Mar 03 2008
The Versatile and Humble Basil Essential Oil Is Here to Help You
The basil leaf is one of the commonest ingredients that you would choose to use while preparing food. It is exceedingly common in Italian pasta. In fact very few foods would taste and smell as good unless there is basil added to it. It is a common and active ingredient in Thai food as it is used as an enhancer of taste and smell.
The Healing Touch of the Basil Essential Oil
The basil essential oil is extracted through the process of steam distillation of the flowers of the plant and use for medicinal purposes both in Ayurveda and in Chinese treatments. It is an excellent insect repellant and therefore can be applied to the exposed skin to prevent insect bites. At the same time, the basil essential oil is able to soothe irritated skin in the wake of any insect bite.
This oil has anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties which are excellent for controlling the pain caused by arthritis and all other body aches, including muscular pain of the back and legs. In order to get relief you would need to rub a very tiny quantity directly onto the skin where you experience pain.
This oil also has anti-bacterial properties and hence it is able to fight minor and moderate infectious diseases such as flu, sore throat, stomach flu or e.coli bacteria, and so on. Taken as prescribed, this oil provides excellent results.
Add a few drops of the basil essential oil to your bath water and you will experience an out of this world feeling due to its property of inducing relaxation of mind and body. This also combats deep depression, migraines, insomnia, anxiety attacks, ands so on.
For those who love gourmet food, you would know that very few Indian curries would really taste as they did without the modest basil. There are a number of minerals and vitamins in the basil essential oil and it would be good if you consumed it everyday, since in this way you would absorb its components, Vitamin A and C, magnesium, potassium and calcium, – all critical components for a healthy and carefree body.
The basil essential oil is an excellent treatment for all types of skin irritations. It also prevents and reverses wrinkles as well as tightens the pores and clears the skin to give you a glowing complexion if applied regularly. Â However, it is always advisable to do a patch test before using it on the skin, lest you would be allergic to any of the compounds that this oil extract contains.
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