The Clinical Efficacy and Safety of Tulsi in Humans: A Systematic Review of the Literature

Abstract

Tulsi, also known as holy basil, is indigenous to the Indian continent and highly revered for its medicinal uses within the Ayurvedic and Siddha medical systems. Many in vitro, animal and human studies attest to tulsi having multiple therapeutic actions including adaptogenic, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, cardioprotective, and immunomodulatory effects, yet to date there are no systematic reviews of human research on tulsi's clinical efficacy and safety. We conducted a comprehensive literature review of human studies that reported on a clinical outcome after ingestion of tulsi. We searched for studies published in books, theses, conference proceedings, and electronic databases including Cochrane Library, Google Scholar, Embase, Medline, PubMed, Science Direct, and Indian Medical databases. A total of 24 studies were identified that reported therapeutic effects on metabolic disorders, cardiovascular disease, immunity, and neurocognition. All studies reported favourable clinical outcomes with no studies reporting any significant adverse events. The reviewed studies reinforce traditional uses and suggest tulsi is an effective treatment for lifestyle-related chronic diseases including diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and psychological stress. Further studies are required to explore mechanisms of action, clarify the dosage and dose form, and determine the populations most likely to benefit from tulsi's therapeutic effects.

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“…Tulsi by enhancing immune response boost the defense mechanism against the infection [ [38] , [39] , [40] ]. Several studies have shown that Tulsi (aqueous and methanol extract of leaf and seed oil) besides improving vital capacity also is an immune-modulator and regulator as it enhances immune response by increasing T-helper and NK cells; phagocytic activity and index with the rise in lymphocyte count, neutrophil count and antibody titer [ 35 , 41 ].…”

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“…It is mainly indicated in fever caused by Vatakapha, rhinitis, asthma, cough, pleurisy and tuberculosis. It also helps in reducing psychological and immunological stress (Jamshidi and Cohen, 2017). A randomized double-blind trial established that there is increased in Natural Killer (NK) and T-helper cells in healthy adult participants due to increase immune response as compared to placebo group after 4 weeks of 300mg or ethanolic Tulsi leaf extract.…”

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