Compound or practice · Supplement
Holy Basil (Tulsi)
A gentle adaptogen with early evidence for stress, anxiety, and metabolic markers — promising, thin, low-risk.
- Overall grade
- Grade C
- Last revised
- 2
- graded outcomes
- 0
- references listed
A structured monograph in Prometheus's bundled library. Its grades are the monograph's own reading of the evidence, not a peer-reviewed review.
2 at grade C — 2 graded rows
What is known
Each outcome with its grade (how strong the evidence is, A to D), the size of the effect where the entry records one, and how often studies agree.
- Stress / anxietyEvidence grade C
Small studies
Smallmixed
- Fasting glucoseEvidence grade C
Modest
Smallmixed
What is uncertain
Read off the same rows as above. Nothing here is added that the entry does not itself record.
- Thin evidence: Stress / anxiety (grade C); Fasting glucose (grade C).
The evidence in words
What it is
Holy basil (Ocimum sanctum/tenuiflorum) is an Ayurvedic adaptogen used for stress and metabolic support.
How it works
It has adaptogenic, anti-inflammatory, and mild glucose- and cortisol-modulating actions across small studies.
What the evidence shows
Small trials suggest reductions in stress and anxiety symptoms and modest improvements in fasting glucose and lipids. The literature is limited and low-quality, so it is promising rather than established. Safe and inexpensive.
How to use it
300–600 mg of a standardized extract daily.
Safety & interactions
Well tolerated; theoretical additive glucose lowering and mild antiplatelet/anti-fertility signals at high doses.
Bottom line
A low-risk, early-evidence adaptogen for stress and metabolic support. Worth a trial if you like it; don't expect strong data yet.
How it is used
As the entry records it, from the studies it summarises. Not a recommendation for you — doses that suit a trial population may not suit you.
- Standard
- 300–600 mg standardized daily.
Related reading
Entries that share this one's tags or conditions.
- Holy Basil (Tulsi) for Fasting glucoseEvidence grade C — ModestEvidence grade C
- Holy Basil (Tulsi) for Stress / anxietyEvidence grade C — Small studiesEvidence grade C
- Holy Basil (Tulsi): dosage and how to take it300–600 mg standardized daily.Evidence grade C
- Holy Basil (Tulsi): side effects, safety & interactionsWell tolerated; theoretical additive glucose lowering and mild antiplatelet/anti-fertility signals at high doses.Evidence grade C
Sources
This entry lists no references of its own.
Last revised . A grade is this entry's reading of the evidence, not medical advice.