Basil Ocimum sanctum, ocimum basilicum - Tulsi Basil (ocimum sanctum) is the only member of the mint family which is native to India, where it was called arjaka in the ancient language, Sanskrit. Its Latin botanical names are derived from the Greek okimon, ‘fragrant lipped’ and basilikan, ‘Royal’. Feelings about Basil have mixed throughout history, the herb having been variously associated with death, religious ritual, medicine, fertility, erotica and even as being responsible for the breeding of scorpions. It is probably for this reason, following a homeopathic logic that it was recommended at one time for the treatment of scorpion stings and snakebites. The ancients, although holding mixed feelings about the herbs, even swore oaths on it in courts of law. Culpeper, who combined astrology with herbalism, assigned it to the ruling planet Mars, associated with the sign of Scorpio. It has been used in European magic lore to attract love, wealth, protection, in love spells and incenses for purification and exorcism rites. It was also believed in some country communities that carrying basil in the pocket would attract wealth and was rubbed directly onto the skin to serve as a simple perfume. Ocimum sanctum is sacred to the Hindu god, Vishnu and his avatar, Krishna and is placed on temple and house altars for its peppery, carnation-like scent. Another traditional Hindu custom was to place a sprig of basil on the dead before burial to ensure safe passage to the next world. Ayurvedic practitioners recommend a decoction of European basil, (O. basilicium), for coughs and colds and prescribe a paste made from the leaves mixed with crushed black peppercorns for malarial fever. The juice, expressed from the leaves, is used as a gargle for pharyngitis, as eardrops, and to treat skin complaints and insect bites. Unani Tibb, the medicine and dietetics system started by Avicenna in the 10th century, lists European basil as being useful in the treatment of flatulence, bad eyesight, melancholy, rheumatism and influenza. Bush basil, which grows in South America is also revered in a similar way, being sacred too the Haitian love goddess, Erzulie. European herbalists have also long used the crushed leaves externally for eye problems and to ease arthritis and internally for nerves, headaches and faintness. It contains rhymol, eugenol and camphor, making its essential oil an ideal ingredient for soaps, perfumes, mouthwashes and toothpastes, and it was the camphor especially for which it was once used mixed with snuff, in powdered form, to clear the head. These oils are called monoterpenes; simple lipids which do not contain fatty acids and which have been found to be potent antioxidants, helping to protect against heart disease and cancers. Nutritionally, 100g of fresh basil leaf contains 29.09 kcalories, 033g fats, 5.08g carbohydrate, 4.44g fibre, 2.9mg sodium, 1.20g protein, 781iu vitamin A, 15.30mg vitamin C and 3.5mg iron.