Editor's Choice Main Category: Nutrition / Diet Also Included In: Complementary Medicine / Alternative Medicine Article Date: 21 Sep 2013 - 12:00 PDT

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Basil (Ocimum basilicum), also known as Saint Joseph's Wort, is a herb belonging to the mint family Lamiaceae often used as a seasoning in cooking. Basil is native to India and other tropical areas of Asia.

The herb is well known for its use in Italian cuisine - it is a major ingredient in pesto sauce. Basil is also commonly used Indonesian, Thai, and Vietnamese cuisine.

The word Basil derives from the Greek word "basileus", which means "king". The Oxford English Dictionary says that basil may have been used as "some royal unguent, bath, or medicine".

In fact, there are quite a number of different beliefs associated with the herb. The French often refer to the herb as l'herbe royale (the royal herb), and in Jewish folklore basil is thought to give strength while fasting.

Basil is used in traditional Tamil medicine and in ayurvedic medicine, which is a form of alternative traditional medicine in the Indian subcontinent.

There are different types of basil, which differ in taste and smell. Sweet basil (the most commercially available basil used in Italian food) has a strong clove scent because of its high concentration of the chemical agent eugenol. Whereas lime and lemon basil have a strong citrus scent due to their high concentration of limonene.

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What are the health benefits of basil?