The secret to youth may be growing in your garden: Basil 'has anti-aging properties'

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 11:25 AM on 08th September 2008

Holy basil eliminates free radicals, according to a study

Basil can protect against the harmful effects of ageing, according to new research.

Holy basil is a close relative of the herb commonly used in Western cooking.

Its extract has long been used in the ancient system of Ayurvedic medicine practiced in India and other parts of Asia.

It is used as a rejuvenation drug, to promote a youthful state of physical and mental health.

In the first formal study of the herb, pharmacy researchers found that holy basil extract was effective at actively searching for and eliminating free radicals.

These are harmful molecules, which can attack key organs such as the heart, liver and brain.

The researchers, led by Dr Vaibhav Shinde from Poona College of Pharmacy, Maharashtra, India, studied the anti-ageing properties of the herb.

Their research will be presented at the British Pharmaceutical Conference in Manchester.

Dr Shinde said: 'The study validates the traditional use of herb as a youth-promoting substance in the Ayurvedic system of medicine. It also helps describe how the herb acts at a cellular level.'

She added that she would be using the herb in her own cooking after revealing the exciting results.

The herb, whose Latin name is Latin name Ocimum sanctum, is also known as tulsi and is traditionally grown in earthenware pots in India.

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