OCIMUM SANCTUM: A MEDICINAL GIFT FROM NATURE

Ocimum sanctum described as a sacred and medicinal plant in ancient literature, commonly known as Tulsi is derived from ‘Sanskrit,’ which means “the incomparable one.” This plant belongs to the family Lamiaceae which is native throughout the old world tropics and cultivated for religious and medicinal purposes. Several medicinal properties have been attributed to the plant not only in Ayurveda and Siddha but also in Greek, Roman, and Unani. It is widely known across South Asia as a medicinal plant and an herbal tea. Medicinal properties of Tulsi (Ocimum sanctum Linn.) are known for a thousand years to various civilizations of the world. This medicinal herb is considered as a sacred plant by the Hindus in the Indian subcontinent. Scientific explorations of traditional belief of medicinal properties of Tulsi have got momentum mostly after the middle of the 20^th century. The wide numbers of phytochemical constituents have been isolated from the plant, e.g., aesculetin, orientin, vallinin, eugenol, alkaloids and is proved to have the potential for medical effects like hepatoprotective, neuroprotective, cardioprotective, chemopreventive, immunomodulatory, antioxidant, antimicrobial, anticancer, antiulcer, anti-inflammatory, antipyretic and various other important medicinal properties.