Rama tulsi is the most common type of tulsi, or holy basil, which is grown in India. Employed for its beneficial properties, holy basil leaf is a well-used and revered herb in Ayurvedic medicine. Ocimum tenuiflorum is a member of the mint family and cousin to sweet basil and features a purple stem with maturing leaves that remain green. Rama holy basil is known for its mellow flavor. The leaves are usually steeped as holy basil tea or tulsi tea and incorporated into herbal infusion blends.
Holy basil is traditionally taken as an herbal tea or mixed with ghee. Holy basil, or tulsi, is an important symbol in the Hindu religion and it is a significant herb in ayurvedic medicine.
Holy basil has been revered throughout India for thousands of years. Ayurvedic texts describe holy basil as a pillar of holistic herbal medicine and a goddess incarnated in plant form (the mother medicine of nature). Many traditional Hindus worship an alter bearing a holy basil plant that is placed in the courtyard of their home or in another prominent location. Today holy basil remains one of the most cherished of India's sacred plants. The leaves smell of peppermint, cloves, licorice and/or lemon. There are three types of tulsi: Krishna, Rama, and Vana. All varieties belong to the mint family and are cousins of sweet basil.
