Botanical name: Ocimum basilicum L.
Common name: Sweet basil
Basil has been used since ancient times — regarded in Unani and Ayurvedic medicine as the “king of herbs” — to treat various ailments, including fevers, coughs, colds, digestive and urinary problems, and in religious and culinary practices. In Europe, it was likely introduced from India by Alexander the Great (356–323 BCE), reaching England by the mid-16th century and the USA in the 17th century.
The herb contains (main actives) essential oil (0.5–2.5%), flavonoids, tannins, phenolic compounds, saponin compounds, anthocyanins and mineral salts.
⚗️ Main Applications
- Food: Flavouring in sauces, salads, teas, and liqueurs
- Medicine: Traditional remedy for digestive issues, inflammation, infections, stress, anti-diabetic, anti-arthritic, anti-cancer, radioprotective activity, as a prophylactic agent and in cardiovascular disease
- Antimicrobial: Effective against E. coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Candida albicans.
- Cosmetics: Used in perfumes, massage oils, oral care (toothpaste, mouthwash)
- Aromatherapy: Promotes mental clarity, focus, and alertness. Helps alleviate mental fatigue, anxiety, and mild depression.
Main Essential Oil Components — Chemotypes and Geographic Distribution
The chemical composition of basil essential oils varies significantly depending on the cultivar, growing region, and environmental conditions.
Major constituents include:
- Linalool — a terpenoid with antibacterial and antioxidant activity; it can be found with amount up to 70% in essential oil; dominant in European chemotypes.
- Methyl chavicol (estragole) — a phenylpropanoid found in Egyptian and tropical chemotypes. Literature data indicates its content up to > 70% in analyzed oils.
- Citral – isomers of aldehyde, identified in high amounts in lemon balm basil (up to 65%)
- Methyl cinnamate — a methyl ester of cinnamic acid, identified up to > 60% for some chemotypes; prevalent in tropical chemotypes.
- Methyl eugenol — a phenylpropanoid with antibacterial and analgesic properties, up to 35%; found in North African and Eastern European chemotypes
⚠️ Toxicological Concerns
HAZARD ≠ RISK
NATURAL ≠ SAFE
| Compound | CAS | Regulatory status | CLP
Harmonised Classification |
Toxicological concerns |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
LINALOOL |
78-70-6/
126-90-9/ 126-91-0 |
Allergen – Reg. 1223/2009: annex III/84
IFRA standard 187: 51st: EDP/EDT – no limits |
Only for 78-70-6:
Skin Sens. 1B (H317) |
|
|
ESTRAGOLE / ALLYLANISOLE/ METHYL CHAVICOL |
140-67-0 | IFRA standard 099: 51st: EDP/EDT – max. 0,014% |
– |
CMR Category 2 –Suspected carcinogen (genotoxic in animal studies)
& Skin Sens. |
|
CITRAL |
5392-40-5 / 141-27-5 / 106-26-3 | All isomers: allergens – Reg. 1223/2009: annex III/84
IFRA standard 099: 51st: EDP/EDT – max. 0,6% |
Only for 5392-40-5: Skin Sens. 1 (H317);Skin Irrit. 2 (H315) |
|
|
METHYL CINNAMATE |
103-26-4 | Non authorized |
– |
Suspected Skin Sens. |
|
METHYLEUGENOL/ |
93-15-2 | 1223/2009: III/71
IFRA standard 100: 51st: EDP/EDT – max. 0,011% |
– |
CMR Category 2 – Suspected carcinogen & mutagen & Skin Sens. |
📚 Literature sources:
- EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (NDA); Scientific Opinion on the substantiation of health claims related to Ocimum basilicum L. and improvement of diuretic function (ID 2314, 3465) pursuant to Article 13 of Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 on request from the European Commission. EFSA Journal 2009; 7(9):1298. [11 pp.] org/10.2903/j.efsa.2009.1298
- EMA (2023) – Public statement on the use of herbal medicinal products containing estragole
- Azizah, N.S.;et al., M.Sweet Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.)—A, Review of Its Botany, Phytochemistry, Pharmacological Activities, and Biotechnological Development. Plants (2023), 12, 4148. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12244148
- Avetisyan A. et al. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine (2017) 17:60
- DOI 10.1186/s12906-017-1587-5
- Marco A., et al. Basil essential oil as an alternative to commercial biocides against fungi associated with black stains in mural painting, Building and Environment (2020) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2019.106459
- Aynalem Gebre Gossa, Chemical Constitutes and Health Importance of Sweet Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.): A Review (2023), Journal of Botany, https://doi.org/10.3923/rjb.2024.21.24
