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BASIL _ BASIL_01.png "BASIL")
| | | INCI: | Ocimum basilicum | | CAS: | 8015-73-4 | | EINECS: | 283-900-8 | | Flavouring according to EC regulation 1334/2008 |
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BASILOcimum basilicum (Lamiacee)
Origin: Vietnam
Originally from tropical regions of Asia, Basil was brought to Europe during the time of Alexander the Great. Nowadays it's cultivated throughout the Mediterranean region, on the Pacific islands and in the Americas. Basil is a delicate herbaceous annual plant that grows to a height of sixty centimetres, with ovate, dark green, bullate leaves and pinkish-white flowers that grow in verticils.
EXTRACTION
OLFACTIVE AFFINITIES
The essential oil is obtained by steam distillation of the whole fresh flowering plant. It is a greenish liquid with a sweet, fresh and grassy fragrance with a spicy undertone. It combines well with the essential oils of Bergamot, Buchu, Citronella, Clary sage, Geranium, Hyssop, Litsea cubeba and Oakmoss absolute.
PROPERTIES
(according to
popular herbalist tradition)
Basil is widely used in Italian and French cooking for the fresh flavour it imparts to dishes, and in various cuisines of the Far East, where it also has a long tradition in Ayurvedic medicine. It's widely used in the treatment of various respiratory ailments and for combating malaria.
Essential oil of Basil is mildly toxic, and has anti-depressant, anti-septic, carminative, tonic and expectorant properties.
It's used in soaps, cosmetics, fine fragrances and as a flavouring agent in the food industry.
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