Holy Basil #tulsi #holybasil #herbs

Ocimum tenuiflorum, commonly known as holy basil or tulsi or tulasi is an aromatic perennial tropical plant 2024

Holy basil is a perennial flowering plant from the mint family. 

Though it is a common cooking herb, it has some medicinal properties.Holy basil has been used to reduce stress, treat ulcers, relieve joint pain, and more. It is called the queen of herbs. 

The holy basil plant is revered in Hinduism as a manifestation of the goddess Lakshmi (Tulsi), the principal consort of the god Vishnu. The plant is especially sacred to Vaishnavaties (devotees of Vishnu), and the Lord Krishna, an avatar of Vishnu, is said to wear a garland of holy basil leaves and flowers around his neck. The plant is grown in many  Hindu homes, often in the courtyard in a dedicated four-sided structure, and the presence of a holy basil plant is believed to increase piety, foster meditation, purify, and protect.

Devotees commonly worship in the morning and evening with mantras and offerings of flowers, incense, or water from the Ganges. Even the ritual act of watering and caring for the plant, usually undertaken by the women of the house, is considered worshipful and meritorious. Holy basil is cultivated at many temples, and the woody stems of plants that have died are used to make beads for sacred japa mala.

The beginning of the Hindu wedding season is marked by a festival known as Tulsi Vivah, in which homes and temples ceremonially wed holy basil to Vishnu.

Water infused with the leaves is often given to the dying to help elevate their souls, and funeral pyres are commonly fitted with holy basil twigs with the hopes that the deceased may obtain moksha and be liberated from the cycle of rebirth.