TULASI

TULASĪ

Botanical name: Ocimum sanctum Linn.

Family: Lamiaceae

Classical name : Tulasi

Sanskrit name: Tulasi, Sulabhā, Devadundubhi, Apetarākṣarī, Surasã, Bhūtaghni, Bahumañjarī.

Regional names Tulasi (Hindi, Beng., Guj., Tam., Tel.); Shritulasi (Kann.); Mittavu (Mal.); Sacred Basil, Holy Basil (Eng.).

 

Description 

An erect, herbaceous, much-branched, softly hairy, annual, 30-75 cm. high. Leaves elliptic-oblong, acute or obtuse, entire or serrate, pubescent on both sides, minutely gland-dotted. Flowers purplish or crimson, in racemes, close whorled. Nutlets sub-globose or broadly ellipsoid, slightly compressed, nearly smooth, pale brown or reddish, with small black markings.

Distribution

Plant occurs throughout India, ascending upto 1,800 meters in the Himalayas, and in Andamans and Nicobar Islands. It is commonly cultivated in gardens; it is frequently found as an escape.

It is most commonly planted-pot herb on account of its particularly socio-religious importance as a sacred plant (Hindu religion) as well as environmental (including anti microbial) utility for Indian community as a whole in general.

Plant occurs in paleotropics. It is frequently growing in gardens, lawns, agricultural fields, waste places and or ridges.

Kinds and varieties 

Classically, there are mainly two kinds of Tulasi viz Sweta tulasi and krisna tulasi as indicated in Nighantus (Bhavamiśra). Susruta Samhită mentions two varieties as and surasă. Thus, kinds of Tulasi are broadly considered such white (sveta) and black (krsna) Tulasi. Some  species of Ocimum henes are referred in context of Tulasi. Ocimum Sims (white flowered, Sveta surasa), O. gratissimum Linn. (Phanijjaka, Rāmatulasi),  O.americanum Linn. (a variety of śveta tulasi) and O. kilimandascharicum  Guerke (Kapuri tulasi-Karpūra tulasi)

 Chemical composition

The leaves on steam-distillation yield a bright yellow volatile oil possessing pleasent odour characteristic of the plant with an appreciable note of cloves. The yield of oil varies with type, season, and the place of origin. Data of analysis various samples (collected from different parts country) are on record, showing the yield of oil (0.1 0.23% and 0.20-0.33% etc.), acid val. (1.1-1.6), phenols (45-70%) and aldehydes (15-25%) and almost similar varying data.

The seeds of plant give a greenish yellow fixed oil (17.8%) with good drying properties, and with analytical characteristics (i.e. sp. gr., acid val., sap. val., iod. val., thio cyanogen val.; hachner val. and unsapon. matter contain sitosterol). The fatty acid composition of the oil is as follows: palmitic 6.9, stearic 2.1, oleic 9.0, linoleic 66.1 and linolenic 15.7 percent.

Pharmacodynamics

Rasa : katu ,tikta

Guna: laghu , ruksha

Virya : Uṣṇa

Vipaka :Katu

Dosakarma : Kaphaghnam

Properties and action

Karma :

kaphaghna Kasahara-śvāsahara-kṣayaghna, kanthya,Hikkänigrahaṇa

Chardinigrahaṇa Krmighna-dipana-pacana-anulomana Jantughna-durgandhanāśana

Vätahara-sothahara Mūtrala (seeds) Hrdya Raktasodhaka Sukrala Tvagdosahara-Kandughna Kuşthghna-svedajanana-tvacya Jvaraghna-sitapraśamana visamajvaraghna-jvarapratiṣedhaka Vishaghna Balya  Visankrāmaka.

Roga:

Vātaśleşmika jvara-pratiśyāyan. Käsa-śvāsa-pārsvašūla-yakṣmā  Agnimandya-ajirna chardi Udaraśūla-pravähikā Krmiroga  Jantu (kītāņu) sankramana bāhyakṛmi Vedana-aksepa-sotha Tvagroga-kacchu-pāmā-kandJirnavrana-sotha-vrana Dagdhavrana Siroroga Karnasula Hrddourbalya-raktavikāra Sukrameha Mūtrakṛcchra-mutradāha bastiśotha-asmari Makkalasula Visa-vrścikadamsa Jvara-jirnajvara Dourbalya Netra roga Bala roga

Parts used : Leaves ,roots,seeds

Groups :

Swasahara ( charaka sambitha)

Surasadi, sirovirechana ( susrutha samhitha)