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Basil (Ocimum basillcum)

Basil's House of Herbs: Herb Recipes |  When Herbs & Medicines Collide

Basil - Culinary Notes & Roots

Basil is ultra-easy to grow. This past summer, I had purchased a few small pots of basil for my herb garden, but they were rather poor specimens.  

When the warmer weather took root, they uprooted and died. Bummers.

As the local feed and garden stores were depleted of basil plants, I decided to plant a cheap package of basil seeds - hoping that they might sprout. To my surprise, they did just that - proving how easy they are to grow.

This herb is very common in Mediterranean foods and recipes. It adds a pungent flavor to foods.

However, it has a unique flavor and may not be cuddled by all. While I love the stuff, my husband isn't a fan of it. herbs for weight loss, weight loss

Whenever we purchase commercially prepared tomato products for use as a soup on its own or to use as a sauce for pasta, any product that highlights the amount of basil in the product isn't one that he'll eat, much less enjoy if he did manage that feat.

And it's not that he is difficult to please; it's just that he is very sensitive to the flavors - and it only takes a tiny bit where his taste buds are concerned.

Try adding a few leaves to fresh salad, or toss into your next marinara or spaghetti sauce recipe.

Basil - Herbal Medicine Uses

Medicinal uses for Basil include:

as a tea, used to relieve headaches
as a tea, used to aid in digestion
as a tea, used to treat restlessness
promotes circulation
as an eye wash

Basil Nutrition Facts - Dried State

Units

100 Grams

1 Teaspoon of Leaves

1 Tablespoon of Leaves

1 Teaspoon Ground

1 Tablespoon Ground
Energy, Caloric Values kcal 233 2 5 3 10
Protein g 22.98 0.16 0.48 0.32 1.03
Total lipid (fat) g 4.07 0.03 0.09 0.06 0.18
Carbohydrate, by difference g 47.75 0.33 1.00 0.67 2.15
Fiber, total dietary g 37.7 0.3 0.8 0.5 1.7
Sugars, total g 1.71 0.01 0.04 0.02 0.08
Minerals
Calcium, Ca mg 2240 16 47 31 101
Iron, Fe mg 89.80 0.63 1.89 1.26 4.04
Magnesium, Mg mg 711 5 15 10 32
Phosphorus, P mg 274 2 6 4 12
Potassium, K mg 2630 18 55 37 118
Sodium, Na mg 76 1 2 1 3
Zinc, Zn mg 7.10 0.05 0.15 0.10 0.32
Vitamins
Vitamin C, total ascorbic acid mg 0.8 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Thiamin mg 0.080 0.001 0.002 0.001 0.004
Riboflavin mg 1.200 0.008 0.025 0.017 0.054
Niacin mg 4.900 0.034 0.103 0.069 0.220
Vitamin B-6 mg 1.340 0.009 0.028 0.019 0.060
Folate, DFE mcg_DFE 310 2 7 4 14
Vitamin B-12 µg 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Vitamin A, RAE mcg_RAE 37 0 1 1 2
Vitamin A, IU IU 744 5 16 10 33
Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) mg 10.70 0.07 0.22 0.15 0.48
Vitamin D (D2 + D3) µg 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Vitamin D IU 0 0 0 0 0
Vitamin K (phylloquinone) µg 1714.5 12.0 36.0 24.0 77.2
Lipids
Fatty acids, total saturated g 2.157 0.015 0.045 0.030 0.097
Fatty acids, total monounsaturated g 1.238 0.009 0.026 0.017 0.056
Fatty acids, total polyunsaturated g 0.498 0.003 0.010 0.007 0.022
Cholesterol mg 0 0 0 0 0
Other
Caffeine mg 0 0 0 0 0

Nutrition Facts, Fresh Basil

Units

Per 100 Grams

2 Tablespoons Chopped

5 Leaves of Basil

1/4 Cup of Whole Basil Leaves
Energy, Caloric Values kcal 23 1 1 1
Protein g 3.15 0.17 0.08 0.19
Total lipid (fat) g 0.64 0.03 0.02 0.04
Carbohydrate, by difference g 2.65 0.14 0.07 0.16
Fiber, total dietary g 1.6 0.1 0.0 0.1
Sugars, total g 0.30 0.02 0.01 0.02
Minerals
Calcium, Ca mg 177 9 4 11
Iron, Fe mg 3.17 0.17 0.08 0.19
Magnesium, Mg mg 64 3 2 4
Phosphorus, P mg 56 3 1 3
Potassium, K mg 295 16 7 18
Sodium, Na mg 4 0 0 0
Zinc, Zn mg 0.81 0.04 0.02 0.05
Vitamins
Vitamin C, total ascorbic acid mg 18.0 1.0 0.4 1.1
Thiamin mg 0.034 0.002 0.001 0.002
Riboflavin mg 0.076 0.004 0.002 0.005
Niacin mg 0.902 0.048 0.023 0.054
Vitamin B-6 mg 0.155 0.008 0.004 0.009
Folate, DFE mcg_DFE 68 4 2 4
Vitamin B-12 µg 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Vitamin A, RAE mcg_RAE 264 14 7 16
Vitamin A, IU IU 5275 280 132 316
Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) mg 0.80 0.04 0.02 0.05
Vitamin D (D2 + D3) µg 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Vitamin D IU 0 0 0 0
Vitamin K (phylloquinone) µg 414.8 22.0 10.4 24.9
Lipids
Fatty acids, total saturated g 0.041 0.002 0.001 0.002
Fatty acids, total monounsaturated g 0.088 0.005 0.002 0.005
Fatty acids, total polyunsaturated g 0.389 0.021 0.010 0.023
Cholesterol mg 0 0 0 0
Other
Caffeine mg 0 0 0 0

Reference: Tom, the Biologist

The History of Ethnic Diets

Hispanic | Oriental | African American  | White American  | Irish | Scottish | English Diet | French Diet | Italian | German | Jewish Diet

American Indian Diet | The Islander Diet | The Arctic Diet | Aborigine Diet | The Amish Diet | Polish | Middle Eastern Diet | Eskimo Diet

Note: This graphic has been purchased for commercial use.

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