The Magic of Basil – Tulsi To Heal Naturally

Book excerpt: The Magic of Basil – Tulsi To Heal Naturally Table of Contents Introduction How to Grow Basil Powdered basil As a Herb Getting rid of Malarial Fever Fever Influenza Rock salt Cure Preventive and Curative Fever Cures in Winter Ginger Tulsi Tea Mint Tea for Slimming A Basil Sanatorium Suffering from Acidity? Who Should Not Take Basil? How to Use Basil for Natural Remedies Caffeine addiction? Tulsi for beauty Using the Tulsi Steamer Dark Patches Dark Patches Fever Prevention in Children Fever Prevention in Children Whooping cough/dry Cough Traditional Cough Syrup Surefire Cold Remedy Powder Suffering from Chronic Cough? Curing Eczema Skin Oil To Cure Wounds Curing Burns Basil in Cuisine Preserving Basil Leaves Basil Pesto – a Genoese Dish Healthy Sprouts Mix Conclusion Introduction Basil has long been known as a valuable herb through the ages, when it was used to flavor foods. But this herb has also been a valuable an integral part of ancient alternative medicine. More than 4000 years ago, one of the greatest of ancient doctors Charaka wrote in his compendium that the juice from the leaves of the sacred basil mixed with honey taken three times a day could cure patients suffering from whooping cough and chest ailments. That was the time when people relied on natural cures, and their own inmate good health to keep healthy and live long. I am proud to present this book to you, about one of the most useful herbs available to mankind today, of which the significant benefits have been written in ancient books of the East. Oscimum sanctum is the scientific name given to the sacred basil. What is the difference between cooking basil and sacred basil? Well, to tell you very frankly, most of the cooks in the East prefer to use the plant, which has purplish colored leaves, in their food, just before serving. They call that the cooking basil. On the other hand, the sacred basil has smaller and greener leaves, more pungent in odor and in taste. One rule passed down from the ancients is that milk and Basil do not mix. So when you are getting rid of a cough and cold, you make up a mixture of one teaspoonful each of honey and dried ginger, eight black peppercorns, and 5 to 10 basil leaves and boil them in water. Drink them down twice a day, and there goes your cold. But if you are boiling these ingredients in milk, leave the basil leaves out. Sacred basil has a religious and mythological significance coming down the ages, both in the East and in the West. The Greek Eastern Orthodox church used basil in traditional rituals and the women of the house used to sprinkle sacred basil on the threshold of their houses on St. Basil’s day celebrated on 1 January in order to usher in a new and fruitful prosperous new year.