Herbal anti-aging remedy from India

Basil could fight the effects of ageing

A type of basil could help combat the harmful effects of ageing, according to new research.

By Graham Tibbetts
Last Updated: 1:06PM BST 08 Sep 2008
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics...-of-ageing.html


Holy basil is a close relative of the herb commonly used in Western cooking and its sharp-tasting leaves are incorporated in Asian dishes.

Native to India, its extract has long been used in the ancient system of Ayurvedic medicine practised in India and other parts of Asia as a rejuvenation drug.

In the first formal study of the herb, pharmacy researchers found that holy basil extract was effective at protecting against free radicals - cancer-causing chemicals which can attack key organs such as the heart, liver and brain and damage genes and nerve cells.

The researchers, led by Dr Vaibhav Shinde from Poona College of Pharmacy, Maharashtra, India, studied the herb for anti-oxidant and anti-ageing properties. They presented their findings 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."

He added: "We have had some very exciting results. I am now using holy basil in my own cooking and I hope it will be beneficial."

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

In the past it has been used to treat a variety of disorders including fevers, colds, malaria and diabetes.