FRENCH BASIL OIL
| Botanical Name | Ocimum basilicum L. |
| Synonyms | (Ocimum thyrisflorum L., 0. caryophyllatum Roxb.) |
| Family | Lamiaceae |
| Local Name | Tulasi |
| English Name | French Basil (Linalool type) |
Plant Description
Basil is an erect, pubescent herb reaching up to 1m in height. Leaves are petioled, ovate, acuminate, toothed, and gland-dotted beneath. Flowers of basil are purplish white and borne in racemes. It is mostly propagated by seeds and widely distributed throughout the warmer parts of Asia, Africa, and America. It is mainly cultivated in eastern and central Nepal at an altitude of 300m to 1500m in open sunny places.
Extraction
French Basil Oil is extracted by steam distillation of semi wilted flowering tops.
Uses
The oil is widely used as a fragrance component in soaps, cosmetics, and perfumery. It is also used to flavor food items.
The oil has several therapeutic uses as an analgesic, antiseptic, antispasmodic, carminative, diaphoretic, digestive, expectorant, febrifuge, insecticide, nervine, etc. The oil is used in skin care (skin tonic, assists hair growth, adds luster to dull hair), muscular aches and pains, respiratory disorders, scanty menstruation, normalizing the menstrual cycle, colds, and flu, nausea, anxiety, fatigue, insomnia, nervous tension, etc.
Organoleptic Properties
| Appearance: | Fluid liquid |
| Colour: | Faint Pale Yellow |
| Aroma: | Sweet-spicy,fresh with a faint balsamic woody undertone. |
Active Constituents
The major active constituents of French Basil oil are linalool, geraniol, methyl-chavicol, Methyl cinnamate, T-cadinol, Camphor, methyl eugenol, and 1,8-cineol. Other minor constituents include p-cymenene, bornyl acetate, α -bergamontene, β - elemene, terpinen- 4-ol, germacrene D, geranyl acetate, α-amorphene, α-
pinene, β -myrcene, limonene etc.
Physico-Chemical Properties
| Specific gravity | 0.8799 to 0.9111 at 25°C?> |
| Optical rotation | [-] 8.85°to [-] 11.85° at 25°C?> |
| Refractive index | 1.470 to 1.520 at 25°C?> |
| Acid number | 2.5 to 6.5 |
| Ester number | 10 to 20 |
| Solubility | Soluble in 1.5 to 3.5 vol. of 70% alcohol. |