- Basil is an aromatic plant used as a culinary herb, condiment, or spice.
- In the east of Morocco, it is also used as a medicinal plant to treat health problems like hyperlipidemia and atherosclerosis.
- To test its efficacy on these diseases, the Moroccan researchers induced hyperlipidemia in 12 mice, then orally treated six of them with 200 milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg) body weight of basil extract.
- The oral administration of the basil extract resulted in significant reductions in total cholesterol levels, triglycerides, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol.
- In addition, the extract prevented blood lipid oxidation.
- Hyperlipidemia and LDL oxidation are known to contribute to the development of atherosclerosis.
- The research team also found that the extract contains four major phenolics, including cafeic acid, caftaric acid, chicoric acid, and rosmarinic acid – which was found to be the major compound in the extract and may be responsible to the extract’s lipid-lowering and antioxidant activities.
In conclusion, these findings indicate that basil exhibits hypolipidemic and antioxidant activities, which can be used to lower elevated cholesterol levels and prevent atherosclerosis.
Author: Michelle Simmons
Source: naturalnews.com