Basil
Ocimum basilicum, family Lamiaceae. Part discussed: Leaf.
Identity
- Common name
- Basil
- Botanical name
- Ocimum basilicum
- Family
- Lamiaceae
- Part or material
- Leaf
- Classification
- Botanical
- Educational category
- Culinary Botanicals
About
Ocimum basilicum L., Lamiaceae, leaf. Distinct from holy basil, Ocimum tenuiflorum (candidate 92).
Forms and distinctions
Different preparations of the same material are described separately, because what is recorded for one form does not carry to another.
Leaf, with an explicit constituent-scope caveat. The estragole record concerns the constituent estragole and basil-containing preparations generally, not a dedicated botanical monograph.
Safety considerations
Estragole is assessed at EU regulatory level as carrying genotoxicity and carcinogenicity concern in animal models via a metabolite pathway, framed as an exposure-limitation matter.
References
The authorities this entry draws on, named so you can weigh them yourself.
- EU Scientific Committee on Food · Institutional reference source
- "The potential effects of Ocimum basilicum on health · Toxicology and poison-control authority
- "Matrix-derived combination effect and risk assessment for estragole from basil-containing plant food supplements · Peer-reviewed scientific literature
This entry is educational. It is not medical advice, not a diagnosis, and not a statement about any Pam Oh Herbs Collection or its contents. It carries no dosage and no claim of effect.