Feel Good Fridays: Holy Basil

FEEL GOOD FRIDAYS ! Holy basil [Ocimum sanctum/ tenuiflorum]. A trio of clinical trials to welcome weekend relaxation. 

ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, STRESS, WILLINGNESS TO ADJUST!,  ATTENTION

  💫Hospital based clinical setting, generalized anxiety disorder,  60 day trial with 35 participants medicated with the plant extract 500 mg/capsule, twice daily, after a meal. Results showed holy basil significantly attenuated generalized anxiety disorders and also attenuated its correlated stress and depression. It further significantly  improved the willingness to adjust and attention in humans. PMID: 19253862  

Just like knowing which friend to call, it is so important to know which plant allies to lean on to help us stay open, willing to adjust and able to accept change-- such a HUGE part of STRESS are the layers of reaction we put on it- fighting acceptance, overthinking and worrying about things we can not change. Holy basil helps to let ish go and keep you moving forward. 

STRESS, FORGETFULNESS, EXHAUSTION, AND SITUATIONAL/STRESS RELATED SEXUAL AND SLEEP PROBLEMS. 

  💫A 6 week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, Ocimum tenuiflorum was used for general stress. Scores of forgetfulness, sexual problems, exhaustion, and sleep problems decreased significantly compared with the placebo group. The total symptom scores also revealed significant reduction compared to the placebo group. The overall improvement in the holy basil group was found to be 1.6 times or 39% more in the control of general stress symptoms with respect to placebo. No adverse side effects. 

PMID: 21977056

COGNITION AND STRESS 

  💫 30 days, 300 mg cap daily of holy basil leaf ethanolic extracts or placebo.  Significant improvement of reaction times, decision making time, salivary cortisol, anxiety and error rates of various tasks. PMID: 26571987

I visited these peaceful ocimum fields at @zacwoodherbfarm in 2018 during an intensive with them and the wonderful @rosemarygladstar.  We collect and learn about it on our Jamaican ecotours trips, and of course, it has been celebrated in ayurveda and india for ages!

#feelgoodfridays #botanicalmedicine #holybasil #adaptogen #nervine #herbalist