Ocimum basilicum

Ocimum basilicum is an aromatic annual herb of the Lamiaceae family native to the tropics of Central Africa and Southeast Asia, which has been cultivated for thousands of years. It is a tender plant and is used in cuisines around the world. There are many varieties of Ocimum basilicum, as well as several related species. The type that is commonly used for flavoring is popularly called royal herb, basil, basilic or alhábega, unlike the Thai variety (Ocium basilicum var. thyrsiflora), Ocimum × citriodorum and tulsi. The most common varieties of Ocimum basilicum are annual crops, but some are perennial in hot, tropical climates, like some hybrids.

Ocimum basilicum var. 'Horapha'

Detail of the flower

Etymology

The name of the genus Ocimum comes from the Greek word ókimon, which means perfumed or odorous lip, due to the smell of its leaves. The epithet basilicum comes from basilikon or basiléus, which means royal or regal. As for Arabism, basil or basil comes from the word (الحبق, al-habaqa), formed from the particle ال (al = the or the) and the word حبق (habaqa), the name given by the Arabs to the aromatic plants used in cooking and medicine.^{[quote required]}

For its part, the word basilico comes from the Latin basilius, and the Greek βασιλικόν φυτόν (basilikón phuton), which means " royal plant", possibly because the plant was believed to have been used in the production of royal perfumes.

Description

Ocimum basilicum is an annual herb, cultivated as a perennial in tropical climates, low-growing (30-130 cm), with opposite glossy green, ovate or ovate, toothed and pointed leaves. silky texture, measuring 3 to 11 cm in length by 1 to 6 cm in width. It emits terminal floral spikes, with white or purple tubular flowers which, unlike those of the rest of the family, have the four stamens and the pistil resting on the lower lip of the corolla. After entomophilous pollination, the corolla detaches and four rounded nutlets develop inside the bilabiate calyx.^{[citation needed]}

Uses and cultivation

This plant is very sensitive to frost. It is grown from seeds and cuttings, which can be sown in seedbeds or pots in a greenhouse in early to mid-spring. It requires a sunny position, although in very hot summer climates it appreciates some shade and fertile, permeable and humid soils.

Cooking use

Most of the different varieties of basil grown in many regions of Asia have a flavor similar to cloves (Syzygium aromaticum) or anise, which is generally stronger than that of the varieties European.

It is also frequently used in Mediterranean cuisine; It can be consumed fresh or dried to dress both salads, vegetable soups, sauces to accompany pasta dishes -the famous Italian pesto sauce has it as the main ingredient-, as well as stews of all kinds of meat. Among the most characteristic culinary preparations in which basil is involved as an ingredient are parmigiana di melanzane (aubergine Parmigiana), Cajun potatoes, pasta (or pizza) with tomato and basil, Vietnamese chicken, Chilean corn humita or Thai curry, as well as all those recipes that use pesto sauce, originally from Liguria, whose fundamental ingredient is this aromatic herb. In the United Kingdom, basil is used in the traditional mixture for making sausages.

Toxicity

The essential oil of Ocimum basilicum is rich in estragole (1-allyl-4-methoxybenzene), a potent natural carcinogen and genotoxic, in mice and rats. In September 2001, the Scientific Committee of the European Union issued an opinion recommending reducing exposure and restricting the use of estragole, without being able to establish a safe limit for exposure to this slow-acting toxin (there is no evidence of any acute toxicity or subacute). The carcinogenicity or teratogenicity of Ocimum basilicum in the human diet has not been directly determined. It seems reasonable to explicitly advise against women of childbearing age and pregnant women.

For other medicinal uses, see: Medicinal plants.

Taxonomy

Ocimum basilicum was described by Charles Linnaeus and published in 1753 in Species Plantarum (2: 597).

Etymology

Ocimum: generic name derived from the ancient Greek okimo used by Theophrastus and Dioscorides to refer to the aromatic herb.

basilicum: Latin epithet for basilicum, originating from the ancient Greek basilikon (python) ("royal, majestic plant& #34;), from basileus "king".

Varieties

Flower detail.

Ocimum basilicum var. album Benth.

Ocimum basilicum var. anisatum Benth.

Ocimum basilicum var. densiflorum Benth.

Ocimum basilicum var. difforme Benth.

Ocimum basilicum var. glabratum Benth.

Ocimum basilicum var. majus Benth.

Ocimum basilicum var. pilosum (Willd.) Benth.

Ocimum basilicum var. purpurascens Benth.

Ocimum basilicum var. thyrsiflorum (L.) Benth.

Sinonimia

• Ocimum majus Garsault, Fig. Pl. Méd.: t. 418a (1764), opus utique oppr.
• Ocimum minus Garsault, Fig. Pl. Med.: t. 418b (1764), opus utique oppr.
• Ocimum album L., Mant. Pl. 1: 85 (1767).
• Ocimum thyrsiflorum L., Mant. Pl. 1: 84 (1767).
• Ocimum medium Mill, Gard. Dict. ed. 8: 3 (1768).
• Ocimum bullatum Lam., Encycl. 1: 384 (1785).
• Ocimum hispidum Lam., Encycl. 1: 384 (1785).
• Ocimum dentatum Moench, Methodus: 413 (1794).
• Ocimum odorum Salisb, Prodr. Stirp. Chap. Allerton: 87 (1796).
• Ocimum integerrimum Willd, Sp. Pl. 3: 162 (1800).
• Ocimum cochleatum Desf. Tabl. École Bot.: 220 (1804).
• Ocimum ciliatum Hornem, Hort. Bot. Hafn.: 565 (1815).
• Ocimum barrelieri Roth, Nov. Pl. Sp.: 278 (1821).
• Plectranthus barrelieri (Roth) Spreng., Syst. Veg. 2: 691 (1825).
• Ocimum lanceolatum Schumach. & Thonn. in C.F.Schumacher, Beskr. Guin. Pl.: 268 (1827).
• Ocimum anisatum Benth, Labiat. Gen. Spec.: 4 (1832).
• Ocimum caryophyllatum Roxb, Fl. Ind. ed. 1832, 3: 16 (1832).
• Ocimum laxum Vahl ex Benth, Labiat. Gen. Spec.: 5 (1832).
• Ocimum nigrum Thouars ex Benth, Labiat. Gen. Spec.: 5 (1832).
• Ocimum urticifolium Benth, Labiat. Gen. Spec.: 5 (1832), nom. inval.
• Ocimum citrodorum White, Fl. Philip, ed. 2: 591 (1845).
• Ocimum ciliare B. Heyne ex Hook.f., Fl. Brit. India 4: 608 (1885).
• Ocimum scabrum Wight ex Hook.f., Fl. Brit. India 4: 608 (1885).
• Ocimum simile N.E.Br. in W.H.H.Harvey & auct. suc. (eds.), Fl. Cap. 5(1): 234 (1910).
• Ocimum chevalieri Briq., Bull. Bot. France 61(8): 279 (1914 publ. 1917).

In popular culture

The plant has often been considered poisonous, while some African legends claim that it protects against scorpions. While certain European traditions claim that it is a symbol of Satan, in places like India it is highly revered. On the other hand, in ancient Greece it represented hatred, misfortune and poverty, but today in Italy it is a symbol of love.

View of the plant

Currently, the Greek Orthodox Church considers it a holy plant since, according to tradition, the smell of basil guided Saint Helena to find the Holy Cross.

In the Ciudad Real town of Bolaños de Calatrava (Spain), basil is a symbol of its patron saint festivals, which are also called Basil Festivals. People cultivate this plant throughout the summer so that, when September arrives, they take it as an offering to the Christ of the Column, patron saint of Bolaños. During the month of September you can notice the smell of this aromatic plant that adorns the streets, patios and houses of Bolaños. In addition, on the day of the patron, on September 14, during the procession of the Stmo. Christ of the Column, people throw chopped basil as an offering at the passage of Christ. All this means that the Christ is also known by the nickname of Christ of the Basil.

In the Valencian town of Bétera, specimens of more than two meters high and between 2.5 and 4 meters wide are cultivated for the offering dedicated to the Virgin of the Assumption, in the traditional festival of Les Alfàbegues. The technique used to achieve this magnitude is kept secret.

In Spain, in the region of Murcia and in the province of Alicante, basil is commonly called "alhábega" and is used against mosquitoes.

In some Caribbean cultures it is considered to have natural powers that drive away bad spiritual influences (dark spirits) and attract the positive currents of light spirits. In Cuba it is widely used in séances and it is customary to pass a fresh bouquet over the head and body of the medium. Among spiritualists and mediums, basil is the most recommended herb for believers.

In this regard, in certain regions of central Mexico, basil is used to attract fortune, placing a pot with the herb at the door or in a window of a store or business; The development of the plant is a sign of the prosperity of the business, as it shows how careful the owner of both the business and the plant is.

Common names

• In Mexico: albacar, albacar current, albacar female, albacar male albahaca, albahaca blanca, albahaca current, albahaca de castilla, albahaca de la tierra, albahaca morada, albahaca arribeño, orégano.
• In the Philippines: crazy, alone.
• In Costa Rica: Basil.