Nutritional Benefits of Holy Basil

Holy basil, Ocimum Sanctum, or called as tulsi in South Asia is an aromatic plant of the family Lamiaceae. Tulsi is a small shrub that is 30 to 60 cm tall, which has multiple branches with hairy stems. The stems and leaves of this shrub is green to purple in color and has a strong scent when squeezed. The leaves are oval in shape around 5 cm in length and usually toothed. The distinct feature of this plant is the presence of purplish to white elongated flowers at the tip of each branch. Holy basil plant is more commonly found in South Asia, South East Asia, and Africa.

Holy Basil Plant

There are 2 important varieties of Holy basil plan, the green leaved variety a.k.a. Lakshmi Tulasi and purple leaved variety a.k.a. Krishna Tulasi. Tulsi is used as a medicinal plant in South Asia. It also has religious implications and used across South Asia for religious rituals and traditional worship. Tulsi is grown in front of homes and in special pots for ritual purposes. It is also used for its oil, tulsi oil and as an ingredient in Tea, the latter which is common in some homes, adding Tulsi to tea improves its medicinal properties.

Holy basil flower

 

Chemical Constituents of Holy Basil:

The main chemical constituents of holy basil are oleanolic acid, ursolic acid, rosmarinic acid, eugenol, carvacrol, linalool, β-caryophyllene (about 8%), β-elemene (11.0%), and germacrene D (about 2%) (wikipedia).

Uses of Holy Basil:

Ayurvedic Uses: Holy basil is considered as an adaptogen, balancing various processes that occur in the body, thus adapting with stress. Because of the strong smell and astringent taste, it is considered as an elixir of life and believed to promote longevity. Tulsi extracts are used in ayurvedic preparations because of its properties in treating different ailments. Tulsi leaves are often used either as whole, dried and powdered, or added in ghee to be used as an ingredient in various medications. Tulsi is also used as an insect repellent as dried tulsi leaves are mixed with grains during storage to repel insects. It is also used as a mosquito repellent.

Fever: Tulsi has germicidal, fungicidal, and antibacterial properties which helps in relieving fevers.  A decoction made of Tulsi leaves mixed with cardamom and tea is useful for the treatment of fevers. Ocimum sanctum extracts have been reported to have some antibacterial activity against E. coli, S. aureus and P. aeruginosa.

Respiratory Conditions: Holy basil has an immune modulatory function. It also has antitussive and expectorant properties. It helps to relieve cough, cold, and other respiratory disorders. Its antibacterial and antifungal properties also helps in preventing respiratory illnesses.

Diabetes: Tulsi leaves contain antioxidants and essential oils such as eugenol, β-caryophyllene etc. which collectively helps the pancreatic beta cells to function normally. This helps to increase the sensitivity of these cells to insulin, which lowers blood sugar.

Inflammatory Diseases: The presence of antioxidants in the tulsi leaves helps prevent the oxidation of free radicals in the tissues, thus controlling the inflammatory process. It also relieves from painful conditions. Tulasi contain eugenol, which may be a COX-2 inhibitor which reduces the perception of pain.

Hypertension: Tulsi contain the powerful antioxidant eugenol, which helps to maintain the blood pressure by lowering cholesterol and promoting vascular integrity.

Stressful Conditions: Tulsi helps to maintain the normal levels of stress hormone cortisol in the body. It has powerful adaptogen properties that helps to sooth the nerves, regulates circulation, and scavenge the free radicals produced during oxidative stress.

Kidney Stones: Holy basil helps reduce the uric acid levels in blood.  Presence of uric acid in blood causes kidney stones. The acetic acid and other compounds present in holy basil helps to break down the kidney stones.

Skin: When holy basil leaves are crushed and the paste applied to the skin, there is a soothing and cleansing effect to the skin. Due to the antibacterial and anti-fungal effects, it helps to prevent acne, ring worms, and other skin conditions. It also helps to reduce abnormal scalp conditions and hair fall.

Tulsi Tea
Holi basil mixed with tea is an important drink and is called as Tulsi Tea. Tulsi Tea has many beneficial properties which helps in achieving relief from the above mentioned medical conditions. It potentiates the beneficial properties of both holy basil along with the properties of Tea.

Musculoskeletal Conditions Due to Prolonged Computer Use

The use of computers are rapidly gaining influence in every sphere of activity. Computers arewidely used in purposes of documentation, record keeping,  accounting, banking, software

development, web creation, networking, browsing, gaming, etc. The influence of computer is

great due to the sheer number of people who are using computer on a daily basis. Computers are

becoming part of everyday life because of one's profession, communication, leisure, or personal

usage. Widespread use of computer comes at a price as it creates a range of health issues for those computer addicted.

Photo credit: en.wikipedia.org

Sitting prolonged periods and working on computer cause a series of health conditions. These condition occur because of bad posture, physical inactivity, eye strain, movement of hand and fingers, radiation, etc. The common health conditions seen in computer users are back ache, neck ache, headache, shoulder ache, and hand or wrist ache which occurs because of maintaining a bad computer posture for a prolonged period of time.

Photo credit: www.ergonomics-info.com

Back ache: 

This is the most common condition that occurs due to maintaining a wrong posture

when sitting and sitting for a long period of time without much movement of the back. The wrong posture may be due to the position of the chair and also the position of the computer peripherals on the desk. When the monitor, keyboard, or mouse is placed further forward, it causes the user to over-reach the peripheral devices and hunch forwards. The stooping forward of the body causing the back to curve in that direction. The hunched posture for a longer period of time causes the back and spinal muscles to do the extra work of holding the body upright, that causes fatigue, pain, and degeneration. The normal curvature of the lumbar spine is altered in a hunched position.

Management: 

Sit in an upright and neutral position while working with the computer. This maintains the normal curvature of the spine and prevent excessive torsion forces. Keep the legs rested on the floor or foot rest. Place the computer peripheral devices at an appropriate reachable distance on the desktop. Use a good ergonomically designed height adjustable computer chair to maintain a good posture and reduce the stress on the spine. A chair with a good lumbar support is advisable for those working for prolonged periods on a computer. Adjust the backrest of the chair to support the curve of lower lumbar portion of the spine. It is also good to have a chair with a good arm rest so that one can use it to rest the arms and thus partially take off the burden on the spine. Take regular breaks from work and do stretching exercises.

Ergonomically designed chair

Photo credit: http://www.igcseict.info

Neck ache:

This is another common condition that is caused by the poor posture of the head and maintaining that position for a prolonged period of time. Headache also accompany sometimes. The head is tilted forwards and towards the direction of the computer peripherals and monitor forming a stooped posture. The stooping posture displaces the center of gravity of the head when resting on the spine. Excessive force is required for the muscles of the head to keep the head in upright position along the center of gravity. The extra effort produced by the muscles of the neck for a prolonged period of time causes fatigue of the muscles and neck ache. A static off neutral head position for a long period of time causes altered blood supply to the brain and produces headache.

Management: 

You should sit straight and position the computer screen to maintain in a comfortable viewing distance. Keep your neck at a neutral and center-of-gravity position. Do neck stretching exercises at intervals. Turn your head slowly upwards, downwards, and on both sides to prevent fatigue.

Shoulder ache and arm pain:

This is caused by the improper position of the hand and wrist when using computer peripheral devices. Proper support of the wrist and the hand is needed when working with the keyboard or mouse. Adequate desktop support is needed when using a computer mouse. Wrist rest is needed while typing with a keyboard. When a wrong posture of the hand is sustained for a longer duration, it causes fatigue of the muscles in the shoulders and hand.

Management: 

Keep a suitable height for the keyboard and monitor and maintain a correct height for the person, and not bend over to reach the keyboard, mouse, or view the monitor. The forearms should be parallel or sloping towards the desktop to provide good support for the arms and wrist. Provide adequate space on the desk for the computer peripherals such as the keyboard and mouse so that there is ample space for resting the arms and wrist. Altering the work done by the hands also help to make sure that the arm muscles do not get fatigued.