Basil in medicine and cooking

Basil - a very ancient spicy culture from the Yaroslavl family. And sweet basil, or camphor, or ordinary (Ocimum basilicum) - its most common type.

With this plant, all dishes become tastier - from salads to pickled cucumbers and zucchini. His name - "basil" - translated from Latin means "a fragrance worthy of kings." In the East, he is still considered the king of herbs. But, unfortunately, this culture with a burning pungent taste and spicy smell is poorly distributed in gardens and vegetable gardens.

Basil contains potent phytoncides that destroy harmful insects and purify the surrounding air. This is a wonderful honey plant blooming throughout the growing season. Its extraordinary scent is a very effective anti-allergenic agent and perfectly aromas the air in the room. It scares away harmful insects and even causes their death.

It is worth planting a bed of vegetables with basil, and this will be an insurmountable obstacle for aphids. The same will happen if the planted plants are pollinated with dry ground basil.

About cultivation and varieties - in the article Royal herb basil or a garden bed with charm.

The chemical composition of green basil

Basil greens contain up to 16% dry matter, up to 30 mg% vitamin C, many essential oils (up to 1%), giving a pleasant balsamic smell, camphor, tannins. Interestingly, the composition of essential oils in different types of basil is not the same and depends on the place of growth.

Medicinal properties of basil and recipes for use

Fresh basil leaves stimulate the nervous system and improve mood. Basil extracts are used as an aphrodisiac for depression and headaches. For frequent dizziness, it is recommended to take 2-3 g of crushed basil seeds 20 minutes before meals.

A decoction of basil with a small amount of table salt is used to rinse the mouth for toothache.

Basil is a good tonic. It enhances immunity, strengthens the body after various infectious diseases. Basil preparations help with upper respiratory tract infections, inflammatory kidney diseases and problems in the circulatory system.

Its healing properties are used in the fight against depressive conditions, to strengthen the central nervous system. Therefore, basil is used to restore physical and emotional strength, helps relieve feelings of fear and anxiety. If you put dry basil herb near your bed, your sleep will be calmer. For this purpose, you can also take an infusion or decoction of the herb.

For weakened patients who have undergone a serious illness, herbalists recommend drinking basil-infused wine... For its preparation 5 tbsp. tablespoons of flowering basil tops and 5 tbsp. spoons of yarrow herb should be poured with 1 liter of good wine, leave for 20-25 days, shaking occasionally, drain. Take 0.5 cups 3 times a day to strengthen the body.

In folk medicine hot infusion of basil used in the treatment of rhinitis and sore throat. To prepare it, you need to pour 1 teaspoon of chopped herbs with 1 glass of boiling water, insist in a thermos for 8 hours, strain. Take 0.5 cups 3 times a day 20 minutes before meals.

Stronger Basil Infusion used in the treatment of cough, especially whooping cough. For its preparation 1 tbsp. a spoonful of chopped herbs should be poured with 1 glass of boiling water, insisted, wrapped for 40 minutes, drain, take 0.3 cups 4 times a day 20 minutes before meals.

Warm infusion of basil is also used for inflammation of the kidneys and bladder, for chronic gastritis and enterocolitis. The juice from fresh basil leaves is used for purulent inflammation of the middle ear.

Basil stimulates the appetite and improves digestion. It is widely used in folk medicine and for food poisoning.Basil infusion is used for lotions and compresses on long-term non-healing wounds and eczema.

It is believed that basil helps to increase the sexual potency of partners, and also helps relieve headaches, nervous tension, and relax.

Basil herb infusions with a pleasant aroma are widely used for baths. In the Caucasus, they say that basil brings people a good mood, good health and long life.

Basil in cooking

Basil is widely used to prepare the most refined dishes in the best restaurants around the world, and in the food industry it is used to flavor sausages, canned meat products, and is also used for smoking.

It is also widely used in home cooking. It is put in chicken soups to spice up the dish, fresh and dry leaves are used as a seasoning for any meat and fish dishes, for salad. In France, basil is found in most sauces and soups.

And in England, it is added to dishes containing cheeses and tomatoes, baked meat, liver pate, egg and chicken salads. Basil is widely used as one of the components in pickling cucumbers, tomatoes, porcini mushrooms.

It is added for flavor to various liqueurs, cocktails, juices, canned tomato. And powder from dried basil leaves can replace pepper, especially when mixed with savory and rosemary. For fun, you can try:

Basil pasta... Boil pasta or horns. Chop the basil leaves and add the garlic cloves, very finely chopped. Pour the finished horns with butter, sprinkle with basil, mix with garlic and grated cheese and serve hot. For 500 g of macaroni - 100 g of cheese, 1 bunch of basil, 2-3 cloves of garlic, 30 g of butter.

Salted basil... Rinse greens, dry, cut into pieces up to 1 cm long. Place in sterilized glass jars, sprinkle with salt. Close with plastic lids. Keep refrigerated.

Bread kvass with basil... Pour crackers with hot water, stir well and leave for 4 hours. Then carefully drain the liquid, add sugar, basil, cool to 25 degrees, put yeast and leave for 10-12 hours to ferment. Pour young kvass into bottles through a funnel with cotton wool, add 2 raisins to each. Until bubbles of carbon dioxide appear, keep the bottles at room temperature, then seal and refrigerate for 1–2 days.

For 600 g of rye crackers - 6 liters of water, 300 g of sugar, 6–7 sprigs of basil, 15–20 g of yeast, raisins.

Basil recipes: