Description
Basil also known as French Basil or Sweet
Basil or Tulsi is an erect glabrous herb,
30-90 cm high is indigenous to India.
The leaves of basil have numerous oil
glands with aromatic volatile oil. The
herb bears cluster of small white lipped
flowers in racemes. The freshly picked
bright green leaves turns brownish green
when dried and become brittle and curled.
The major types are American Basil, French
Basil, Egyptian Basil and Indian Basil.
Origin
& Distribution It is indigenous to the lower hills
of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh and is
cultivated throughout India. It is also
cultivated in Southern France, Egypt,
Belgium, Hungary, and other Mediterranean
countries and also in USA.
Uses The dried leaves and tender four
sided stems are used as spice for flavouring
and for extraction of essential oil. Apart
from flavouring numerous foods, it is
used for seasoning in tomato paste products.
The sweet basil oil is widely used in
perfumery compounds. It has application
in areas of medicine and also used as
an insecticide and bactericide.
