Master The Skills Of Miracle Plant-Tulsi And Be Successful.

Miracle Plant-Tulsi

Modern technology, environmental pollution, poor diet, and stress play a significant role in the degradation of health. Conventional allopathic medicines used nowadays have significant side effects. Hence there is increased tendency towards traditional medicinal modalities like Ayurveda and naturopathy.

Among the various traditional medicinal plants, Tulsi (Ocimum sanctum Linn) plant occupies a sacred position in the treatment of various systemic diseases such as diabetes, cancer, hyperthyroidism.

Sexually transmitted diseases, ringworm infections, etc as well as in dentistry such as in toothache, periodontal diseases,candidiasis, oral submucous fibrosis, etc. This article attempts to comprehensively review the various applications of Tulsi in medicine and dentistry.

Tulsi has been used for thousands of years in Ayurveda for its diverse healing properties. A rich heritage of knowledge on preventive and curative medicines was available in ancient scholastic work included in the Atharvaveda (an Indian religious book), Ayurveda (Indian traditional system of medicine) and so on.

The whole plant is useful including leaves, seeds. Tulsi is known as a general vitalizer and increases physical endurance. The stem and leavesof holy basil contain a variety of constituents that may have biological activity. Medicinal name of Tulsi is Ocimum sanctum linn, sometimes spelled as thulasi.

Traditionally, Tulsi is taken in many forms: as an herbal tea, dried powder, fresh leaf, or mixed with Honey or Ghee. For centuries, the dried leaves of Tulsi have been mixed with stored grains to repel insects. Many research and studies suggest that Tulsi may be a COX-2 inhibitor, like many modern painkillers, due to its significant amount of eugenol.

Plant-based natural constituents can be derived from any part of the plant like bark, leaves, flowers, roots, fruits, seeds and so on that is any part of the plant may contain active components.

The stem and leaves of holy basil contain a variety of constituents that may have biological activity, including saponins, flavonoids, triterpenoids and tannins.^[2] In addition, the following phenolic actives have been identified, which also exhibit antioxidant and antiinflammatory activities.

Rosmarinic acid, propanoic acid, apigenin, cirsimaritin dimethoxyflavone), isothymusin and isothymonin. Two water-soluble flavonoids:Orientin and Vicenin, have shown to provide protection against radiation-induced chromosomal damage in human blood lymphocytes.^[3]

          Composition of Tulsi

The chemical composition of Tulsi is highly complex, containing many nutrients and other biological active compounds. These constituents significantly vary with time, cultivation process and storage.

Therapeutic Applications

Tulsi is a popular healing herb in Ayurvedic medicine. It is widely used in the treatment of several systemic diseases because of its anti-microbial property.

The most important advantage claimed for therapeutic use of medicinal plants in various ailments is their safety besides being economical, effective, and easy availability.

          Uses For Systemic Disorders

Antidiabetic

Ethanolic extract of O. sanctum L. significantly decreases the blood glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin and urea with a concomitant increase in glycogen, hemoglobin and protein in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. The extensive spectroscopic data analysis reveals that, the isolated bioactive compound elucidated as tetracyclic triterpenoid.

Methanolic extracts of leaves of various Ocimum species were explored and compared for antidiabetic activity. All extracts were able to show antidiabetic activity at 0.5 mg/Kg concentration. The activities are well comparable with the standard drug, glibenclamide.

The methanolic extract of OS showed better antidiabetic activity in comparison with other species of Ocimum and standard drug. The data were verified as statistically significant by using one way ANOVA at 5% level of significance (p < 0.05).

          Cardiac Activity

Oral feeding of hydroalcoholic extract of O. sanctum L. (100 mg/kg) to male Wister rats subjected to chronic-resistant stress (6 h/day for 21 days) significantly prevented the chronic- resistant stress/induced rise in plasma cAMP level, myocardial superoxide dismutase and catalase activities as well as the light microscopic changes in the myocardium.

          Wound Healing Activity

Ethanolic extract of leaves of O. sanctum L. helps to increase the wound breaking strength, wound epithelialization process. The extract significantly increased the wound breaking strength.

Wound epithelializes fast and wound contraction was significantly increased along with increase in wet and dry granulation tissue weight and granulation tissue breaking strength. The extract also significantly decreases the anti-healing activities of dexamethasone in all wound healing models. Ocimum sanctum L. may be useful in the management of abnormal healing such as keloids and hypertropic scars.

              Antioxidant

Aqueous extract of O. sanctum L. significantly increases the activity of anti-oxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase and catalase level.

          Radio-protective effect

Uma Devi et al reported that two water-soluble flavonoids, Orientin (Ot) and Vicenin (Vc), isolated from the leaves of O. sanctum L. provide significant protection against radiation.

          Antimicrobial

Linoleic acid in O. sanctum L. fixed oil shows good antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Bacilluspumius and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Its leaves have antibacterial agents mainly in the form of essential oils.

The five major constituents found in the essential oils of Ocimum sanctum (Linn.) leaves are eugenol, caryophyllene, germarene- A, clemene and caryophylline oxide.

          Anti Cancer

Fresh leaf paste (topically) and aqueous and ethanolic extract(orally) were evaluated for their chemopreventiveactivity against 7,12-dimethylbenzaanthracene (DMBA) induced(0.5%) hamster buccal pouch carcinogenesis.

Incidence of papillomas and squamous cell carcinomas were significantly reduced and increased the survival rate in the topically applied leaf paste and orally administered extracts to animals.

          Respiratory Disorders

A decoction of tulsi leaves with honey and ginger is commonly used to treat cold, cough, bronchitis and bronchial asthma. It helps to mobilize mucus in bronchitis and asthma thus helps in maintenance of clear and healthy respiratory passage.

         Liver

Holy Basil, like other adaptogenic compounds, can reduce cadmium build-up in the body  and protect the body from already placed cadmium toxicity  and reverse build-up.

The proposed mechanism was anti-oxidant flavonols also acting as metal chelators or otherwise alleviating oxidative stress of cadmium enough for other chelators to act before damage could occur.

Holy Basil seems to be effective in preventing toxin-induced damage to the liver^[27-28] in doses of 100-200mg/kg bodyweight. These protective effects are due to a supposed membrane stabilizing effect of Holy Basil constituents.Synergism was noted on hepatoprotection when paired with Milk Thistle.

        Renal Disorders

Juice of tulsi leaves along with honey, if taken regularly for six months helps to expel the renal stone through urinary tarct.

         Hypolipidemic

Administration of Ocimum sanctum L. seed oil (0.8 gm/kg body weight/day) for four weeks, in cholesterol-fed (100 mg/kg body weight/day) rabbits significantly decreases serum cholesterol, triacylglycerol and LDL + VLDL cholesterol as compared to untreated cholesterol-fed group suggesting the hypo-cholesterolemic.

        Thyroid activity

The extract of O. sanctum L. leaf extract at the dose of 0.5g/kg body weight for 15 days significantly decreased serumT4 concentration.

         Effect On Central Nervous System           (Cns)

Ethanolic extract of leaves of O. sanctum L. prolonged the time of lost reflex in mice due to pentobarbital^[32] decreased the recovery time and severity of electroshock and pentylenetetrazole-induced convulsions ,decreased apomorphine-induced fighting time and ambulation in ‘open field’ studies.

The extract lowered immobility in a manner comparable to Imipramine. In the forced swimming behavioral despair model. This action was blocked by haloperidol and sulpiride, thereby indicating a possible action involving dopaminergic neurons. In similar studies, there was a synergistic action when the extract was combined with bromocriptine, a potent D2-receptor agonist.

         Psychological Disorders

Tulsi leaves are regarded as adaptogen (anti stress). Substantial evidence has accumulated that the herb’s powerful general adaptogenic properties offer significant preventive and curative potential with respect to the stress-related degenerative diseases endemic to industrialized societies.

Some components of ocimum sanctum, namely ocimarin and the ocimumosides A and B, appear to exert antistress activity when given to rats at the dose of 40mg/kg.In otherwise healthy subjects given ocimum sanctum twice daily (500mg each time after meals) over the course of two months, supplementation appeared to reduce symptoms of generalized anxiety disorders as assessed by the BPRS.

         Anti-Fertility

Benzene extract of O. sanctum L. leaves have a reversible anti-fertility.^[36] effect, as O. sanctum L. extract (250 mg/kg body weight) for 48 days decreases the total sperm count, sperm motility and forward velocity.

The percentage of abnormal sperm increased in caudal epididymal fluid and the fructose content decreased in the caudal plasma of the epididymis and the seminal vesicles. All these parameters returned to normal two week after the withdrawal of the treatment.

        Anti-Inflammatory

Singh in his study reported that linoleic acid present in different amount in the fixed oil of different species of O.sanctum L. has the capacity to block both the cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenase pathways of arachidonate metabolism and could be responsible for the anti- inflammatory activity.

         Anti Cancer

The chemopreventive activity of seed oil of O. sanctum L was evaluated against subsequently injected 20-methyl cholanthrene-induced fibrosarcoma tumors in the thigh region of Swiss albino mice. Supplementation of maximal-tolerated dose (100 μl/kg body wt.) of the oil significantly reduced 20-methaylcholathrene-induced tumor incidence and tumor volume.

The enhanced survival rate and delay in tumor incidence was observed in seed oil supplemented mice.^[38] Prashar et al. in their study reported that O. sanctum L. leaf extract blocks or suppresses the events associated with chemical carcinogenesis by inhibiting metabolic activation of the carcinogen.

Fresh leaf paste (topically) and aqueous and ethanolic extract (orally) were evaluated for their chemopreventive activity against 7,12-dimethylbenzaanthracene (DMBA) induced (0.5%) hamster buccal pouch carcinogenesis.

Incidence of papillomas and squamous cell carcinomas were significantly reduced and increased the survival rate in the topically applied leaf paste and orally administered extracts to animals. Histopathological observation made on the mucosa confirmed the profound effect of the orally administered aqueous extract than other.

         Immunomodulator Effect

It has also been postulated that Tulsi has an immunomodulatory effect and acts by increasing the levels of interferon, interleukin‑4 and T helper cells that can strengthen host response to infections.

         Anthelminthic Activity

The anthelmintic activity of the essential oil from O. sanctum L. was evaluated by Caenorhabditis elegance model. Eugenol exhibited an Effective Dose⁵⁰ of 62.1 μg/ml and being the predominant component of the essential oil, it was suggested as the putative anthelmintic principle.

         Antinociceptive (Analgesic)

The analgesic activity of alcoholic leaf extract of O. sanctum L. (50, 100 mg/kg, ip; 50, 100, 200 mg/kg, po) was tested in mice using glacial acetic acid induced writhing test. O. sanctum

L. reduced the number of writhes. Osimum sanctum L. (50, 100 mg/kg ip) also increased the tail withdrawal latency in mice.

         Eye (Ocular) Disorders

The leaf juice of O. sanctum L. along with triphala is used in Ayurvedic drop preparation. It is used for glaucoma, cataract, chronic conjunctivitis.

          Anticataract Activity

The Aqueous Extract of fresh leaves of OS (1g/kg and 2 g/kg) significantly delayed the the onset as well as subsequent maturation of cataract in galactosemic cataract model in rats by 30% galactose and naphthalene cataract model in rabbits by 1 g/kg naphthalene.

          Sexually Transmitted Disease

Extract of O. sanctum L. caused inhibition of Neisseria gonorrhoeae clinical isolates and WHO organization strains. The activity is comparable to penicillin and ciprofloxacin.

         Skin Disorders

Paste prepared from Tulsi leaves is used against the ringworm infection. Tulsi removes worms and parasites. Tulsi extract with honey is recommended so that the parasites may be excited, thus drawing them out of their hiding places. Paste of its leaves is applied on face to clear marks.

         Uses In Dentistry

Toothache

Tulsi can act as a COX-2 inhibitor like modern analgesic due its significant amount of eugenol.

        Anticariogenic Effect

Streptococcus mutan (S.mutan) is considered as the main culprit microorganisms responsible for dental caries. An in vitro study conducted by Pooja et al have assessed various concentration of tulsi extract against S.mutan & concluded that composition of tulsi extract at 4% has a maximum antrimicrobial potential.

         Periodontitis

In vitro experiment done by Mallikarjun, et al showed that Tulsi at a concentration of 5%  and 10% can effectively inhibit the growth of A actinomycetemcomitans, comparable to that of doxycycline.

Powdered form of dried leaves of tulsi can be used for brushing teeth. It can also be mixed with mustered oil to make a paste and used as toothpaste.It can be used as mouthwash to treat various periodontal disorders.

Mouthwash containing tulsi can serve as a good alternative to patients who wish to avoid alcohol (e.g. Xerostomics), sugar (e.g. Diabetics), any artificial preservatives and artificial colors in their mouthrinses.

         Oral Submucous Fibrosis

Srivastva A et al. have reported in their study that a paste of 1gm tulsi powder and 1gm of turmeric powder in a glycerine if applied locally for 3-4 times a day can significantly increase mouth opening and reduce burning sensation.

The active alkaloids present in Ocimum Sanctum i.e. Phenolic acid, Flavanoides, Glycosides, Linalools, Eugenol, Cineole can be used as deodorant, stimulant, astringent, oedema reliever, analgesic and haemostatic agent for the treatment of oral sub mucous fibrosis.

         Anti Ulcer Activity

The fixed oil of tulsi was found to possess significant anti ulcer activity against drug induced as well as stress induced ulceration in experimental models. Tulsi possess anti ulcerogenic as well as ulcer healing properties due to its ability to reduce acid secretion and increase mucous secretion.

         Candidiasis

Khan A et al have investigated the anti fungal activity of essential oil of Ocimum sanctum and its two components i.e. eugenol^[46] and linalool against candida albicans and candida tropicalis and concluded that linalool is more effective against candida.

         Toxic dose

Toxicity has been reported for the oil extract of Holy Basil (which contains 70+/-3% eugenol content^[45]) and has been found to be 42.5ml/kg bodyweight.^[53-54] Whereas the dry plant extract with a normal eugenol content has an LD50 of between 4600-6400mg/kg bodyweight in research animals.

         Side Effects

Two animal studies reported that large amounts of holy basil might affect fertility but however, no adverse reactions have been reported in human clinical trials. Safety during pregnancy and lactation has not been investigated; until further studies conducted for the same, holy basil should probably be avoided at those times.

         CONCLUSION

The typically fragmented approach of modern allopathic medicine has not been able to cope with the growing array of chronic degenerative environmental, lifestyle and personal stress- related disorders that plague modern society, inspite of many impressive accomplishment of western medical science.^[3] Recognizing the importance of broadening western medical perspective, the World Health Organization has recommended that traditional health and folk medicine systems to be integrated with modern medical therapies to more effectively address health problems worldwide.