In our country, there are several types of basil, but the most known is the small or ordinary basil - its medicinal properties and widespread use in medicine of this plant are due to the diversity of its biologically active substances.
Description and area of ​​distribution
Basilist small grass or silver - a tall herb with large triangular leaves, paniculate inflorescences with numerous very small (up to 4-5 mm) lilac, pinkish or yellowish flowers and a thick short rhizome, has numerous healing properties.
Basil grows in Ukraine, southern European Russia, the foothills of the Caucasus and in the forests of Western Siberia. The plant prefers wet places - floodplain meadows, marshes overgrown with grass, low banks of water bodies and swampy light forest. 
Chemical composition
Just like other buttercups, the small basil contains in its composition toxic alkaloids (talmin, berberine), their content in the grass can reach 2%, in rhizomes - up to 0.4%. Phytoncides, tannins and flavonoids, some organic acids, lithium are found in the leaves. The shoots contain vitamin C (ascorbic acid), and the fruit of the plant contains fatty oil.
Did you know? The Latin name of the basil (Thalictrum) is derived from two Greek roots - thalos, which means "green branch" and icter - "beg", because of the similarity of the plant with the branch of the olive tree, in ancient Greece, symbolizing a request for protection.
Medicinal properties
Basilist has a wide range of therapeutic effects, drugs based on it have antimicrobial, anticancer, urinary and choleretic, anti-inflammatory and laxative effects, contribute to the rapid healing of wounds. It is used as a small basil and as an effective fortifying agent. 
Basil has the ability to accumulate lithium - a trace element required for normal functioning of the nervous system.
Plant alkaloids have a different effect: berberine inhibits cell division, which accounts for its use in oncology, for the treatment of papillomatosis and as an antiparasitic agent; Talmin, expanding blood vessels, lowers blood pressure, inhibits the nerve centers and relaxes the walls of the smooth muscle organs.
Important! You should not confuse small basil with other common species. - a simple basil and a stinking basil.
Medical applications
Rhizomes with roots, leaves and apical shoots of small basil, as well as the preparations obtained from them, have found wide application in both unconventional and official medicine.
The grass of the small basil is part of the anti-tumor harvest Zdrenko, and the rhizome with the roots is part of the painkiller drug Anginol. 
Basil alkaloids serve as components of cytostatic and antispasmodic drugs, as well as drugs for the treatment of malaria and leishmaniasis.
Did you know? The origin of the name of the plant is associated with the name of the doctor Vasilisa, who in the times of Russia healed the basilista with injured soldiers.
Recipes of traditional medicine
Basil in the form of water infusion, decoction and alcohol tincture is used in the treatment of a whole range of diseases that serve as antitumor, heart, hemostatic and fortifying drugs.
Basil is used to treat jaundice, as a diuretic (diuretic) - in the treatment of edema of soft tissue and edema, for colds and metabolic disorders. Apply its drugs and as a means to relieve bleeding in gynecological practice, with frequent and persistent nasal bleeding.
Fresh crushed leaves impose on the affected areas for the treatment of pustules and purulent wounds, soft tissue injuries, with exacerbation of rheumatic diseases. From the fresh juice or decoction of the plant make baths and washing for the skin of the feet with excessive sweating of the soles and diaper rash between the toes. 
Present
The infusion of a basil is used to treat injuries, wash the skin and make lotions for pustular diseases (acne, boils) and various rashes.
Preparation of water infusion basilist: one tablespoon of the top of a small dry basil leaf is put in a glass or earthenware dish, poured a glass of boiled water, tightly closed and infused for an hour, then filtered, the residue is drained. The infusion is taken orally three times a day, one tablespoon per reception.
Decoction
Basil decoction recommended for high blood pressure, neuroses of various origin, functional disorders of the digestive system, some diseases of the liver and gallbladder, as a hemostatic agent for internal and external bleeding.
At elevated pressure, cumin, periwinkle, dandelion honey, linden honey, saxifrage, digitalis, physalis, horseradish, pipertum, aronia, marigolds, cranberries, mulberry, and garlic are shown.The broth is prepared from fresh or dry basil roots as follows: One teaspoon of cut root is poured with a glass of boiling water and kept in a water bath for ten minutes. After the liquid has cooled, it is passed through folded gauze.
Strained broth is poured into a glass, bringing its volume with boiled water to 200 ml. Take the broth three times a day with meals, two tablespoons at the reception. Store in the refrigerator for no more than two days in a glass container with a tight lid.Tinctures
Specialists of traditional medicine recommend the use of basil tincture for the treatment of hypertension in the early stages, as a vasodilator drug for the normalization of blood pressure, as well as for the prevention of strokes and an adjunct to vascular pathologies.
Basil tincture is prepared in the following way: The leaves or grass of the plant is poured with 70% ethyl alcohol in the ratio of 1 part of grass to 10 parts of alcohol and kept for a week in a warm dark place, daily shaking up the contents. Take the tincture three times a day, on the water, dosing from 15 to 25 drops at the reception.
Did you know? Despite the fact that all parts of the plant contain alkaloids, some varieties of basil are edible. His young leaves, containing a large amount of ascorbic acid, are added to salads, and residents of the Far East prepare soups and side dishes for meat dishes from young shoots.
Preparation of medical raw materials
Harvest rhizomes and grass (aerial parts) of basil plants. Medicinal raw materials are collected in the summer, in June or July, cutting off the stalks with a knife at the top - flowering leafy parts of about 35-40 cm in length.
It is not enough to know the beneficial properties of plants, it is also necessary to properly collect and preserve them, it is useful to learn how you can prepare mint, hawthorn, sunberry, anise, yoshtu, green onions, currants, tricolor violet, ivy-like budru, berries gumi.The collected grass is sorted and laid out for drying with a thin layer or collected in dense bunches and hung on cords. Dry in the shade - under sheds, roof or in a well-ventilated room. The finished raw material must retain a green color and consist of brittle stems with flowers, leaves, and a small amount of fruit, have a weak, specific smell and bitter taste.
Basil rootstocks are harvested in mid-autumn, after digging, they are thoroughly cleaned and dried. The shelf life of raw materials packaged in canvas or paper bags is 3 years.
Contraindications and harm
Vasilist preparations are not recommended for use with a weakening of the heart, low blood pressure, bradycardia, a tendency to constipation and with individual intolerance. Small Basil is prohibited to use during pregnancy and breastfeeding, as well as in children.
Important! Basil - poisonous! It is necessary to take inward its preparations with great care, unswervingly adhering to the prescribed dosages in order to avoid intoxication.If overdose symptoms occur, immediately rinse the affected stomach with a suspension of activated carbon (30 g of crushed coal diluted in 3-5 glasses of water) or 0.1% (slightly pink) potassium permanganate solution and seek medical assistance immediately.
It is worth reading the botanical description of the small basilus, as it becomes clear that this is one of the most unusual representatives of our flora. The toxicity of the substances contained in it does not negate, but serves as a basis for application in medicine, moreover, it did not prevent to bring out dozens of decorative varieties of this plant.
