Holy basil is a common name of a world-renowned herb Tulasi. It is a secret herb that has a mythological back ground. Tulasi is supposed to be a beloved of Lord Krishna, a reincarnation of Lord Vishnu, the operator of this world. Hence the herb got its name from there. This herb is worshipped throughout India as well as in various other parts of this world. It is especially associated with lord Krishna and is found in every temple of His. Even you can trace a Tulasi plant in almost every Indian home.

As per the properties of Tulasi are considered, it has a diversified usage. It has both therapeutic as well as general usage. Due to its application in various aspects of our life it has been considered as healer. References of holy basil can be traced back in Riga Veda, the oldest written book of the world. It clearly mentions that people at that time were aware of the multiple benefits of Tulsi and used them very often. Even the Charka Samhita, a medicinal book of ayurveda is also mentioned various therapeutic uses of Tulsi and has mentioned it in list of esteemed herbs.

In general Tulasi is of two types,

· Shyama Tulsi or the Tulsi that has black colored leaves

· Rama Tulsi or the Tulsi with green colored leaves.

If we compare the therapeutic values of these two varieties, black colored Tulsi is of more importance than the other one.

· Respiratory tract problems – Tulsi is very effective in treating the cold and related disorders. It is a boon for respiratory tract disorders. It helps in treating all the disorders that are related to our throat. Tulsi is blessed with certain properties that helps in increasing the immunity of the body therefore it helps in fighting against any antigen or infection that invades our body. It is also very helpful in expelling out the extra amount of mucus that gets accumulated in our respiratory tract especially in lungs.

· Headaches – some analgesic properties have been discovered in Tulsi and are a great assert in providing remedy to various pains that might happen in the body. It has been seen that Tulsi is very helpful in relieving the head aches. It has certain properties that helps in releasing spasm in the muscles hence is extremely helpful in relaxing the body.

· Abdominal disorders – it is one of the potent herbs that are very helpful in treating all a kind of abdominal disorders. It is very effective in increasing the peristaltic movements in the GI tract. It is very helpful in improving the appetite. It also has some mild laxative properties therefore helps in evacuation of the bowel.

· Inflammation – Tulsi is considered a good herb that has the anti-inflammatory properties. It is very effective in suppressing any kind of edema that happens in the body. It is very much used in reducing the pain and improve the blood circulation in the body thereby is very helpful in fading away wit the swellings that creeps in our body.

· Heart diseases – Tulsi is useful in curing heart related problems. It provides strength to the heart muscles and also helps in improving the blood circulation. It also helps in improving the blood supply to heart muscles. It is also helpful in reducing the cholesterol levels in the body.