1. Good Organic Gardening - January-February 2016

PLANT PROFILE | Basil
Small-leaf Greek basil
Holy basil
cramps, migraines, anxiety and depression,
which is not surprising given that it’s in
the mint family.
Basil contains chemicals that repel
household pests and some experiments
indicate it is toxic to mosquitoes. Rubbing
some leaves on the skin is a useful,
natural repellent to flies and mozzies.
Planting tomatoes and basil together is
said to deter whiteflies, aphids, beetles
and other pests as well as improve the
flavour of the tomatoes, but the evidence
is anecdotal at best. Still, it can’t do any
harm — and all you need for the perfect
pasta sauce will be close at hand.
‘Dark Opal’
such as pho, the hearty Vietnamese beef or
chicken soup, as well as in Malaysian and
Indonesian curries. Also popular in Asia are
minty lemon basil (O. × citriodorum) and holy
basil or tulsi (O. sanctum or O. tenuiflorum),
which is sacred to Hindus.
‘Greek basil’ (O. obovatum) is a compact,
fine-leaved but pungent miniature that can
be grown in a pot and is often used dried.
Perennials
‘African Blue’, also known as camphor basil
(O. kilimandscharicum), has a complex,
peppery, camphor-like scent. A sterile hybrid,
it’s one of the few perennial basils.
Lime basil (O. americanum), also called
hoary basil, spicy basil, limehairy basil and
many other names, is a magnet for bees. With
a spicier taste and stronger smell than sweet
basil, it’s often used for medicinal purposes.
Basil perennial (O. gratissimum) is a fastgrowing
native of India, Sri Lanka, Java and
tropical America and Africa. Its strong clove
smell makes it an excellent insect repellent
as well as an ideal addition to soups,
curries and stirfries.
Nutrition &
medicinal properties
Basil is rich in vitamins A, B 6 , C and K and
minerals such as iron, manganese and
magnesium. Recent studies have found
it to possess antimicrobial, antiviral and
antioxidant properties and it may be useful
in cancer treatment.
In folk medicine, basil, a mild stimulant, has
been used (often in the form of tea) for the
treatment of constipation, flatulence, stomach
Holy basil
As with all ancient plants, legends abound
about the king of herbs. The story
goes that Saint Helena, the mother of
Constantine, was led to the site of the True
Cross by the trail of basil that sprang up
wherever the blood of Christ had fallen
during his crucifixion. According to John’s
gospel, the word basileus (Greek for “king”,
as we know) appeared on the cross itself
in the Greek part of the inscription that
read “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews”.
Lemon basil
Genovese basil
Basil any time
What to do once your plants have
bolted to seed and there are no more
succulent leaves? Well, before that
happens, you need to get some ready
to freeze.
Wash, pat dry and chop your basil
leaves. Mix olive oil and leaves two to
one. Spoon the mixture into ice-cube
trays and freeze. Once frozen, the cubes
can be stored in an airtight container or
plastic bag for up to a year.
Clove basil, also African basil
Sweet basil
Shutterstock, Kembengraps CC, Swallow Tail Seeds CC
18 | Good Organic Gardening