At our booth at the Downtown Sarasota Farmer’s Market, someone asked for Holy Basil tea. I was not familiar with this tea and did some research that you may find interesting.

Holy Basil or the Tulsi plant is called Holy as it is an important symbol in the Hindu religion.  Tulsi means “the incomparable one” and the plant is worshiped morning and evening, a Hindu household is considered incomplete without a Tulsi plant.

Apart from the religious significance of Holy Basil, the plant has many medicinal benefits. In Ayurvedic medicine it is termed “the elixir of life” as it promotes longevity, in other words it has antioxidants which help boost the body’s ability to fight those nasty free radicals which cause disease and aging. It is also an adaptogen that helps the body fight stress by balancing the mind, nerves and emotions and maintains health of the respiratory tract.

 Initially I was curious why this customer wanted this tea.  When I learned about the spiritual nature of Holy Basil, I could understand the importance of this tea and was thrilled to learn a bit more about another aspect of this beverage we love called tea. 

Cheers,

The Tea Lady