Basil is a member of the mint family, and native to tropical Africa. It is one of the most delicious and widely used herbs in modern cooking. It made its way to Italy in ancient times and the Romans spread its uses throughout the rest of the modern world. But basil isn’t just delicious, it is full of wonderful benefits to your body. This article lists 10 of those great benefits.
# 1 – Basil can be used to ease digestion and can be very soothing for your stomach. It does this by balancing your stomach’s pH levels. This can also be a good natural treatment for someone suffering from acid reflux.
# 2 – Basil can be used as a natural remedy for headaches. This was traditionally done by chewing the leaves to speed up the release of all those great chemicals.
# 3 – Basil leaves contain a chemical called eugenol, this chemical is a naturally occurring anti-inflammatory. This is great for easing inflamed muscles or helping to soothe pain from arthritis. If you suffer from arthritis it can be a real struggle, any relief you might get could be very beneficial.
#4 – The oils in basil are not just great for cooking with, they are also great for your skin. This can happen either from eating the basil, or making a paste out of the leaves and rubbing it into the skin. It can help unblock pores and remove impurities.
#5 – Whilst there are still studies ongoing, there is a belief that basil can help treat depression. It does this by stimulating neurotransmitters responsible for regulating your hormone levels.
#6 – Basil contains a rare property called an adaptogen. This chemical is a powerful anti-stress agent and is capable of lowering stress and relaxing your body. Some people find chewing on basil leaves very therapeutic for that very reason.
#7 – Consuming a lot of basil regularly can help manage diabetes. The reason being that it can successfully regulate the release of sugars into the blood flow, which is very important for people with diabetes.
#8 – Basil essential oils are great for you in many ways, but one of the best ways is how good it is for preventing heart attacks and coronary diseases. It does this by lowering your cholesterol. This can also help if you are a diabetic, as heart attacks are a much more prevalent risk.
#9 – If you are looking for a portion of good food to help you with your detox, basil is the food for you. This is great for your organ health, especially your liver. Regular basil intake can help protect you from liver disease. It also helps prevent fat buildup inside your liver which can cause liver disease or even in some cases failure.
#10 – Basil is very useful for treating infections. It is still commonly used as a home remedy today for infections such as e-Coli, as basil is already great for your stomach this makes it doubly great.
Conclusion:
Hopefully, this article has given you an idea as to just how great basil is for you. It is such a diverse cooking ingredient that can improve your mental, and physical, wellbeing.
