Tulsi/Holy Basil (Ocimum tenuiflorum)
Native to the tropics and subtropics of Asia, Tulsi has long been revered in India both medicinally, in Ayurveda, and spiritually, for its calming and protective nature. Western herbalists consider Tulsi a premier Adaptogen, meaning it goes where it is needed in the body. Current scientific research shows Tulsi use can improve cognition, improve digestion, lower blood sugar, decrease inflammation, and strengthen the immune system in humans.
This mint family annual thrives in the heat and full sun our summers, like it’s cousin, Genovese basil. Our pollinators love this plant too and all summer we harvest the abundant, flowering tips and the top leaves, drying them for teas, glycerites (extracts of plant matter in glycerine used extensively in herbalism as alcohol-free tinctures), oxymels, and topical oils. Many of us have come to enjoy the taste of Tulsi in tea. Our Tulsi Simple Syrup was made with freshly dried flowering tops, steeped in sugar and water, and then strained.
