Holy Basil (Ocimum tenuiflorum) and Anxiety: evidence and sources

Tulsi, also known as holy basil, is indigenous to the Indian continent and highly revered for its medicinal uses within the Ayurvedic and Siddha medical systems. Many in vitro, animal and human studies attest to tulsi having multiple therapeutic actions including adaptogenic, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, cardioprotective, and immunomodulatory effects, yet to date there are no systematic reviews of human research on tulsi's clinical efficacy and safety. We conducted a comprehensive literature review of human studies that reported on a clinical outcome after ingestion of tulsi. We searched for studies published in books, theses, conference proceedings, and electronic databases including Cochrane Library, Google Scholar, Embase, Medline, PubMed, Science Direct, and Indian Medical databases. A total of 24 studies were identified that reported therapeutic effects on metabolic disorders, cardiovascular disease, immunity, and neurocognition. All studies reported favourable clinical outcomes with no studies reporting any significant adverse events. The reviewed studies reinforce traditional uses and suggest tulsi is an effective treatment for lifestyle-related chronic diseases including diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and psychological stress. Further studies are required to explore mechanisms of action, clarify the dosage and dose form, and determine the populations most likely to benefit from tulsi's therapeutic effects.

Background In Ayurveda, Ocimum tenuiflorum (Holy Basil) is referred to as "the elixir of life" and is believed to promote longevity and general wellbeing. Although limited, there are clinical trials to suggest Ocimum tenuiflorum has anti-stress effects. Purpose Examine the effects of a standardized Ocimum tenuiflorum extract (Holixer TM ) on subjective and objective measures of stress and sleep quality in adults experiencing stress. Study design Two-arm, parallel-group, 8-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry trial registration number ACTRN12621000609853. Methods One hundred volunteers aged 18-65 years received either 125 mg of Ocimum tenuiflorum twice daily or a placebo. Outcome measures included the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) (primary outcome measure), Profile of Mood States, Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS), Restorative Sleep Questionnaire, and the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System-29. Sleep quality was also assessed using a wrist-worn sleep tracker (Fitbit), and stress changes were examined by measuring between-group differences in hair cortisol and stress responses after exposure to an experiment stress procedure known as the Maastricht Acute Stress Test (MAST). Results Compared to the placebo, Ocimum tenuiflorum supplementation was associated with greater improvements in PSS ( p = 0.003) and AIS ( p = 0.025) scores; and at week 8, concentrations in hair cortisol were also lower ( p = 0.025). Moreover, Ocimum tenuiflorum supplementation was associated with a buffered stress responses after exposure to the MAST as demonstrated by significantly lower concentrations in salivary cortisol ( p = 0.001), salivary amylase ( p = 0.001), systolic ( p = 0.010) and diastolic ( p = 0.025) blood pressure, and subjective stress ratings ( p Ocimum tenuiflorum supplementation was well-tolerated with no reports of major adverse effects. Conclusion The results from this trial suggest that 8 weeks of supplementation with an Ocimum tenuiflorum extract (Holixer TM ) may reduce objective and subjective measures of stress, and improve subjective measures of sleep quality. However, further research using gold-standard objective sleep measures will be required to substantiate the sleep-related findings. Clinical trial registration https://www.anzctr.org.au/ACTRN12621000609853p.aspx, identifier: ACTRN12621000609853p.