Sweet Basil Essential Oil Profile

There are over 60 species of annuals, non-woody perennials and shrubs known collectively as ‘basil’. In addition, there are almost 100 cultivars and their various sub-species which display a vast range of physical and chemical variations (chemotypes), often causing confusion to all concerned!

The most commonly used basil oils in aromatherapy are derived from Sweet Basil (O. basilicum ct. linalool), Exotic Basil (O. basilicum ct. methyl chavicol), and Holy Basil (Ocimum sanctum) which is also known as Tulsi or Tulasi. Essential oils from other species are mainly used in the perfumery and flavouring industries and for various reasons are best avoided in aromatherapy.

General description

Sweet basil is a low growing, tender annual plant, that reaches between 40cm to 80cm in height at maturity. It has square, branching stems, slightly serrated fragrant leaves that are smooth, shiny and paired opposite, with flowers that cluster in terminal spikes. The colour of leaves and flowers varies according to the climatic and soil conditions under which it is grown. Essential oil cells are located underneath the broad leaves and in the flowering tops.

Originally native to India and other tropical regions of Asia as another form, sweet basil has adapted well to growing throughout Europe and the Mediterranean where it thrives under warm, sunny, dry conditions in well drained soil. Sweet basil is grown for the production of oil in several European countries, but the main producers are found in Bulgaria, Egypt, France and the USA.

Traditional uses

One of the worlds oldest medicinal herbs, basil was used in ancient India to treat colds, coughs and mucous discharges, diarrhoea, dysentery and gastric conditions, headaches, heart disease, inflammation, malaria, poisoning and venomous bites, skin diseases and vomiting.

It would be administered as a juice or in teas, infused for massage, or the fresh leaves were applied to wounds. The Roman naturalist, philosopher and writer, Pliny (24-79 AD), considered basil to be an aphrodisiac and good for treating flatulence and fainting fits, whilst the Greek physician Dioscorides prescribed basil for headaches.

Herb of protection

In Egypt, Malaysia and Iran, basil was planted on graves as protection against evil spirits, and in medieval England the leaves were used in doorways for the same purpose. It still has religious significance in the Greek Orthodox Church, where it is used to prepare holy water – perhaps because it is claimed to have been found around Christ’s tomb after his resurrection. The heart-shaped leaf of basil still serves as a symbol of love in Italy.

Harvesting and extraction

In France, harvesting takes place throughout July and August as the flowers reach full bloom, and both the flowering tops and upper leaves are collected for processing. Extraction is by steam distillation, yielding a pale straw coloured essential oil with a fresh, sweet, herbaceous and spicy odour. The sweet basil oil produced in France is generally considered to possess the finest fragrance.

Uses in aromatherapy

Sweet basil is an outstanding essential oil with a vast array of healing properties, and in my experience virtually every one of its uses in traditional medicine have proven effective in aromatherapy. It is unsurpassed at bringing clarity and strength of mind to those suffering from stress, fatigue, mental exhaustion and headaches.

It also has a direct action on the digestive system, easing colic, flatulence, indigestion, nausea, and stomach cramps when massaged onto the abdominal area in a clockwise direction

Unfortunately, it has received considerable bad press over recent years due to the presence of methyl chavicol (a natural constituent), which has been shown to produce hepato-cellular carcinomas in mice. Further research on humans concluded there was virtually no risk at normal dietary levels because humans excrete the carcinogenic metabolites much more efficiently than animals.

However, since we don’t normally use essential oils internally, the external use of sweet basil ct. linalool at the correct concentration should therefore pose no risk whatsoever. I would avoid using it on your pet mouse though, just to be safe.

Putting my sarcasm aside; force-feeding an isolated component of an essential oil to an animal in large quantities and discovering (surprise, surprise) that it causes cancer, does not predict that the same thing will happen in humans, particularly when the natural oil is used diluted down to 2% and used externally.

Sweet basil is a versatile, highly therapeutic oil, and so long as you use the linalool chemotype in aromatherapy – and not the ‘exotic’ methyl chavicol chemotype – it is perfectly safe when used externally at normal levels. It adds a fresh lift to any blend, and works particularly well with bergamot, clary sage, frankincense, geranium, lavender, orange sweet, palmarosa, peppermint, pine and rosemary.