Who doesn’t love Basil? I can eat basil with anything and everything – literally!!
Thai basil stands up to cooking a little better than sweet basil, making it a good choice for soups, stir-fries, and curries. It can also be eaten raw sprinkled over salads or cold noodles dishes, and used interchangeably with sweet basils in most recipes.
Basil is an excellent source of vitamin K, manganese, iron, vitamin A, and vitamin C. It’s also a good source of calcium, magnesium, and omega-3 fatty acids. Basil isn’t simply for internal use. When basil’s oils are extracted to make essential oil, it is used for treating cuts, wounds, and skin infections.
The herb can also be used to make freshly brewed tea by placing 2–3 teaspoons of holy basil in a cup of boiling water and letting it steep for 5–6 minutes. The leaves are also commonly used in cooking, though some people eat the leaves raw. Holy basil tastes spicy and bitter.
Although it is estimated that there are 50 to 150 species of basil, most, but not all, culinary basils are cultivars of O. basilicum, or sweet basil.
Basil can be used chopped up in your egg omelet, in Tom Yum Soups or any soups and salads.
There are some not so good side effects so be aware of the doses! So far, I have been eating this with my food in fresh leaves!
Basil extracts might lower blood pressure. So while consuming basil extracts, it might make blood pressure become too low in people with low blood pressure. So a precaution.
Basil oils and extracts might slow blood clotting. In theory, basil oils or extracts might increase the risk of bleeding during surgical procedures. Definitely, stop using basil at least 2 weeks before a scheduled surgery.
Any chance I can buy basil, it is always in my fridge along with cilantro – my 2 favorite herbs!!
Enjoy
FauZia
