Improve Your Health With Basil and Margosa

By Rajeev Sharma

Nature has provided mankind with a gamut of fruits, vegetables, dairy products and other sources to maintain a healthy lifestyle. These natural sources of food are rich in vitamins, proteins, carbohydrates and other essential nutrients. Moreover, they have numerous unexplored healing powers. Through this series, we have made a sincere attempt to unfold the various benefits of these foods. You will find a cure for every big or small disease in this invaluable series, and will discover what treasure nature holds.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Diamond Books
• Release date: Dec 7, 2021
• ISBN: 9788128834295

Book preview

BASIL

General Properties of Basil

Basil is such a pious plant that it is worshipped like a Goddess by almost all the people of the world. In the Hindu Mythology, no food is sacred enough to be offered to any God; unless it has a few leaves of Basil put on it. In fact, the Basil is one of the basic ingredients of ‘Panchamrita’ made of five ‘Amritas’ (nectars), milk, Ganga water (river Ganges), honey, cow’s urine (some people prefer curd) and leaves of Basil. Since, it is full of the medicinal qualities and accorded this dignified status. The ancient people found Basil to have a great practical uses for health and hence, they made it almost a divine plant.

Mythologically, it is believed to have originated from the Great Churning of the Sea’ performed by the Demons and Deities. Lord Vishnu is believed to be the most beloved God of this plant, who is said to accept no offering of food unless some Basil leaves are part of it. Vrindavan (place in India) was believed to be a dense forest of Basil plants. In Sanskrit, one of the name of Basil is ‘Vrinda’ and hence, Vrindavan means a thick forest of Basil. The Ayurvedic treatises say that, regular consumption of its leaves keep palate, throat, teeth, gums, bronchial chord and lungs free of any sort of infection. That is why, in every house of the traditional Hindu family has this plant. They say an invisible oil permeates itself from this plant in entire atmosphere and keeps it clean and free of germs. Even, mere presence of Basil is believed to have very healthy effect on human body.

Another good quality of Basil is its being anti-toxic and hence, anathema to all the poisonous insects and reptiles. If you have a Basil plant in your garden or terrace, no snake and scorpion will come near it. Not only the plant, but also the soil in which it is planted becomes a very good tonic for health. That is why, each and every part of this plant is believed to be sacred, medicinally and spiritually alike.

Another scientifically proved quality of Basil is its being an insulatory material for electric impulses. It is believed that, a house having a Basil plant cannot be subjected to the fall of lightening as this plant itself is full of electrical energy and its presence thus, helps in the smooth circulation of blood. It is, perhaps, because of this reason, people wear small laces made of Basil stalks over their heart region, hands and around the neck to get rid of the waist, liver, spleen or private parts’ afflictions. Many foreigners also started using a piece of Basil wood in the nineteenth century in Calcutta to ward off such troubles.

Basil is not only sacred to the Hindus; even, the Christians also religiously accord it high status. The Christian holy book says that this plant had sprouted up on its own over the grave of Christ. That is why, the Churches of Eastern Europe still worship these leaves.

Infact, Basil has been found to be storehouse of virtues for the entire human system. Its leaves are very good medicines to cure a scores of disease, its blossom, rind and stalks keep your skin and muscles in good trim, if used externally. Sometimes its blossom is dried and beads are made from it. If its dried blossom is rubbed over body, it provides an invisible effect to make body immune to all afflictions and illnesses.

The juice of Basil is a recognised medicine in Homeopathic treatment. Not only Homoeopaths, but also physicians all over the world use it in one form or the other. Dr. Boerick of California opined in a science journal that, Basil or Basil juice was specially a good tonic for ladies. Its regular consumption protects them from all the feminine disorders. The declaration was made in the Imperial Malarial Conference held a few decades ago that Basil leaves alone were capable of not only curing malaria but also in preventing its occurrence. The oil of Basil plant, if massaged over body cures even such dreadful diseases and affliction as paralysis or hemiflegia.

Basil has great preservative qualities. It is customary in far eastern islands to plant Basil over their near and dears’ graves. Perhaps they took a cue from this plant’s emergence