
If you ask an Ayurvedic health expert to describe the importance of basil, he or she will ask you a counter-question: How would you describe the importance of the sun in life? In India, holy basil is given such a high priority that this plant is considered to be "divine.” This plant is even honoured on a certain day, the 'Tulsi vivah'. The spice with its highly effective essential oils (eugenol, citronellol and linaol) is used in a variety of ways in Ayurvedic health and is also gaining more and more importance in Europe¹. The capacity of an active ingredient to neutralize free radicals is measured with a so-called ORCA value (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity). If one compares the established values of basil (67,553), these are significantly higher than, for example, elderberries (Elderberries 14,697) ².