Tulsi: benefits, dosage, contraindications

Adaptogen

Tulsi, known for its adaptogenic properties, helps regulate stress and fatigue. It acts by normalizing physiological and biochemical changes related to stress, such as lipid peroxidation and lactic acid levels, through active compounds like ocimumoside A and B. These compounds favorably influence monoaminergic systems by modulating the activity of neurotransmitters such as norepinephrine, epinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin, thereby contributing to better stress and anxiety management. Studies show that tulsi can improve resilience to chronic stress and fatigue by also adjusting immune responses and reducing oxidation while normalizing corticosterone levels. These effects are comparable to those of conventional anti-stress and antioxidant medications, demonstrating tulsi's potential effectiveness in varied therapeutic contexts.

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Anti-inflammatory

Tulsi is recognized for its anti-inflammatory properties in both acute and chronic animal models of inflammation. Several forms of tulsi extract, such as fresh leaves, essential oil, and ethanolic extracts of leaf tissues, show significant anti-inflammatory effects. These effects are attributed to components such as eugenol and linoleic acid, which inhibit arachidonate metabolic pathways involving the cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenase enzymes. These components also reduce leukocyte migration and vascular permeability, comparable to the effects of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen and aspirin.

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Antioxidant

The antioxidant properties of tulsi are mainly due to the presence of phenolic compounds, such as eugenol, luteolin and apigenin. These antioxidants effectively fight free radicals, protecting against lipid peroxidation and increasing internal antioxidant defenses such as glutathione and various enzymes like superoxide dismutase and catalase. Tulsi extracts have also been shown to reduce oxidative damage in various stress models, thereby supporting their protective role in the prevention of neurodegenerative and cardiac diseases. Note that red tulsi has a higher antioxidant content than white tulsi.

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Anxiolytic

Tulsi is being studied for its anxiolytic effects comparable to those of conventional drugs, thanks to the ursolic acid present in its leaves. In animal models of depression, tulsi has shown antidepressant activities similar to imipramine, a standard antidepressant. Tulsi extracts also act on dopaminergic neurons, which could explain their ability to improve mood and reduce depression. A human study showed that administration of 500 mg of tulsi twice daily significantly reduced symptoms of generalized anxiety, as well as associated stress and depression, in psychiatric patients.

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Hepatoprotective

Extracts of tulsi have shown protective effects against various toxic substances in many in vitro and in vivo models. These hepatoprotective effects are mainly attributed to tulsi's antioxidant capacity. Aqueous tulsi extracts significantly reduce lipid peroxidation and modulate levels of enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants affected by toxic compounds such as butyl paraben. Tulsi also helps restore endocrine and histopathological imbalances induced by common pesticides and protects against toxicity from various chemicals, including drugs such as acetaminophen. It enhances liver protection, particularly when used in combination with silymarin, another natural hepatoprotective agent.

Anticancer

The anticancer properties of tulsi are primarily attributed to its antioxidant effects and its ability to modulate detoxification enzymes. Studies have shown that tulsi can reduce the incidence of neoplasms and carcinomas in various animal models by increasing the activity of enzymes that detoxify carcinogens, such as cytochrome P450 and glutathione S-transferase. In addition, tulsi can reduce lipid peroxidation and raise glutathione levels, thereby contributing to protection against genetic damage and oxidation. Tulsi also acts by inhibiting proliferative activity and inducing apoptosis in cancer cells. Finally, in vitro studies have demonstrated that tulsi leaf extracts can reduce the formation of the DMBA-DNA adduct (the binding of a chemical compound to DNA) in rat hepatocytes, which is an indicator of reduced carcinogenic potential.

Hormone metabolism

The tulsi leaf extract has shown effects on glycemic control, thyroid function, and androgen production. Preliminary studies in animals and humans suggest that tulsi leaf extract has hypoglycemic activity, improving beta cell function and stimulating the insulin secretion. Tulsi also appears to increase the activity of enzymes essential to carbohydrate metabolism. nnRegarding the thyroid, a high dose of this extract decreased thyroxine (T4) concentrations without affecting triiodothyronine (T3) levels or the T3/T4 ratio. nnAdditionally, animal research indicates that tulsi may reduce sperm count and motility, thus affecting fertility, although these parameters returned to normal two weeks after cessation of treatment.nn

Cardiovascular

Tulsi exerts beneficial effects on cardiovascular health in several ways. Tulsi seed oil lengthens bleeding time, likely due to its inhibitory action on platelet aggregation. This activity is attributed to linolenic acid in the oil, which can be converted to eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). EPA can inhibit thromboxane A2, thereby reducing platelet aggregation and potentially promoting better blood flow. In addition, tulsi seed oil may also have an antihypertensive effect, attributed to its vasodilatory effects observed in animal models. These properties suggest that tulsi could play a beneficial role in managing blood pressure and preventing cardiac complications associated with hypertension and excessive platelet aggregation.

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Immunomodulatory

Tulsi seed oil shows a notable ability to modulate both humoral and cellular immunity. In animals, it enhances immune responses by improving antibody production and reducing histamine release from mast cells, indicating a positive impact on humoral immune responses. The immunomodulatory effects of tulsi are also observed in humans. A controlled study showed that ethanolic tulsi leaf extract significantly increases levels of key cytokines such as interferon-γ and interleukin-4, as well as helper T cells and NK cells.

Cognitive function

Tulsi, also known as holy basil, shows a notable ability to improve cognition. In rat models of Alzheimer's disease, it improves reference memory, working memory, spatial learning, and antioxidant activity. Tulsi extracts have also demonstrated beneficial effects on memory improvement in rats exposed to stress that induces memory deficits. They reduce acetylcholinesterase activity, which is beneficial for improving performance in passive memory tasks. In a mouse experiment, tulsi showed anti-amnesic effects, helping to attenuate the amnesic effects of scopolamine and age-related memory deficits.

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