of other nutrients gives your skin that healthy glow; you know, the kind that glows from within. As they say, age catches up with you sooner or later, and you notice numerous age-related signs that rob your skin of its youthful glow. How does the tulsi tea fight free radicals? Well, it is the antioxidants or polyphenols present in herbal tea that help fight free radicals and trick aging. It also helps reduce scalp itchiness and hairfall reduction. It is a solution to cure your skin and enhance the look of your crowning glory.

6. Improves your Cardiovascular Health

Tulsi tea is full of magnesium, and this is one ingredient that prevents heart disease. The magnesium helps maintain the proper functioning of blood vessels. It prevents the deposition of cholesterol, helps free blood promotion and also reduces atherosclerosis. The antioxidants present in this herb keep your heart protected from free radical damage. It also helps in the reduction of cholesterol levels and also aids people suffering from hypertension.

7. Reduces fevers and chills

Owing to its anti-microbial properties, tulsi tea speeds up the recovery process from infectious fevers such as dengue and malaria. Fever is just a symptom, the chief cause of fevers is usually an underlying infection usually caused by bacteria, fungus, and protozoa. So, this herb can act as a cure for a number of illnesses.

8. Dental and oral health

Suffering from poor oral health? As tulsi tea contains antimicrobial properties, the compounds in holy basil tea help fight germs and bacteria in the oral cavity. It cures bad breadth and also freshens your mouth. That’s not all, it finds a cure for a number of oral problems such as mouth ulcers, pyorrhea, and oral cancer.

9. Gets Rid of Kidney Stones

Thankfully, tulsi tea is a great detoxifier and hence helps maintain the health of the kidneys. Uric acid is the chief component of kidney stones. An imbalance in the metabolic processes can result in the formation of uric acid, the excess of which is excreted via the kidneys. The healthy concoction of tulsi tea lowers the levels of uric acid levels in the body and improves the kidney functioning. The essential oils help work on the kidney stone and also alleviate the pain of the stones.

10. Improves your Insulin Levels

 

Several studies done on Tulsi leaves in India show that it not only lowers the blood sugar levels; with as much as a 17 percent drop in fasting glucose, you can also find that there is a 7 percent drop in glucose readings post a meal, too. Regular sipping on tulsi tea helps metabolize carbs and fats and helps you use the glucose as energy. Yes, you can control your spiraling sugar levels with the benefits of tulsi tea.

11. Beats stress

Most individuals feel overly stressed today, and we think of numerous ways to beat the constant stress eating away our peace of mind and causing disharmony in our lives. This significantly raises our cortisol levels in the body, making us feel anxious and overwhelmed at all times. A brew of Tulsi tea can negate all the ill-effects of spiraling stress levels. It is like an anti-stress adaptogenic herb that calms down all the nervous bones of your body. Try it, every time you feel like tearing your hair out after a particularly bad day, soothe yourself down with a hot cuppa!

12. Prevents Cancer

Most of us make changes in our lifestyle as a way to prevent deadly diseases such as cancer, and research has substantiated that tulsi-tea offers protection against several types of cancers. It nullifies the effect of dangerous chemicals that lead to the mutation of healthy cells. It has both anti-carcinogenic and anti-oxidant properties; no wonder tulsi is regarded as an effective tool to combat cancers such as oral cancer. It also neutralizes the effects of various radiations, such as sun rays and radiation therapies.

13. Helps Quit Smoking

Trying to give up on smoking? Well, congratulations, but we know it isn’t very easy as it requires you to deal with withdrawal symptoms. Many people smoke because they are unduly stressed, and tulsi tea helps alleviate stress. It is the very anti-stress compounds in the tea that helps you quit smoking for good. Whenever you feel like a smoke, drink this tea instead.

14. Helps in Condition like Arthritis

A chronic degenerative condition like arthritis is mainly caused by inflammation, and also wear and tear of the joints. This is a condition that affects daily movements, and pain relief is only temporary. Tulsi is a great way to treat conditions like arthritis and other similar joint-related disorders. Its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties help in relieving the pain and inflammation related to joint disorders. The anti-oxidants come out on top in the battle versus free radicals and protects the condition for the degeneration of the joint and also the surrounding tissues.

15. Improves the Health of your Nervous System

Tulsi tea is a great solution to disorders such as epilepsy and other nervous system disorders. It calms the nerves and also helps in motor-sensory coordination. In fact, according to some studies, tulsi is as good as anti-epileptic medicine.

How would you brew your own cup? Simple, it is just the way you would prepare a cup of green, black, white, or oolong tea.

Tulsi seems to be that magic plant that can boost your health like no other, but do you know that along with its countless benefits, there are some side-effects of that tea, that you should absolutely know about? Find out more!

Side Effects of Holy Basil – Be Wary of the Side Effects

Well, even when it comes to tulsi tea, you cannot overdo it. Here are some of the side-effects.

1. An overdose of Eugenol is not good for health

If you think that if you have several cups of tulsi tea you will reap greater benefits, well, you are wrong. Eugenol, the chief component of tulsi tea can cause eugenol poisoning. Take a note of some of the symptoms such as blood in your coughs, quickened pace of breathing and blood in urine.

2. It is a blood-thinner

Tulsi has blood-thinning properties, so avoid overdosing on tulsi tea if you are taking anti-clotting medications, such as warfarin and heparin. It can lead to complications like prolonged periods of bleeding and bruising.

3. Hypoglycemia:

People who are diabetic can suddenly find their sugar levels coming way below normal levels, especially people who are already on medication. The symptoms are dizziness, paleness, excessive hunger, irritability, and weakness.

4. Not Safe for Consumption while Pregnant

Tulsi is not safe to be consumed by pregnant women, and it has long-term effects both on the mother and the baby. Tulsi might also trigger reactions in pregnant women as it sets off uterine contractions and also causes problems in childbirth or menstruation. The symptoms are cramps, bleeding, diarrhea and backache.

5. Drug Interactions:

Tulsi tea interferes with other drugs, and the drug levels in the blood tend to increase or decrease.

Tulsi reduces the amnesic effect of the two drugs Diazepam and scopolamine. These two drugs help reduce symptoms such as vomiting, nausea, anxiety, and nervousness, respectively.

So, whenever you are thinking of downing cups of Tulsi tea, know about some of the tulsi tea side effects and stop yourself from going overboard; moderation is the key.

Do you absolutely love Tulsi tea? Well, count me right in the tulsi tea fan club. But yes, I have become smarter and now and I just have 1 to 2 cups of it. What about you? Have you faced any side-effects of tulsi tea? Let us know in the comments section below.