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Holy basil is the most renowned medicinal herb and is known as the
mother of necessities for its infinite therapeutic benefits. It is referred to as the
"Queen of Herbs," and the Sanskrit word "tulsi" means "incomparable." It is one
of the oldest herbs in the Lamiaceae family and is widely cultivated throughout
the subcontinent.
The physicochemical composition of the holy basil accession (KAU-OC25) (IC-0640854) used in this research had a moisture content of 89.4%, and the
levels of the macronutrients, protein and fat per 100 g were found to be 2.99 g and
0.61 g, respectively. It was revealed that the herb had a crude fibre content of
10.48 g/100 g. In terms of vitamin content, ascorbic acid was found to be 30.4
mg/g, and the amount of beta carotene was 2826.92 µg/100 g. In 100g of the
sample, the holy basil contained 26.9 mg of calcium, 28 mg of iron, 4.2 mg of
zinc, and 224 mg of phosphorus, respectively. The total flavonoid and phenol
levels were 41.41 mg QE (quercetin equivalent) and 66.66 mg GAE (gallic acid
equivalent) respectively. Holy basil has phytate, oxalate, and tannin
concentrations of 3.99 mg/100 g, 2.33 mg/100 g, and 9.74 mg/100 g, respectively.
The phytochemical makeup of the herb was analysed through chromatographical tools like O-HRLCMS and GCMS/Ms. The analysis revealed thirty
eight medicinally active bioactive compounds namely eugenol, methyl eugenol,
kaempferol, scutellarin, rosmarinic acid, luteolin, ursolic acid, vicenin, apigenin
7-O-glucuronide, genistein 4-O- glucuronide, betaine, ϒ- aminobutyric acid
(GABA), fisetin, orientin, choline, DL-stachydrine, oleanolic acid, luteolin-7-Oglucuronide, baicalin, β-caryophyllene, ostruthin, hexadecanoic acid, 5 amino
pentanoic acid, taxifolin, alpha-pinene, alpha-terpineol, chavicol, alpha cubabene,
eucalyptol, estragole, alpha-caryophyllene, alpha-bisabolol, beta-ocimene, terpinene-4-ol and trans-4-thujanol and carvacrol.
Eugenol has a number of protective qualities against a variety of
conditions that can be fatal, including cancer, oxidative stress, inflammation,
hyperglycemia, and elevated cholesterol. Kaempferol and scutellarin are powerful
antioxidant flavonoids while rosmarinic acid is known to be effective against
microorganisms like the herpes simplex virus. Luteolin and ursolic acid were
reported to have potent anti-cancer properties. The active flavonoid derivative
apigenin-7-O-D-glucuronide has a variety of pharmacological properties, such as
antioxidant, anti-complement, and aldose reductase inhibitory properties. Fisetin,
ursolic acid and oleanolic acid have proven anti-cancer activities. ϒaminobutyric acid (GABA) has a number of physiological effects, including
lowering blood pressure, boosting immunity, improving cognitive function,
inhibiting the proliferation of cancer cells, and reducing sleeplessness. The
flavonol taxifolin exhibits strong antioxidant, reducing, radical-scavenging, and
metal chelating properties. Anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory activities are
demonstrated by luteolin-7-O-glucuronide. Baicalin significantly reduces the
replication of HIV 1. Carvacrol is a potent antioxidant and a great adaptogen to
treat hepatic stress. Alpha-pinene, alpha-terpineol, estragole, alpha-caryophyllene
and alpha-bisabolol had potent anti-inflammatory activity whereas beta-ocimene,
chavicol, terpinene-4-ol and trans-4-thujanol has proven antimicrobial activities.
Docking studies of the compounds revealed that six compounds namely
kaempferol, baicalin, luteolin, rosmarinic acid and eugenol can be considered for
further studies regarding the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus and fourteen
compounds namely scutellarin, vicenin, ursolic acid, genistein 4-O-glucuronide,
betaine, taxifolin, apigenin 7-O-glucuronide, ϒ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), 5
amino pentanoic acid, kaempferol, baicalin, luteolin, rosmarinic acid and eugenol
display noteworthy anti-covid action. The successfully docked compounds were
tested for drug-likeness using ADMET analysis which revealed that rosmarinic
acid, kaempferol, luteolin, and taxifolin can be regarded as potential drug
candidates. A dose-dependent inhibition of MCF-7 cell growth was seen by the
methanolic extract of holy basil with an IC50 value of 24.80 µg/mL thus
establishing its antiproliferative activity.
Considering the immense therapeutic abilities of holy basil, it was
developed into hard candy lozenges with varying concentrations of holy basil
(10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, 30% and 35%) ginger and amla extract. The organoleptic
evaluation of the lozenges revealed that hard candy lozenges made with 30 %
holy basil extract were more acceptable, owing to which the shelf life studies
were done.
The physicochemical evaluation of 100 g of the selected candy revealed
that it had a moisture content of 2.78 per cent, protein content of 2.39 g, fat
content of 0.67 g, ash content of 0.81 mg and energy content of 376.05 kcal. The
moisture level of the candy increased but all other parameters, including protein,
fat, ash content, and energy, were found to decrease throughout the three month
storage period. The bacterial growth of the candy was seen to be within tolerable
limits. Throughout the shelf-life period, no fungal or yeast growth was seen.
Holy basil should be exploited endlessly for its restorative and curative
properties. Currently, the herb is primarily used to make herbal tea and ayurvedic
medicines. Apart from this, it can also be considered as a culinary herb, due to its
potential natural antioxidant properties and its immense scope for development of
value added products.