Basil is a member of the mint family that is not only essential to Italian cooking, it has many wonderful health benefits.
- It's an anti-inflammatory.
It does this by blocking an enzyme called cyclooxygenase, which is responsible for causing swelling.
This is great for people with various forms of arthritis.
- It's anti-bacterial and anti-microbial.
You can safely rinse all your fruits and vegetables with basil essential oil and water.
This can ensure your salads will be safe to eat.
Just place about 15 drops of basil essential oil in a quart of water and wash your fruits and veggies.
- In Ayurveda, basil has been used to treat coughs and colds, reduce fever, handle digestive disorders and acts as an anti-histamine, opening up the respiratory tract and dissolving mucus.
- Basil is rich in vitamins A, K, C, folic acid, calcium, magnesium, manganese and potassium.
- You can relieve an insect bite by rubbing fresh basil leaves directly onto the affected area.
- It can be used as natural insect repellent by adding 15 drops of basil essential oil to 1 cup of grain alcohol 190 proof, (which you can get at any liquor store).
Note; test on a small patch of skin first.
Eating basil on a regular basis can also aid in the reduction of insect bites.
- Like ginger, basil can have a calming effect on nausea and motion sickness because it has anti-spasmodic properties.
- The strong flavor of basil promotes the production of saliva in the mouth which aids in proper digestion of the foods we eat.
Basil grows just about anywhere which makes it easy for the amateur gardener to grow some on the kitchen windowsill all year round.
Fresh basil is always best because it will have the highest nutrient value but dried, it will do, if that is all you have in the pantry.
Note: If you cook with basil, add it as the last ingredient because it loses nutrient value quickly when heated.
When you bring basil home from the grocery store the best way to keep it fresh is to give it a gentle rinse, pat dry, and then wrap it up in paper towel and place in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.
If you purchase dried basil it should last up to a year in your pantry.
It is not recommended that you keep dried herbs much longer than that.
Here is a recipe that even my grandchildren ask for on a regular basis (because it has such a burst of flavor).
Tomato Basil Salad (single serving) 1 large tomato chopped ½ cup of freshly chopped basil (or 2 tsp of dried) 1 finely chopped green onion ¼ of a yellow bell pepper chopped Salt and pepper to taste (Mortons Nature's Seasoning is fantastic on this salad instead of salt and pepper if you have it) 1 tbsp of olive oil 1 to 2 oz of feta cheese (I prefer the flavored tomato basil feta cheese) Combine all ingredients together and serve immediately! Delicious!