More to Basil than Pasta Sauce

There’s nothing quite like the smell of basil, is there? Its distinct sweet yet spicy, fresh aroma brings me back to my childhood. Like a time machine I’m instantly transported to my nonna’s (grandma’s) kitchen or my nonno’s (grandpa’s) garden whenever I get a whiff. My dad is Italian (his parents moved here from Sicily when he was 11) and my mom is a first generation Italian Canadian, so I grew up with basil everywhere – especially in the summertime. However, I wouldn’t say that I took basil for granted. I genuinely loved it (and still do), but I was pleasantly surprised to learn that it could provide so much more to my life than simply being a garnish or cooking ingredient.

Basil, with the Latin name Ocimum basilicum, is part of the Labiatae botanical family and is originally from France and Vietnam. It’s a flowering herb that’s steam distilled with production mainly occurring in France, Egypt, Eastern Europe and USA. Before moving on, I should warn you that using the essential oil topically can be an irritant for those with sensitive skin and it should always be diluted (like most other essential oils, I’m a HUGE believer in this, see my post on carrier oils for more details) prior to use. There are some minor toxicity concerns, so it should be avoided during pregnancy and used in moderation.

Historically, in Ayurvedic medicine basil was used as part of a treatment to help heal respiratory problems such as coughs, asthma and bronchitis, and in Western herbal medicine it’s been used as a cooling herb and nerve tonic. Now, in aromatherapy, its essential oil is used to relive brain fatigue, nervousness, anxiety, depression, tension headaches and insomnia. It helps to balance, revive, strengthen and uplift yet relax the nervous system, thanks in part to its antiseptic and antispasmodic properties. It blends well with bergamot, chamomile, clary sage, geranium, lavender, lemongrass, marjoram and rose.

Before committing to my Aromatology course, I took an introductory workshop on essential oils to see if it really was something I wanted to learn more about. Luckily, it was a lot of fun and we had only scratched the surface of what there was to know. I was hooked and signed up for the course the next day. A great part of the workshop was when we worked on remedies for various ailments troubling the group. We were each given the opportunity to bring up one issue we’d like to fix with essential oils. Mine was headaches. At the time I would get horrible monthly headaches, usually coinciding with my period, and I wanted a natural relief. The recipe below was that solution and it worked beautifully.

Fill a 50ml bottle with sweet almond oil, add 5 drops of basil essential oil, 5 drops of peppermint or spearmint essential oil and 9 drops of mandarin essential oil then shake to blend. To apply, add a small (dime size) amount to your fingers and rub it into your temples and at the back of your neck, along the hairline.

If you’d prefer, you can add this essential oil blend to your diffuser instead. Just decrease the essential oil count to: 3 drops of basil, 3 drops of peppermint or spearmint and 5 drops of mandarin.