Ocimum basilicum var. Dark Green

ENG	basil
SK	bazalka pravá
CZ	bazalka pravá
PL	bazylia pospolita
HU	bazsalikom

Using

Traditionally it is used in folk medicine as a remedy for a large number of diseases, including cancer, convulsion, diarrhoea, epilepsy, gout, nausea, sore throat, toothaches, and bronchitis. Basil contains high levels of phenolic acids that contribute to its strong antioxidant capacity. Phenolic acids – such as rosmarinic, chicoric, caffeic, and caftaric acids – are found in high concentrations in numerous basil cultivars. According to study of European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the dried sweet basil belongs between the 100 richest foods in polyphenols and antioxidants and it is on 26Th position in the frame of this chart. Antioxidant properties of basil are in high rate connected with essential oils. Ocimum basilicum L. is the most important species being utilized as a source of essential oil. Due to its pleasant aroma and antimicrobial activity, basil essential oil is a major aromatic agent with applications in various industries such as the food, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and aromatherapy industries.

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Sowing

Planting

Harvest

Botanical description and occurrence:

Green leafy variety was bred in Italy. It is an aromatic, annual herb with large oval leaves, dark green colored, and glossy, serrated. It reaches a height of up to 0.6 to 0.7 meters. Erect stem branches well. Inflorescences are white. It is characterized by a biting spicy sweet flavor and taste.

Why to have the plant in your garden:

Sweet salad basil Dark Green belongs to culinary, medicinal and also ornamental herbs with many of health positive properties due to its qualitative characteristics. As a spice it has been used mainly in Mediterranean cuisine.

Text:

prof. RNDr. Alžbeta Hegedúsová, PhD., Dr. Ivana Mezeyová, SUA, Nitra, Slovak Republic

Photo:

Dr. Ivana Mezeyová, SUA, Nitra, Slovak Republic

Links to scientific articles (if it is possible):

Mezeyová, I. 2016: Phytomass and content of essential oils in Ocimum basilicum after foliar treatment with selenium, In: Agriculture & food. -- ISSN 1314-8591. -- Vol. 4, (2016), s. 19-27, online.

Barátova S., Mezeyová, I., Hegedúsová, A., Andrejiová, A. 2015: Impact of biofortification, variety and cutting on chosen qualitative characteristic of basil (Ocimum basilicum L.)

Kwee, EM 2011, Variations in phenolic composition and antioxidant properties among 15 basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) cultivars´, Food Chemistry, vol. 128, no. 4, pp.1044–1050, Viewed: 16 February 2016

Chenni, M 2016, ´Comparative Study of Essential Oils Extracted from Egyptian Basil Leaves (Ocimum basilicum L.) Using Hydro-Distillation and Solvent-Free Microwave Extraction.´ Molecules vol. 21, No 1, p 113, viewed 16 February 2016

Flanigan, PM 2014, ´Effect of cultivar on phenolic levels, anthocyanin composition, and antioxidant properties in purple basil (Ocimum basilicum L.)´, Food chemistry, Vol. 164, pp.518–26, viewed 16 February 2016

Pérez-Jiménez, J 2010, ´Identification of the 100 richest dietary sources of polyphenols: an application of the Phenol-Explorer database´, European journal of clinical nutrition´, vol. 64, Suppl 3, pp. 112–120, viewed: 16 February 2016

Said-Al Ahl, HAH 2015, Evaluation of Volatile Oil and Its Chemical Constituents of Some Basil Varieties in Egypt, in International Journal of Plant Research, Vol. 1, No. 3, p. 103-106, Viewed: 16 February 2016