In traditional medicine,
Ocimum gratissimum
(clove basil) is used in the treatment of various diseases such as diabetes, cancer, inflammation, anaemia, diarrhoea, pains, and fungal and bacterial infections. The present study reviewed the phytochemicals, essential oils, and pharmacological activities of
O. gratissimum
. The bioactive compounds extracted from
O. gratissimum
include phytochemicals (oleanolic acid, caffeic acid, ellagic acid, epicatechin, sinapic acid, rosmarinic acid, chlorogenic acid, luteolin, apigenin, nepetoidin, xanthomicrol, nevadensin, salvigenin, gallic acid, catechin, quercetin, rutin, and kaempfero) and essential oils (camphene, β-caryophyllene, α- and β-pinene, α-humulene, sabinene, β-myrcene, limonene, 1,8-cineole, trans-β-ocimene, linalool, α- and δ-terpineol, eugenol, α-copaene, β-elemene, p-cymene, thymol, and carvacrol). Various
in vivo
and
in vitro
studies have shown that
O. gratissimum
and its bioactive constituents possess pharmacological properties such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, hepatoprotective, antidiabetic, antihypertensive, antidiarrhoeal, and antimicrobial properties. This review demonstrated that
O. gratissimum
has a strong preventive and therapeutic effect against several diseases. The effectiveness of
O. gratissimum
to ameliorate various diseases may be attributed to its antimicrobial and antioxidant properties as well as its capacity to improve the antioxidant systems. However, despite the widespread pharmacological activities of
O. gratissimum
, further experiments in human clinical trial studies are needed to establish effective and safe doses for the treatment of various diseases.
