Scientific Name: Ocimum Basilicum
Family: Basil is part of the mint family

Species:
The most common species of basil are
• Sweet Basil
• Cinnamon Basil
• Green Ruffles Basil
• Lemon Basil
• Bush Basil
• Greek Basil
• Napolitano Basil
• Purple Ruffles Basil
• Purple Basil
• Horapha basil
• Sacred Basil
Medicinal Uses for Basil:
-Basil has traditionally been used to provide relief from indigestion and is a remedy for irritation of the skin and digestive tract.
-Basil has antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial properties and it has been suggested that it can help to stop the growth of malignant cells.
-Basil is also a rich source of vitamin C, calcium, magnesium, potassium and iron.

Gardening Tips:
–Type of Plant: Basil is an annual plant.
–Time to Plant is in the spring after the last frost has passed
-Time to Harvest is in the early summer through until early fall
–Location in the garden: Basil likes full sun
–Soil Type: Basil likes well drained soil
Advice from Grandma’s Garden:
-Don’t plant basil is the same spot in the garden for 2 years in a row.
-Basil doesn’t enjoy overhead watering’s and it will benefit from mulching.
-Diseases that attack basil include Pythium, verticullium wilt; stem canker, tomato spotted wilt virus, leaf spot diseases and damping off.

Storage:
Basil can be stored fresh or frozen.
Wash it under cool water and dry well. Hang it in a dark, dry place to air dry or puree it and freeze it in ice-cube trays.

For basil recipes please visit our “recipes” section on the top menu.

Our sources: “Nutritional Healing”, “Power Plants”, “Vegetables, Herbs and Fruit” and “the Way of Herbs” (print).