Fresh basil (Ocimum basilicum) leaves contain chicoric acid, which is the principal phenolic compound in Echinacea purpurea and purportedly an active ingredient in dietary supplements derived from E. purpurea. Here the concentrations of chicoric acid in dried and fresh basil products available to consumers, and how these concentrations compare to those from E. purpurea are reported. A wide rang...

The present study examined the efficacy of Ocimum basilicum extract, a natural herb, with antioxidant properties, against testicular toxicity induced by Lead, which is one of the most important toxic heavy metals. The intoxicated rats showed decreased cell proliferation was reflected by a decrease in Ki-67 expression, whereas the increase in apoptotic rate was associated with a decrease in the ...

UNLABELLED PREMISE OF THE STUDY Demand for fresh-market sweet basil continues to increase, but in 2009 a new pathogen emerged, threatening commercial field/greenhouse production and leading to high crop losses. This study describes a simple and effective staining method for rapid microscopic detection of basil downy mildew (Peronospora belbahrii) from leaves of basil (Ocimum basilicum). • ...

Molecular docking and quantum chemistry calculations were used to establish the molecular model of β-cyclodextrin inclusion complex with five major compounds found in Thai sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum) essential oils, which includes linalool, eugenol, methyl eugenol, estragole, and eucalyptol. The electronic structures and the binding energies of 1:1 inclusion complexes of host:guest ratio for...

Sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L., Lamiaceae) is a tropical species native to East Africa (Simon et al. 1990; Vieira and Simon 2000, 2006; Vieira et al. 2003). Sweet basil can be damaged in the field by chilling temperatures in spring and fall, and when stored and transported. Temperatures below 5°C lead to significant leaf necrosis and damage has been observed when temperatures drop below 10°C ...

The concentrations of caffeic acid derivatives within Lamiaceae and Echinacea (herb, spice, tea, and dietary supplement forms) readily available in the US marketplace (n = 72) were determined. After the first identification of chicoric acid in Ocimum basilicum (basil), the extent to which chicoric acid could be found within the family Lamiaceae was investigated. The dominant phenolic acid in al...

The present study examined the efficacy of Ocimum basilicum (basil) extract, a natural herb, with antioxidant properties, against testicular toxicity induced by cadmium (Cd), which is one of the most important toxic heavy metals. The intoxicated rats showed significant alterations in the testicular tissue including decreased seminiferous epithelium height and changes in the arrangement of sperm...

Limited understanding of sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) genetics and genome structure has reduced efficiency of breeding strategies. This is evidenced by the rapid, worldwide dissemination of basil downy mildew (Peronospora belbahrii) in the absence of resistant cultivars. In an effort to improve available genetic resources, expressed sequence tag simple sequence repeat (EST-SSR) and single ...

We evaluated the effects of aqueous and ethanolic leaf extracts of Ocimum basilicum (sweet basil) on sodium arsenite-induced hepatotoxicity in Wistar rats. We observed that treatment of the animals with the extracts before or just after sodium arsenite administration significantly (p < 0.05) reduced mean liver and serum γ-Glutamyl transferase (γGT), and serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activiti...

Essential oils are volatile and can have good antimicrobial activity. We compared the effects of oil of basil (Ocimum basilicum) and essential oil components (thymol, carvacrol, and salicylaldehyde) to those of a placebo when placed in the ear canal of rats with experimental acute otitis media caused by pneumococci or Haemophilus influenzae. Progress was monitored by otomicroscopic examination ...