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PHARMACOLOGICAL ACTIVITIES - TOXICOLOGY - DRUG INTERACTIONS

Ocimum sanctum (Holy Basil)

Folium Ocimi Sancti use is described in pharmacopoeias and in traditional systems of medicine
for the treatment of arthritis, asthma, bronchitis, common cold, diabetes, fever, influenza, peptic
ulcer and rheumatism (WHO, 2004b). Folium Ocimi Sancti has also been suggested to possess
anticancer, antidiabetic, antifungal, antimicrobial, hepatoprotective, cardioprotective, antiemetic,
antispasmodic, analgesic, adaptogenic and diaphoretic actions. Eugenol (1-hydroxy-2-
methoxy-4-allylbenzene), the active constituent present in Folium Ocimi Sancti has been found
to be largely responsible for the therapeutic potential of Folium Ocimi Sancti (Prakash &
Gupta, 2005). In animal models, oral administration of Folium Ocimi Sancti and Radix
Withaniae prevented cadmium-induced peroxidation of tissues (Bharavi et al., 2010) and the
combination also exhibited protection against exercise-induced oxidative stress in vital organs
(Misra et al., 2009). The anti-stressor activity of Folium Ocimi Sancti is partly attributed to
its antioxidant properties (Jyoti et al., 2007). Ocimumoside A isolated from Folium Ocimi
Sancti displayed anti-stress effects by normalizing hyperglycemia, plasma corticosterone,
plasma creatine kinase, and adrenal hypertrophy in acute stress-induced animal models (Gupta
et al., 2007).

Toxicity for Folium Ocimi Sancti has not been documented in dogs and cats when administered orally in
therapeutic doses. The LD for fixed oil of Folium Ocimi Sancti was calculated at 42.5 mL/kg of body weight
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TOXICOLOGY 2007). The LD of ethanol extract of Folium Ocimi Sancti in adult mice was found to 4.5 g/kg of body weight
and long-term use of oil at 3 mL/kg of body weight does not produce any adverse effects in rats (Singh et al.,
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oral and 3.2 g/kg of body weight intraperitoneal (Rahman et al., 2011).

Equivalent toxic dose in 20 kg dog: 90 g PO of Folium Ocimi Sancti ethanol extract.
Equivalent toxic dose in 5 kg cat: 22.5 g PO of Folium Ocimi Sancti ethanol extract.

DRUG Validated interactions studies do not exist for Folium Ocimi Sancti preparations. Clinical
INTERACTIONS interactions with other drugs have not been reported.

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