SULASI

Assigned name: SULASI

Common name: Sulasi (Tag.), Holy basil (Engl.) Tulsi[2]

Scientific name: Ocimum sanctum Linn[8]

Description of Plants and its Parts: A herb or shrub, up to 1m high, often much branched. Stem square, lower parts sub-serrate, higher parts slightly furrowed and more densely pubescent or subglabrous. Leaves simple, opposite, oblong, ovate or oval-oblong, 2.7–7.5cm long, 1–3 cm wide, with acute top, cuneate, obtuse to rounded base, margin entire, undulate or serrate, both surfaces thinly pubescent and dotted; petiole 0.2–3.0 cm long. Calyx 0.2–0.4 cm long, with or without long or short hairs, ciliate, densely glandulose; upper lip 2.0–3.5 mm long, oval short-acuminate; lower lip 1.0–2.5 mm long, dentate, teeth linear-acuminate from an equal- or unequal-sided triangular to ovate base, 2 anterior teeth equalling or slightly surpassing the upper lip; fruiting calyx not completely closed by teeth. Upper part of the corolla villous and glandulose in the upper part; lobes of upper lip rounded, lobes of lower lip obtuse to rounded. Nutlets obovoid, dark brown or black, 1–2 mm long; pericarp swells into a slimy mass when moistened. [1]


CONSTITUENTS:
Numerous constituents of Holy Basil have been identified; they include: eugenol 4,5
cinnamyl acetate 5 and beta-elemene 5. Extraction of the fresh leaves and stems of 
Ocimum sanctum yielded the following compounds: cirsilineol, cirsimaritin, isothymusin, 
isothymonin, apigenin, rosmarinic acid, and appreciable quantities of eugenol 6
Polysaccharides have been found 7, along with flavonoids, including orientin and vicenin 8  
Holy Basil also includes trace levels of zinc and other minerals 9, ursoloic acid 10,11, 
and at least five fatty acids (stearic, palmitic, oleic, linoleic and linolenic acids) 12. [3]

TRADITIONAL USE:

Cleansing plant
Leaves and flowers from the holy basil plant are added to bath water and to bowls of water kept near the entrance to a home. The hands of guests are sprinkled with this water as they enter a house or they are invited to clean their hands in the water. Holy basil contains compounds with antiseptic activity that would help kill germs. The scent from the plant also deters insects. Thus flies, including mosquitoes, which can spread diseases such as malaria, would be deterred from landing on people that had bathed in holy basil water.[4]

Ayurvedic medicine
In Ayurvedic medicine the leaves of the holy basil are used to treat many skin conditions as well as ear aches, fevers, coughs, bronchitis and diabetes. A juice from the leaves is made up as a drink for the treatment of bad skin conditions. When taken as a drink it is often mixed with lemon juice or cardamom.[4]

The Ayurvedic literature indicates that it is very effective in the treatment of snake bites. It can be mixed with ginger and given to young children with stomach aches or mixed with pepper to treat fevers. When used to treat chest infections it is often mixed with honey, ginger and onion juice.[4]

Sidha and Unani medicine
Holy basil is used in Sidha and Unani Medicine as a tonic and for the treatment of fever, skin conditions and for coughs.[4]


PHARMACOLOGICAL ACTIVITY:

ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY

The modulations in enzymatic and non‐enzymatic antioxidants were observed in Ocimum kilimandscharicum exposed to UV‐B stress. Recovery on lipid peroxidation and alterations in the contents of free radicals in leaves was studied. Lipid peroxidation measured in terms of MDA level increased with UV‐B doses and the ratio was higher with high dose of radiations. Recovered leaves showed lower.[10]

ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY

Essential oil from aerial parts of Ocimum kilimandscharicum shows antimicrobial activity against Gram +ve bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis), Gram‐ve bacteria (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa) and also against yeast Candida albicans.[10]

WOUND HEALING ACTIVITY

Aqueous extract of leaves shows wound healing activity at two different doses (200 and 400 mg/kg) in three types of wound models on rats: the excision, the incision and dead space wound model. Significant increase in skin breaking strength, granuloma breaking strength, wound contraction, dry granuloma weight and decreased in epithelization period was observed. Biochemical parameters obtained from histological examination of granuloma tissue determination using Van Gieson and Masson Trichome strains shows, viz;

L-Hydroxyproline, Hexose amine, Ascorbic acid and Malondialdehyde which confirmed its potential wound healing activity. Thus, it was found that enhanced wound healing may be due to free radical scavenging action and the antibacterial property of the phytoconstituents present in it , either due to their individual or additive effect.[10]

ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY

Ocimum kilimandscharicum is active against a number of bacteria i.e. bacillus saccharolyticus, bacillus stearothermophilus, bacillus thurengiensis, bacillus subtilis, lactobacillus casei, lactobacillus plantarum, micrococcus luteus, sarcina lutea, staphylococcus aureus.[10]

ANTIFUNGAL ACTIVITY

Ocimum kilimandscharicum is active against aspergillus fumigates, aspergillus niger, candida albicans, Cryptococcus neoformans, microsporum cassis, sporotrichum schenkii.

The dried ground leaves and essential oil of O.kilimandscharicum in doses of 25.0 g leaves and 0.3 g essential oil per 250 g grain (maize or sorghum) killed 100% of Sitophilus zeamais, Rhyzppertha dominica and Sitotroga cereaklla in 48 h. The best repellent activity was seen by 0.3 g essential oil/250 g grains against Sitophilus %eamais

Using modern science and technology, a new brand of medicines called Naturub® was developed from purified extracts of Ocimum kilimandscharicum based on the traditional knowledge and practices. Naturub® is registered as a medicine. Naturub® is certified and registered as the first natural product by the Pharmacy and Poisons Board of Kenya - it is sold widely in corporate retail chains in Kenya .Its balm is used for alleviating flu, cold, chest congestion, aches and pain, insect bites and muscular pain. While the ointment is used for the fast relief of muscular strain, rheumatism, arthritic joint, fibrositis, bruises, lumbargo, neuralgia and sciatica.[10]

Use of the plant (internal/external), with clinical basis:
The Human Effect Matrix looks at human studies (excluding animal/petri-dish studies) to tell you what effect Holy Basil has in your body, and how strong these effects are.[5]

GRADE	LEVEL OF EVIDENCE
A	Robust research conducted with repeated double blind clinical trials
B	Multiple studies where at least two are double-blind and placebo controlled
C	Single double blind study or multiple cohort studies
D	Uncontrolled or observational studies only

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE	EFFECT	CHANGE	MAGNITUDE OF EFFECT SIZE	SCIENTIFIC CONSENSUS	COMMENTS
C	Immunity		Minor	100% See study	Appears to induce proliferation of T cytokines and T lymphocytes
C	Natural Killer Cell Content		Minor	100% See study	An increased level of NK cell count has been noted following ingestion of Tulsi leaves
D	Anxiety		Minor	100% See study	A decrease has been noted, but the studies are not overly robust at this moment in time
D	Depression		Minor	100% See study	A decrease in depressive symptoms during generalized anxiety disorder has been noted
D	Blood Glucose		Minor	100% See study	May reduce blood glucose, with the potency demonstrated (fairly good) limited by the quality of the evidence currently

Animal and Experimental Design:

Male albino rats (Wistar strain) weighing 150–200 g were obtained from animal breeding center, PSG Institute of Medical Sciences & Research, Coimbatore, Tamilnadu, India. They were housed in PSG College of Arts & Science, Coimbatore, Tamilnadu, India, in controlled temperature (27 ± 2°C), humidity (55 ± 10%) and light with 12:12 h L:D cycle. Animals were fed with standard pellet (Hindustan Lever Ltd., India). They were given a week time to get acclimatized with laboratory condition. Ethical clearance for the handling of experimental animals was obtained from the committee constituted for the purpose (158/1999/CPCSEA).[6]

After acclimatization the rats were divided into six main groups (six rats in each group).
Group I: Normal control
Group II: Cadmium (6 mg/kg body weight/day) as CdCl2 orally for a period of 30 days
Group III: Cadmium as in group II + Ocimum sanctum extract (100 mg/kg body weight, po) 10 consecutive days before CdCl2 administration and until 30 days of CdCl2 administration
Group IV: Cadmium as in group II + Ocimum sanctum extract (200 mg/kg body weight, po) 10 consecutive days before CdCl2 administration and until 30 days of CdCl2 administration
Group V: Ocimum sanctum extract (100 mg/kg body weight) and
Group VI: Ocimum sanctum extract (200 mg/kg body weight)

At the end of the experimental period, the rats deprived of food overnight and sacrificed by light ether anesthesia. Liver was removed and cleaned in normal saline. A known weight of liver was then homogenized (10% w/v) in ice cold phosphate buffer (0.1 M, pH 7.4) using potter–Elvehjem Teflon homogenizer. The homogenate was centrifuged at 5000 rpm at 4°C for 30 min and supernatant obtained was used for the assay of various enzymes[6]

Table 1
Table 1 shows the phytochemical constituents present in the Ocimum sanctum hydroalcoholic extract[6].

Phytochemical constituents present in the Ocimum sanctum hydroalcoholic extract

Alkaloids	Flavonoids	Saponins	Phenols	Tannins	Glycosides	Proteins	Carbohydrates
+	+	+	++	+	++	+	+

Phytochemical constituents present in the Ocimum sanctumhydroalcoholic extract

It has been reported that the flavonoid constituents of the plant possess antioxidant properties.

Phenolics are highly effective free radical scavengers and exhibit strong antioxidant activity.

The antioxidant activity of phenolics is mainly due to their redox properties, which allow them

to act as reducing agents, hydrogen donors and singlet oxygen quenchers. In addition they

have a metal chelation potential.

Table 2
Levels of enzymic and non-enzymic antioxidants in the liver of various groups

Groups	LPOa	SODb	CATc	GPxd	GSHe	Vitamin Cf
I	0.80 ± 0.08	12.35 ± 2.23	68.46 ± 8.48	6.47 ± 0.94	1.93 ± 0.30	4.01 ± 0.39
II	2.47 ± 0.15*	6.07 ± 2.81*	34.01 ± 8.82*	4.40 ± 0.27*	0.73 ± 0.28*	2.28 ± 0.23*
III	1.40 ± 0.07*	8.85 ± 0.22*	49.12 ± 6.14*	5.94 ± 1.83**	1.47 ± 0.28*	2.88 ± 0.21*
IV	1.32 ± 0.15*	9.63 ± 2.21*	59.36 ± 8.85*	6.02 ± 1.78**	1.65 ± 0.35*	3.11 ± 0.26*
V	0.97 ± 0.09	12.19 ± 2.89	63.80 ± 8.66	6.39 ± 1.05	1.93 ± 0.30	3.82 ± 0.22
VI	0.75 ± 0.08	12.27 ± 2.10	68.41 ± 6.92	6.29 ± 1.00	2.02 ± 0.45	3.82 ± 0.23
	LSD(1%)0.17	LSD(1%)3.58	LSD(1%)12.77	LSD(5%)1.49 LSD(1%)2.00	LSD(1%)0.52	LSD(1%)0.42

Values are mean ± SD (n = 6)
Statistical significance are as follows: * P < 0.01, ** P < 0.05
Comparisons between groups are as follows

Group I versus Group II; Group II versus Group III and Group IV; Group I versus Group V and Group VI; a μmoles/g tissue; b U/mg protein (amount of enzyme required to inhibit 50% reduction of NBT); c U/mg protein (μm of H2O2 decomposed/min/mg protein); d U/mg protein (μ moles of GSH consumed/min/mg protein); e μg/mg protein; fμg/mg protein[6]Group II rats showed a significant (P < 0.01) increase in the liver LPO levels when compared to Group I rats. Lipid peroxidation has been postulated to the destructive process of liver injury due to cadmium administration. The increase in MDA levels in liver suggests enhanced lipid peroxidation leading to tissue damage and failure of antioxidant defense mechanisms to prevent formation of excessive free radicals Group III and Group IV rats administered with low and high doses of Ocimum sanctum extract showed a significant (P < 0.01) decrease in the liver LPO levels when compared to Group II rats. This may be due to the presence of flavonoids and phenolic compounds which have been recognized as excellent scavengers of superoxide, hydroxyl ion and peroxyl radicals thereby inhibiting lipid peroxidation .[6]

In Group II rats there was a significant (P < 0.01) decrease in SOD, CAT, GPx, GSH and Ascorbate levels in the liver when compared to Group I rats. The decrease in SOD levels may be due to inactivation of SOD by either cadmium induced lipid peroxidation or the antagonistic effect of cadmium with copper and zinc, which are important metals for the activity of SOD molecule . The reduction in the activity of Catalase is due to the accumulation of superoxide radicals and hydrogen peroxide.[6]

The decrease in GPx levels could be due to insufficient disposal of peroxides and results in elevated lipid peroxidation . The decrease in GSH levels in the liver when compared to Group I rats could be probably due to either increased utilization of GSH by the cells to act as scavengers of free radicals caused by toxic chemical agents, or enhanced utilization of GSH by GPx . The decrease in Vitamin C levels in the liver may be due to an increased reaction of Vitamin with ROS in the defense process. Vitamin C exist in the interconvertible reduced and oxidized forms thus participate in neutralizing free radicals as and when they are formed.[6]

In the present study, Group III and Group IV rats showed a significant (P < 0.01) increase in the levels of SOD, CAT, GSH, Ascorbate levels and significant (P < 0.05) increase in the GPx levels when compared to Group II rats. This shows that the Ocimum sanctum extract can reduce reactive free radicals that might lessen oxidative damage to the liver and improve the activities of the hepatic antioxidant enzymes like SOD and CAT, protecting the liver from cadmium intoxication. The increase in GPx levels in the liver may be due to increased supply of GSH for the activation of GPx . Ocimum sanctum probably increased the levels of reduced glutathione by facilitating reduction of oxidative free radicals by H donation . The increase in ascorbate levels may be due to a defense response of the organism to oxidant injuries caused by cadmium , indicating that the extract has the ability to combat produced free radicals, enhancing the recovery of the animals from cadmium induced damage, compared to the untreated group. No significant difference was found in all the parameters in the liver of Group V and Group VI rats when compared to Group I rats.[6]


Toxicity:

Intragastric administration of eugenol (400–600mg/kg body weight) has been reported to produce liver damage in mice, whose livers were experimentally depleted of glutathione. It was also cytotoxic in isolated rat hepatocytes. However, no generalized toxicity was reported in mice after a 50% ethanol extract of the leaves was injected either intraperitoneally (1 g/kg body weight) or intradermally (10 g/kg body weight)[1]

Toxic dose, with clinical basis:

The researchers' interest in Ocimum sanctum was piqued by a less well-known use: in some villages women use the herb as a contraceptive. The researchers decided to see if they could confirm this effect in animal studies, and gave male rabbits weighing 2 kg a daily 2 g of fresh leaves for 30 days.[7]

The extract worked. The figure below shows thatOcimum sanctum reduced the concentration of sperm in the seminal fluid by 45 percent. Even stronger though was the effect on the testosterone level: this rose by no less than factor five in the rabbits who ate the leaves.[7]

The equipment the researchers used to measure the concentration of testosterone in the blood of the lab animals was capable of measuring up to 1500 nanograms per decilitre. Ocimum sanctum caused the level of testosterone to rise above this cut-off point.[7]

The FSH concentration went down by a factor five as a result of the herb, and the LH concentration even dropped of the bottom of the scale.[7]

"A possible hypothesis to explain this pattern of changes in hormone levels could be that Ocimum sanctum leaves probably contain some androgenic analogue, which increased the circulating testosterone levels sufficiently to inhibit LH but not sufficient to accumulate in the testis at the required concentration for normal spermatogenesis", the researchers write. "However, the decreased LH levels will diminish intratesticular production of testosterone by Leydig cells, which results in reduced levels of spermatogenesis."[7]

Sources:
[1]http://herbalinformation.awardspace.com/?cm=o&fn=ocimum_sanctum
[2]http://www.tkdlph.com/index.php/ethnopharmacological-data/article/3470-sulasi
[3]Dr. Beverly Yates,Holy Basil,http://www.gaiaherbs.com/uploads/1596_HPR_HolyBasil_ResearchPaper-1371567034.pdf
[4]Holy basil - traditional medicine ,http://www.kew.org/plant-cultures/plants/holy_basil_traditional_medicine.html
[5]Holy Basil, http://examine.com/supplements/Holy+Basil/
[6]B. Ramesh and V. N. Satakopan, Aug 25, 2010, Antioxidant Activities of Hydroalcoholic Extract of
Antioxidant Activities of Hydroalcoholic Extract of Ocimum sanctum Against Cadmium Induced Toxicity in Rats, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3001835/
[7]http://www.ergo-log.com/holybasil.html
[8]http://www.stuartxchange.com/Sulasi.html
[9]http://pantrygardenherbs.com/shop-for-herb-seeds/basil-seeds/holy-basil-2007/ (picture)
[10]Sumit Narwal*, A C Rana, Vinita Tiwari, Shaveta Gangwani, Ramica Sharma ,Review on Chemical Constituents & Pharmacological Action of Ocimum kilimandscharicum, 2011, http://iglobaljournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/2.-Narwal-et-al-2011.pdf


Compiled By:
Abraham B, Nacionales BS. Pharmacy III
Pharmacy Informatics