Tulsi (Ocimum sanctum) - Cognitive Enhancer & Properties

Tulsi, also known as Ocimum sanctum in Latin, is a aromatic herb with psychoactive properties; or properties that have a significant effect on our cognition.

Table of Contents

1 How Does Tulsi Affect our Cognitive Function?
2 A List of Tulsi’s Properties & Effects
3 Related Links

How Does Tulsi Affect our Cognitive Function?

So far I’ve gathered that tulsi can enhance acetylcholine (ACh) neurotransmission by inhibiting the enzyme that breaks down acetylcholine, acetylcholinesterase.^[1] By preventing this enzyme from breaking down ACh, the total amount of ACh in the brain increases. Where acetylcholine is responsible for:

Sustaining attention (increases brain’s responsiveness to stimuli)
Memory
Promoting REM sleep

As a result, tulsi enhances memory and cognitive function by increasing the available ACh in the brain.^[4]

A List of Tulsi’s Properties & Effects

It is shown or suggested that Tulsi can be attributed with these properties and effects^[2][3]:

Anti-Fertility
Anti-Cancer
Anti-Diabetic
Anti-Fungal
Anti-Microbial
Cardio-Protective
Analgesic
Anti-Spasmodic
Adaptogenic
Hepato-protective (protects the liver)
Anti-Inflammatory
Radioprotective
Immunomodulatory
neuro-protective
cardio-protective
Mosquito Repellent

My Conjectures

A reason why Tulsi could protect the heart and overall body from chronic stress, is because Tulsi lowers the cortisol level in the body when consumed.

I can definitely vouch that Tulsi has an Analgesic effect on where it is applied, in the same way cloves numbs the general area of where it touches. That’s because Tulsi has the same active chemical as clove that is responsible for the analgesic effect, which is Eugenol.

The aromatic essential oils inside the Tulsi plant is what deters the mosquito from going near you.