Help Combat Cancer

According to studies, tulsi users may be less likely to have impaired immune systems and be more resistant to specific cancer cell types. In some situations, tulsi and the phytochemicals it contains, such as eugenol, rosmarinic acid, apigenin, myretenal, luteolin, -sitosterol, and carnosic acid, may help prevent chemically caused lung, liver, oral, and skin cancers, per a study published in the journal Nutrition and Cancer.

This is thought to be caused by the herb's anti-carcinogenic and antioxidant activity, which changes the expression of healthy genes, induces the death of cancer cells, prevents the growth of blood vessels from promoting the growth of cancer cells, and inhibits metastasis, or the spread of cancer from one organ to another. According to a study that was published in 2016 in the Journal of Cancer Research and Therapeutics, holy basil also appears to protect the body from radiation poisoning and may help decrease harm from radiation treatment. It protects the healthy tissues only from the harmful effects of radiation.