08 Jun
Basil is commonly used for seasoning foods. When boiled with pine needles, life everlasting, and mullein, it is an effective remedy for colds. It is also used as a remedy for bladder and kidney ailments, to relieve menstrual cramps, and as a remedy for gonorrhea, catarrh, dysentery, and chronic diarrhea. It can be used to wash ulcers. The juice of the leaf or a powder made from the dried plant, can be inhaled to cause sneezing and to clear the nasal passages. The powdered plant, when added to water, can be taken to reduce nervousness and hysteria, and is an aid in treating epilepsy and paralysis.