Tulsi / Holy Basil
- smalltownfarm
- Jul 7, 2021
- 3 min read
Updated: Jun 1
Plant family: Lamiaceae
If we had to pick one annual herb to grow every summer, tulsi—also known as holy basil or sacred basil —would be it. It's a lovely herb that can be grown just like any other basil plant and its calming, grounding energy is something everyone can benefit from.
Growing Tulsi in the Garden Ecosystem
Tulsi makes a lovely addition to any herb garden or edible landscape. It's is a nice companion plant for tomatoes and peppers, the pollinators can't get enough of it, and it grows easily and abundantly in the hot Texas sun. Pinch off the flowering tops to keep the plants bushy and producing abundant leaves. You can get many harvests throughout the growing season this way. Then later in the season before the first frost, let the flower heads develop into seed pods, which can be stored for planting again in the spring. Note that tulsi readily cross-pollinates with other basils nearby. To be sure your saved seeds grow true to type next season, it's best to either grow just one variety at a time or take steps to separate and manage cross-pollination.
Working with Tulsi as an Herb
Tulsi is considered sacred in India, where it’s grown in courtyards and temple gardens and used in daily prayer rituals. It has been used in Ayurvedic medicine for thousands of years. In Western herbalism, tulsi has become popular as a gentle adaptogen—a plant that helps the body cope with stress, mental exhaustion, and fatigue. It can be a gentle daily tonic that helps calm the nervous system, ease the mind, and lift the spirits. The plant can be worked with as a tea, infused in honey or vinegar, made into a tincture, or incorporated into food and all kinds of other herbal creations. It’s also a great herb for making sun tea, because it infuses quickly and doesn’t go bitter with a long steep.
Varieties of Tulsi
There is a lot of confusion surrounding the different varieties of tulsi.
Rama / Amrita tulsi (Ocimum sanctum) - Purple stems, green leaves, reddish purple flowers. Open, upright growing habit. Commonly grown in India. We've found this variety to overwinter particularly well in a greenhouse.
Krishna tulsi (Ocimum tenuiflorum) - Dark purple stems and mottled purple leaves that get more purple as the plant grows. Commonly grown in India.
Temperate / Kapoor tulsi (Ocimum africanum) - Green leaves and light purple flowers. Compact plants and prolific producer of leaves. Grows extremely well in Texas and is the kind many western herbalists work with the most. We love their fruity, floral fragrance and flavor. Distinctly different from other tulsi varieties, which tend to have a more peppery, clove-like flavor.
Vana tulsi (Ocimum gratissiumum) - Perennial basil that is native to India and East Africa. It's a shrubby perennial that can get to be 6' tall, but is often grown as an annual in temperate climates.
This is the first year we're growing all 4 varieties! We'll do some comparisons and report back.
Resources:
We love growing tulsi and often have tulsi plants for sale in Central Texas, depending on the season. Here's how to order plants from us.
These statements are for educational purposes only. They have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Consult a licensed health care professional before consuming a new plant -- especially if you are pregnant or have pre-existing medical conditions.
