Holy Medicinal Plant - BASIL

 

Introduction 

 

Name : Basil

Indian name :Tulsi

Other names : Scientifically know as - Ocimum basilicum

Basil is a holy plant. It has a lot of medicinal value. One can easily grow in a pot & on the terrace. Rainy season is the right time to plant a Basil sapling. It is an annual plant. It can not survive in extreme cold weather.

Health Benefits 

1. It is a tonic to calm the nervous system. 
2. It helps in digestion & also ease stomach cramps.
3. It contains vitamin A, K & C. It also contains magnesium & calcium.
4. It is rich in antioxidant.
5. For detailed information please refer to - Click me
6. Curative uses of Basil
   
   
   
   

   Basil of My Garden

   
   
   

    

   How To Grow

   Planting Time : It grows in summer season but it is planted in the end of winter season.
   Note 1 : You can grow Basil with the help of seeds. It is easy to grow a sapling out of the seeds. Here is a tip for you - 
   
   Tips : Collect seeds of Basil in winter from a full grown healthy Basil plant. Dry it and store it in a airtight container.  

1. Take an earthen pot.
2. Fill it with three parts of soil, one part of sand & one part of vermicompost.
3. Put the seeds in it.
4. Cover the seeds. Sprinkle little soil on it.
5. Sprinkle little water on it.
6. Put the pot under the sunlight.
7. Don't pour water on it until the sapling comes out.
8. For pictorial demonstration - Click here
9. Have a look It will make you happy.

• Note 2 : Grow your own plant. Don't purchase chemically preserved basil products.

• Note 3 : Uses of leaf -  As medicine

• Note 4 : Uses of seed - As medicine

• Note 5 : Anything in excess is bad so eat only 2 leaves of basil a day from your own home grown plant.

• Note 6 : Use vermicompost beacuse : - Basil is one of the twelve plants in which residue of pesticide is very high. Click here for details

• Note 7 : Side effects of basil -Active Ingredient - Eugenol is the primary oil in holy basil. It is sometimes called clove oil because it is also the active ingredient in cloves. Eugenol is known for its antiseptic and analgesic properties and is often used by dentists to make temporary fillings. 
  
  Eugenol Side Effects - Eugenol overdose can occur if too much is ingested. Symptoms of overdose include shallow breathing, blood in the urine or sputum, mouth and throat burns, nausea, racing heartbeat, seizures, dizziness and coma. You should contact a doctor or poison control center immediately if any of these symptoms occur. Click here for details

How to Water a Potted Plant

A plant needs air, not too much of water & sunlight. Potted plants face the difficulties of growing if they don't get right amount of water. These plants die because of excess or less water. So, I am going to tell you how to water a plant.

Here are some easy ways to water a plant using waste bottles.
Note :  The photos are mine. And below them I have given the links from where I got the idea to make those irrigation systems for my kitchen garden.

• 1 : If you are going to leave the plant for a long time then - 

1. Fill a bottle of water
2. Insert a thread into the bottle till the end and place the other end of the thread near the root of the plant.
3. Click here for the video

•  2 : To continuously water your plant, you can use this technique -

1. Take an empty plastic bottle.
2. Make one or 2 holes at the bottom side of the bottle. 
3. Then fill water in it & close the cap. 
4. When the cap of the bottle is tightly closed the water will not come out, but when you loosen the cap the water will keep on dripping into the pot.
5. So, you should keep the cap slightly loose according to your need.
6. Click here for the video

•  3 : For watering hanging plants -

1. Take a bottle and cut it from the bottom
2. Make a hole in the center of the cap & hang it upside down. 
3. Now take a thread & make a knot such that it gets stuck into the hole of the cap of the bottle.
4. Put the remaining part of the thread into the hanging plant. 
5. Now the water will drip down slowly and easily. The advantage of it is that the floor will not get wet.

• 4  : For watering of the roots without damping of the soil -

1. Take a waste bottle.
2. Remove its cap and cut its bottom.
3. Now dig a part of soil near the plant and place the bottle upside down into the soil.
4. Cover the whole bottle with soil except the bottom which you have cut.
5. Click here for the video
6. Another idea - Click here for the video 

• 5 : For drip irrigation - 

 

1. Take a plastic bottle.
2. Make holes in it.
3. Place the bottle inside the soil, close to the plant.
4. Now fill water in the bottle & close the cap loosely.
5. Water will slowly come out from the bottle & will help the plant to get water easily.
6. I have pasted two photographs above, it will guide you.
7. It will more effective during summer.
8. These photos are not mine . I got them from pinterest 
9. Click here for pinterest link
10. Click here for pinterest link