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Finding Calm with Holy Basil
By Melissa Lynn Block - The Doctor’s
Prescription for Healthy Living Article
 It’s
so old hat to talk about the stresses and pressures of modern life.
Most of us understand this point firsthand: No matter our material
wealth, our work, or our home situation, virtually every person
residing in the Western world is stressed out at least some of the
time. When we’re stressed, we are far more likely to fly off the
handle, make bad decisions, and treat others and ourselves in a manner
we’ll probably feel bad about later. On a larger scale, individual
stress harms families, separates communities and even causes and
perpetuates wars. While it can be exhilarating to fall into that
“fight or flight” mode, the consequences can be disastrous.
What’s the real key to defusing stress? Most sources
you consult will give you a range of options, designed to counter the
body’s natural responses to stressful situations: yoga, quitting sugar
and caffeine, deep breathing, visualization (a mental
“mini-vacation”), listening to soothing music, and the like. Some
people who seem to have serious problems dealing with stress are
advised to try cognitive-behavioral therapy or other counseling.
Unfortunately, all this advice can add to stress.
Many people end up rejecting it, feeling too busy and stressed to
start making big changes in their lives—and feeling guilty for not
doing what they’re told will make things easier. If this makes sense
to you—if you’re thinking, “It’s all I can do to muscle through the
day, cook a meal, spend a few minutes with my kids, fold some laundry,
and fall into bed to watch TV! I don’t have time, money, or energy to
go take yoga classes or sit down with a counselor!” — You might find
some help in the form of an ancient plant called holy basil (Ocimum
sanctum).
A stress-reducing practice are about defusing the
physiological consequences of stress, but raising
consciousness—attaining a state of enlightenment— is what it takes to
truly nip stress in the bud. Holy basil is, on the one hand, something
you can swallow in capsule form every day to have an impact on your
body’s stress response; some studies have shown it to reduce cortisol
levels, which are a measurement of unhealthy stress. But holy basil
has a broader effect on the body, helping to enlighten and raise
consciousness to a level where stress doesn’t affect you in the same
tiresome way.
AN INTRODUCTION TO HOLY BASIL
To help us along the road from irritated, annoyed,
and violent to balanced, serene, and calm, we can use specific herbs
to modulate the biochemical milieu of stress, as well as to elevate
our consciousness to a place where the little things don’t get to us
quite so much. Holy basil, also known as Tulsi, comes highly
recommended for this purpose.
This herb has a long, fascinating history that
extends back at least 2,500 years. Ancient Ayurvedic texts describe
the use of holy basil to facilitate expansion of awareness. They
called it the “Mother Medicine of Nature.” Today, it’s found growing
in profusion around Hindu temples. In ancient times, in addition to
its awareness expanding effects, it was used to treat colds, coughs,
and arthritis. (Keep in mind that holy basil and culinary basil are
different plants.)
Today, Tulsi—so named after a Hindu goddess— is
widely revered for its anti-stress properties. In the words of natural
health expert Christine Horner, M.D., it (and other herbs) are used
not to treat specific symptoms, but to “enliven the body’s inner
healing intelligence.” Science has shown that this herb acts
beneficially on multiple body systems; aside from—or, more likely, in
concert with— its soothing effect on stress, it has anti-ulcer,
allergy-relieving, and hypotensive effects. Research demonstrates that
Tulsi has antibacterial and antiviral effects, and that it may be
beneficial for diabetics, as it helps to lower elevated blood sugar.
It has even been found to help prevent radiation injury.
Holy basil is a natural anti-inflammatory that
inhibits both COX-2 (cyclooxygenase-2) and LO-5 (lipoxygenase-5)
nearly as well as NSAIDs like ibuprofen, naproxen and aspirin. Unlike
pharmaceutical NSAIDs, which can erode the GI tract, holy basil helps
to prevent ulcers. The herb has also been used with success to relieve
allergy symptoms, which are a form of inflammation. This is why holy
basil is a featured ingredient of Zyflamend®, New Chapter’s
groundbreaking combination of inflammation-controlling herbal
extracts.
Other promising uses for holy basil: reduction of
allergy and asthma symptoms, promotion of better liver function, and
boosting weak immunity.
TRANSFORMING THE BODY’S REACTION TO STRESS
It’s well known that psychological stress can harm
your body in multiple ways. The physiological changes caused when
you’re stressed are extensive, and they can include increased levels
of free radicals (oxidation), hypertension, and faster age related
deterioration of the cardiovascular system. Chronically high cortisol
levels are linked to weight gain in the midsection and may increase
risk of type 2 diabetes. Heightened, chronic stress has even been
linked to increased risk of some cancers. Finding ways to reduce
stress may mean more than inner peace; it may be a matter of sickness
or health, or the difference between a long, healthy life and a
shortened one.
The stress-reducing effects of Tulsi are profound.
Users report that they feel relief from the discomforts of anxiety and
stress within days of starting the herb. The herb has also been found,
throughout history, to help relieve anxiety and depression and to
expand consciousness.
One user, Cheri, told Dr. Horner in an interview
aired on a Cincinnati news program, “I just did not handle stress
well. I’d get very irritated and blow up. I’d lose control that way.
And that hasn’t happened since I’ve been on holy basil.” Other
interviewees report that family and friends noticed a huge difference
in their moods and coping abilities once they started taking holy
basil regularly. Anecdotal reports also suggest that holy basil is
helpful to those afflicted with depression. The herb has documented
antioxidant effects as well, helping the body to cope with increased
free radical levels that can result from stress.
Animal studies have shown that holy basil directly
reduces cortisol levels in the body. A series of studies of rats
exposed to noise stress found that holy basil supplementation led to
reduced stress-induced changes in serotonin, dopamine, epinephrine,
and acetylcholine levels in the brain.
And even as it reduces the over-stimulating effects of stress, holy
basil isn’t soporific; in fact, it has a mildly energizing effect. In
one study, 56 aging patients took a 300-milligram capsule of dried,
slightly crushed Tulsi leaves once a day for three months to one year.
Within a week, 90 percent reported reduced fatigue, and within a
month, all of the subjects felt their fatigue had improved
significantly. When they stopped taking the herb, their fatigue
returned.
Research shows that adaptogenic herbs have an
astonishing kind of intelligence that enables them to modulate various
body systems in ways that create optimal balance between them. One of
the reasons for doing this is to relieve stress. As an adaptogen, holy
basil ranks highly. Reports indicate that holy basil is a much more
potent stress reducer than either Siberian ginseng or Chinese ginseng,
both of which are very popular adaptogens. In a study of 50 Indian
medicinal plants, only five were identified as having significant
adaptogenic action; guess which came out on top of those top five?
Holy basil, of course.
Adaptogens refresh the body, restore homeostasis
(the scientific term for balanced function), and amplify vital energy.
Science calls the results of this effect the “state of non-specific
increased resistance,” or SNIR. They appear to improve communications
between the brain, endocrine (hormonal) system, and immune system in
ways that promote better function for all.
Paul Schulick, master herbalist of New Chapter, had this to say about
herbs’ adaptogenic effects: “The same intelligence that constructed
our physiology over millions of years has constructed the herbal
[physiology]. We have co-evolved, and the hundreds of a plant’s
constituents that maintain its physiology have the potential to
maintain ours.”
New Chapter & Tom Newmark - Practicing What They
Preach
New Chapter (Brattleboro, Vermont) is a world leader
in creating herbal supplements of extremely high quality, including
the holy basil supplement we’ll be describing in the rest of this
article. They were the first company to offer supplements that carry
the U.S. Department of Agriculture certified organic seal, and have
made huge strides in their technology to preserve the unique and
healing composition of the plants they transform into herbal
supplements. With the certified organic biodynamic farm, Luna Nueva,
that they maintain in Costa Rica (the source for their ginger and
turmeric), New Chapter really puts its money where its mouth is.
New Chapter’s method for creating herbal supplements
is unique, environmentally safe, nontoxic, and representative of the
absolute cutting edge in the industry. They developed Supercritical
Extraction, a process that uses carbon dioxide (no heat, no toxic
chemicals) to extract the herbs’ full range of lipophilic (that is,
fat-soluble) constituents. This process transforms approximately 250
pounds of herb into one pound of extract, containing a concentrated
balance of the plant’s medicinally valuable chemicals.
Tom Newmark is co-CEO and president of New Chapter,
and he, like the company, practices what he preaches. He told DPHL,
“Herbs have a treasured role in my life program, and New Chapter
products featuring holy basil, rhodiola, and Scutellaria baicalensis
(Chinese skullcap) have special utility in stress reduction and
response. Also, I’ve been meditating daily for 35 years, and by now
it’s an indestructible thread in the fabric of my life.”
Newmark views herbal support not as a simple stress
reducer, but as a window to higher consciousness. “I’m reminded of an
encounter Paul Schulick [co-CEO and founder of New Chapter] and I had
in New Delhi with Dr. Brihaspati Triguna, one of the great healers
from the Ayurvedic tradition,” he told us. “We were in his home and
were deep in discussion about holy basil. He commented that holy
basil, or Tulsi, was on its own a rasayana—something that promotes the
establishment of perfect health and enlightenment. He went on to
declare that Tulsi was also useful for diabetes, cancer, and
inflammation.”
He and Schulick commented that many people in the
United States found that holy basil helped to lift their spirits and
bring light to their lives. “Dr. Triguna explained that ‘holy basil
delivers nutrients to the brain necessary to support the experience of
enlightenment.’”
Newmark also finds that his connection to the earth
is fundamental to his “stress reduction” program. “When I’m most
intimately connected to the planet, as when I’m hiking on New
Chapter’s rainforest estate in Costa Rica, my soul is at peace. For
me, getting my hands in volcanic soil is about as good as it gets. And
then, of course, there’s the bliss of family, the greatest blessing of
all.”
Keeping his connection to the earth, practicing
meditation and the powers of holy basil are the big three stress
busters for Tom Newmark.
Resources
Click Here for New Chapter Supercritical Holy Basil
product information and ordering.
REFERENCES
Agrawal, P., Rai, V. & Singh, R.B.
“Randomized, placebo-controlled, singleblind trail of holy basil
leaves in patients with non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus.” Int
J Clin Pharmacol Ther, 1996 Sep;34(9):406-9.
Bhargava, K.P. & Singh, N. “Antistress activity of Ocimum sanctum
Linn.” Indian J Med Res, 1981;73:443-51.
Rai, V., Iyer, U. & Mani, U.V. “Effect of Tulasi (Ocimum sanctum) leaf
powder supplement on blood sugar levels, serum lipids, and tissue
lipids in diabetes.” Plant Foods for Human Nutrition, 1999 Mar;50(1).
Singh, S. & Najumdar, D.K. “Evaluation of the gastric antiulcer
activity of fixed oil of Ocimum sanctum (Holy Basil).” J
Ethnopharmacol, 1999 Apr 1;65(1):13-19.
Uma, Devi P., et al. “Radiation protection by the ocimum flavonoids
Orientin and Vicenin: mechanisms of action.” Radiation Research, 2000
Oct;154(4):455-60.
Uma, Devi P., et al. “Radioprotective, anticarcinogenic and
antioxidant properties of the Indian holy basil, Ocimum sanctum (Tulasi).”
Indian J Exp Biol, 2001 Mar;39(3):185-90.
Uma, Devi P. & Ganasoundari, A. “Modulation of glutathione and
antioxidant enzymes by Ocimum sanctum and its role in protection
against radiation injury.” Indian Journal of Experimental Biology,
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