Sometimes, skin care can be quite confusing and contradictory. Even if you got oily and acne-prone skin, you’d want to cleanse, even purify it yet enhance moisture as well as decrease roughness. Don’t despair – because there’s a plant that can do all of it and more. Basil adds flavour to your salads and antipasti AND has a great reputation for purifying as well as keeping it moisturised.
Basil might just be your next holy grail skin saviour: it’s antibacterial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and helps regulate sebum production, one of the culprits when zits start to bloom.
A little bit about the ingredient
The name basil is very poetic. It comes from the Latin word basilius and means royal plan or kingly plant. The plant was believed to have been used in making royal perfumes. The French sometimes still call it “l’herbe royale” – royal herb.
Don’t confuse the Latin basilius with basilisk, a legendary beast – something like a serpent king.
Prepare yourself if you thought there’s only one type of basil. Not all basil plants are the same, although they all belong to the mint (Lamiaceae) family.
It’s estimated there are 100+ varieties. Some have been cultivated for as long as 5000 or even more years. Most of them are known for their culinary uses. The most common varieties include
Basil
The generic term usually refers to sweet basil or Genovese Basil (Ocimum basilicum). As you can see from its name, it’s widely used in Mediterranean cuisine, specifically Italian. It’s the basis to make pesto.
Sweet basil grows in bushy clumps and can reach 1 metre, although most of the time you see them sitting as small as 20 cm. It has bright green leaves and smooth stems. It thrives in hot and dry conditions.
Holy basil
Its scientific name is Ocimum tenuiflorum. It’s also known as tulsi or tulasi. In Sanskrit, tulsi means “the incomparable one”. So it may not come as a suppose to know that holy basil is cultivated for religious and traditional medicinal purposes. It’s even considered sacred in some cultures.
Holy basil is leggy and its average height is around 60 cm. It grows purple hairy stems. Its leaves are green on top and purple underneath. Holy basil is native to Southeast Asia and can be confused with Thai basil so that it’s sometimes called Thai holy basil.
Thai basil
Thai basil (Ocimum basilicum var. thyrsiflora) is also of Southeast Asian origin. It also grows purple stems, but they’re not hairy. Its leaves are small, narrow, and sturdy.
Thai basil is widely used in Southeast Asian cuisine from Thailand all the way to Taiwan.
Content
Like many herbs and other plants, basil is packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. It’s evident that basil is great for your internal and external health and beauty. The great thing about basil is that there are many ways you can add it to your cuisines or as skin care to the most out of its nutrient and skin-beneficial properties.
Sweet basil has a very distinct scent and aroma, just like the other basil varieties. The volatile aromatic compounds make up the distinct flavours and differ from variety to variety.
If you smell (and taste) sweet basil, its scent is reminiscent of pepper, anise, and minty – altogether. It tastes sweet and savoury and every so slightly mint. That’s because its main aromatic compounds are linalool and eugenol.
Holy basil is sweeter, more mellow. Compared to Thai basil, holy basil has more of a clove flavour. Lastly, Thai basil has a stronger liquorice flavour.
But what all basil plants have in common is their distinct flavour and aroma. That’s why the basil plants all bear the name Ocimum. The word comes from Greek and means as much as “to smell”.
What the plants also have in common is that they’re great sources of many vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Together with the aromatic compounds basil plants get almost magical properties: They’re antibacterial, antiseptic, and antifungal thanks to what’s called console and other aromatic compounds. They’re also anti-inflammatory and antioxidant.
Research has found that basil is an excellent source of vitamin K. 100g of fresh basil will cover your daily value (DV) a whopping 395%. Clearly, you’re not going to munch 100g of fresh basil… this vitamin is essential for your body. It needs it for normal blood clotting, bone mineralisation, and here it comes: cell growth. You just need about 2 tablespoons of fresh basil and you already get about a third of your DV along with
- Vitamin A (in the form of beta-carotene)
- Vitamin Bs
- Vitamin C
- Calcium
- Copper
- Iron
- Magnesium
- Manganese
Benefits
No wonder basil was used both in the kitchen as well as for medicinal purposes. Basil is already famously sprinkled over pasta and pizza. Thai basil is every bit as popular and used in Thai, Vietnamese, through to Taiwanese kitchen.
It features prominently in Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine.
It has insect-repelling properties and can even kill off the creepy crawlers including mosquitoes.
Lab studies have found basil can counter not only bacteria but also fungi, and yeast. You can for example wash your greens and fruits in a solution containing basil essential to get rid of the microbes before eating.
For your skin
Basil makes a great cleanser, especially for oily and spotty skin. It pulls out dirt, debris, and other things from your skin. It also offs bacteria on your skin as an antiseptic and makes it much less attractive for new bacteria to resettle, meaning it prevents new zits.
Soothing
As an anti-inflammatory agent, basil is soothing. Great news for when your skin is angry, and red inflamed for whatever reason. It can be inflamed as a result of zits, a reaction, an insect bite, or rashes.
Age gracefully (or not at all)
According to a fascinating research, when applied to the skin, basil showed interesting anti-ageing effects. It smoothed lines and wrinkles like a filter.
Thanks to its vitamin A, Bs, and C, as well as other antioxidants, basil helps protect your skin from environmental stressors such as pollution and UV radiation.
Sun block
Well maybe not as far as block but it provides some protection. More testing is needed to see how reliable it works as an active sun cream ingredient.
How to use
The different varieties of basil are used in cuisines worldwide. You can also drink it and use it topically on your skin and hair. It will speed up skin repair (thanks to vitamin K9, clear spots, and keep your skin moisturised (thanks to its fatty acids).
Basil tea
If you don’t like the taste of green tea, rooibos, or mate, why not give it a try? Basil infusion like the other teas abounds in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory agents. They’ll keep your skin healthy and blemish free inside-out.
Toner
If you got leftover, cold basil tea, why not use it as a cost-effective and convenient toner instead of pouring it down the drain? Just wet a cotton pad and wipe your face. You can also soak a few and have your DYI sheet mask. No need to rinse afterwards.
Closing words
Basil enhances your existing moisturiser because it can then could do a better job at keeping the moisture in the skin and reduce roughness. And then it has more to give
- It reduces and prevents zits
- Its smoothing and soothing
- It cleanses your skin and unblocks pores
Although there are some complaints that it doesn’t smell that appetising to be used in the kitchen. More like – cat urine. That’s because some varieties contain mercaptan compounds. Chemicals that are also present in cat urine…
Basil with its many varieties is a cousin to peppermint, thyme, and hyssop. You could say it “runs in the family” that basil has so many skin-beneficial properties.
