Supercritical Holy Basil (Tulsi) Solution

Holy Basil

That’s right, the time has finally come for a holy basil extract, and not just any extract, a highly potent supercritical CO2 extract!* The latin name for holy basil is Ocimum tenuiflorum, and is closely related to regular basil (Ocimum basilicum). Holy basil is also commonly referred to as Tulsi, and is a very important botanical in Ayurvedic practices, often being made into a highly aromatic tea. Its highly aromatic nature is also where it derives the bulk of its benefits from as it is high in the beneficial terpenes caryophyllene (which is also found in our Rephyll offerings), and eugenol. Most holy basil extracts are quite low in these compounds though, as they are very hard to standardize for. The reason for this is that these terpenes exist in liquid form and to make matters even trickier, are also highly volatile. With this in mind, hitting the following breakdown of terpenes in this holy basil extract is quite the achievement:

• Eugenol: 12-20%
• Caryophyllene: 3-8%

Supercritical CO2 Extraction

One of the ways by which we can achieve such high levels of these terpenes is by utilizing a very unique extraction method, supercritical CO2 extraction. This is about as cutting edge as it gets in terms of extraction. CO2 can exist in multiple different phases, the most common of course being in a gas phase, however CO2 can also exist as a solid which is commonly known as “dry ice” and under the right temperature and pressure, CO2 can exist as a highly pressurized liquid which can act both as a liquid and a gas at the same time, we call this supercritical CO2, and when you force this supercritical CO2 through botanicals it acts as a very efficient solvent for extracting the terpenes and preserving the character of the botanical. This is one reason supercritical CO2 extracts are also very popular in perfumery as they can do a better job of preserving the true character of the botanical in question. This also translates to a very comprehensive effects profile in supplements that have been derived through supercritical CO2 extraction like our holy basil extract!

Holy Basil Benefits

Like many highly revered herbs in Ayurveda, holy basil has no shortage of benefits! It targets both neurological benefits like calming, mood enhancing and stress management effects, while also providing inflammation and oxidation balancing effects, in addition to positive effects on pain management, GI health and metabolic health!*

Since holy basil is often only standardized to compounds such as ursolic acid and none of the highly beneficial terpenes, our extract does have a unique set of benefits which you will not find in any other holy basil extract. With this in mind, let’s focus on some of the benefits of the two main terpenes contained in our holy basil extract, eugenol and caryophyllene.

Eugenol is a unique terpene found in quite a few commonly used spices. One of the main spices which contains a high concentration of eugenol is cloves (Syzygium aromaticum) and you may actually find that the taste of the holy basil extract is reminiscent of cloves in terms of aroma and taste. More importantly however, eugenol produces lots of interesting effects, such as balancing the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA)-axis, which will help promote stress management. Furthermore, eugenol has a unique effect on pain, acting both systemically and topically. Due to its topical effects, holy basil can be great for attenuating discomfort in the digestive tract, and thus, for good reason, holy basil has traditionally been used as a digestive aid. Eugenol is also great at attenuating inflammation and oxidation, which further adds to its pain management and digestive comfort effects.

Caryophyllene is also a unique terpene which is also found in a few different spices, primarily black pepper. Caryophylene has a very unique effect on pain by signaling through cannabinergic pathways. Specifically, caryophyllene activates the non-psychoactive CB2 receptors which produces a robust pain management effect. This is great as a standalone, but when combined with eugenol, like in our holy basil extract, the pain management effects are kicked up another notch. Thus, it is no surprise that our holy basil extract is great for pain management!* Caryophylene also has great effects on metabolic health and even on exercise performance. Clearly, having both eugenol and caryophyllene at high concentrations in this extract, makes for a fantastic overall effects profile!

Both eugenol and caryophyllene also help promote a positive mood while also helping to promote relaxation. Combined with its stress management and pain management effects, this makes our holy basil extract a fantastic option for putting a little pep in your step during those somber days!*

How To Use Holy Basil

If the taste is too much, or if you prefer taking capsules, then making your own softgel capsule is quite easy, especially if using one of our capsule machines. Since the holy basil extract is entirely oil based, the oil will not degrade the capsules and thus long term storage in capsules is possible.

There are lots of other creative dosing options to be explored too, for example incorporating the oil in some oatmeal instead of nutmeg and cinnamon or adding it to some bulletproof style coffee for a “spiced” bulletproof coffee. Just be sure to mix it into beverages that contain fats, because adding this oil to water will just cause the oil to float to the top of the beverage.

Holy Basil Stacks

The High Potency Supercritical Stack: Holy basil SCF extract + LucidiSPORE™ Softgels

Not only do we have a highly potent holy basil supercritical fluid (SCF) extract, we also have a highly potent reishi spore oil SCF extract and the two just so happen to complement each other a lot. Lucidispore produces a very natural feeling calming effect and this effect blends very nicely with the more pronounced calming effects of the holy basil SCF. Furthermore, this pairing will have great effects on helping to optimize oxidation and inflammation levels.*

The Terpene Stack: Holy basil SCF extract + Rephyll Capsules

While holy basil is already high in caryophyllene, it is much higher in eugenol which means the effects will be more biased to the eugenol side of things. If however, you want to further exploit the pain management effects of holy basil, then we can highly recommend combining it with rephyll, a unique and highly bioavailable formulation of beta-caryophyllene.*

The Stress Stack: Holy basil SCF extract + Panax Ginseng Root Extract Capsules

Due to its high eugenol content, the holy basil SCF extract is fantastic for helping to promote stress management. Thus, it is a no-brainer to combine it with our white Panax ginseng capsules as the two will have a very synergistic effect on overall stress levels.*

Holy Basil Dosage

As a dietary supplement, take 0.5ml of Holy Basil daily.

Holy Basil Reviews

To gain more insight, see the Holy Basil reviews and experiences below.

Where to Buy Holy Basil

Nootropics Depot offers 30ml jars of high quality Holy Basil. Nootropics Depot’s Holy Basil has been lab-tested and verified for both product purity and identity.