Witnessed by: Ayurveda · Unani
Clove basil (Ocimum gratissimum), of the Lamiaceae family. Aromatic shrubby perennial herb with woody base; native range: Tropical Asia and Africa; naturalised across India and much of the tropics. Globally recognized as vana tulsi / arjaka in Sanskrit, ram tulsi / van tulsi in Hindi, rayhan in Arabic, and clove basil, tree basil, African basil in English. The part used is leaf and flowering top. Toothed green leaves that release a warm, clove-like, camphoraceous scent when bruised, from a resinous eugenol-rich oil; taste pungent and faintly bitter.
In this cross-tradition database, we analyze how this substance operates across world medicine systems — tracking its traditional tastes, temperatures, tissue affinities, post-digestive effects, and planetary correspondences across Ayurveda, Unani, and Western herbalism.
CLOVE BASIL
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- Clove basil
- Scientific name
- Ocimum gratissimum L.
- Family
- Lamiaceae
Form
- Part used
- leaf and flowering top
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- Ayurveda
- pungent (katu) · bitter (tikta)
- Unani
- pungent, aromatic and warming on the tongue
Temperature
Ayurveda: heating (ushna)
Unani: hot & dry (2nd degree)
convergence: both {witness_count} witnesses read the clove-scented leaf as frankly hot and drying
Affinity
where in the body it travels
Organs / channels
- Unani
- brain · lungs · stomach
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- Ayurveda
- kaphaghna and vataghna, deepana (digestive), jvaraghna (antipyretic), krimighna (antiparasitic), kasahara (relieves cough)
- Unani
- muqawwi-e-dimagh (brain tonic), kaasir-e-riyah (carminative), muharrik (stimulant), jali (detergent)
Cautions
- Contraindications
- high pitta and heat states, hyperacidity; caution in pregnancy in medicinal doses
- Toxicity
- the concentrated essential oil is a mucosal irritant and must not be taken neat
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