Ocimum gratissimum

Scientific name: Ocimum gratissimum L.

Synonym: Ocimum guineense Schumach. & Thonn.

Synonym 2: Ocimum viride Willd.

Botanical family: LAMIACEAE

Vernacular names

(In territories with significant traditional TRAMIL use)

Dominican Republic:

albahaca vaca

Haiti:

atiyayo
gwo fonbazen

Guatemala:

basen

Saint Lucia:

vanne van

Other vernacular names

Haiti:

Atiyayo
Fonbazen
Fonbazen; (atiyayo)

Geographical distribution

Native to India, widely distributed throughout the tropics.

Botanical description

Perennial shrub or subshrub of up to 2 m, obtuse 4-angular stem. Leaves ovate to lanceolate, margins crenate, glabrous on the upper side, pubescent on the underside on the nerves, glandular on both sides. Verticillate inflorescence, 18 cm clusters, densely pubescent peduncle; campanulate calyx; tubular corolla 5 to 7 mm, white and purple. 2 mm foveolate subglobose nutlet.

Voucher(s)

Rouzier,81,SOE
Mejía,1399,JBSD
Fuentes,4652,ROIG
Graveson,2566,SLNH

flatulence

leaf, decoction or infusion, orally^2-3

abdominal pain

leaf, decoction with salt, orally¹

abdominal pain

leaf, juice with salt, orally¹

myasis (maladie causée par insertion cutanée de larves de mouches)

fresh leaf, crushed, applied in nose⁴

The Ocimum gratissimum leaves are a condiment of relatively widespread human consumption.

For abdominal pain or flatulence:
prepare a decoction or infusion with 7 grams of leaves in 1 cup (1/4 litre) of water. For decoctions, boil for 5 minutes in a covered vessel (possibly with a pinch of salt).

For the infusion, add the boiling water to the leaves, cover and leave to settle for 5 minutes.

Cool, strain (filter) and drink 1 cup 3 times a day.

For colmoyote (myiasis):
wash the leaf adequately and grind in sufficient quantities to place inside the nose, previously washed with boiled water, in the form of a plug; apply 4 times a day⁴.

Preparations must never be stored for more than 24 hours, even if refrigerated.

According to the information available:

The use for abdominal pain and flatulence is classified as REC based on the significant traditional use documented in the TRAMIL surveys, by the validation and toxicity studies and the scientific information published.

If deterioration is observed in the patient or if the abdominal pain persists for more than 3 days, seek medical attention.

The use for colmoyote (myiasis) is classified as REC based on the significant traditional use documented in the TRAMIL surveys and the scientific information published.

All topical application must follow strict hygiene measures in order to prevent contamination or additional infection.

Not for use during pregnancy, breastfeeding or in children under 5 years.

TRAMIL Works^22-23
The aqueous extract (30% decoction) from fresh leaves, single dose (2000 and 5000 mg/kg), orally in Swiss OF1 mice (3 groups of 10 of both sexes) and Wistar rats (3 females and 3 males), control groups with distilled water, in the classic acute toxicity and acute toxicity class models, did not cause death or obvious signs of toxicity in the first 24 days or during the 14 daysµ of observation, nor did it show changes in the macroscopic studies of the vital organs.

TRAMIL Work²⁴
The hydroalcoholic extract (30%) from dried leaves, single dose (750, 1000, 2000 and 3000 mg of total solids/kg), was administered orally in 10 Swiss mice (5 of each sex), one untreated group, one negative control (25% ethanol), under constant observation for the first 24 hours and daily for 14 days.

It decreased motor activity (dose-dependent), ataxic gait and absence of the straightening reflex (dose of 1 to 3 g/kg) between 10 and 20 minutes after administration. There were 11 deaths in the first 24 hours, and a LD₅₀ = 3.2 g/kg was observed. In the following days there was no mortality, only delayed weight development. The macroscopic study visualised moderately haemorrhagic segments of the duodenum (3 g/kg) and renal pallor (1-3 g/kg). The microscopic study showed signs of hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity at all doses.

TRAMIL Work²⁵
The hydroalcoholic extract (30%) from dried leaves, (3, 2.4, 1.2 and 0.6 g of total solids/kg), orally in Swiss mice, 3 groups of 10 animals of both sexes with negative control (25% ethanol), one positive control (cyclophosphamide) and one spontaneous frequency control (untreated), did not reveal medullary cytotoxicity or genotoxicity in a micronucleus model in bone marrow.

The LD₅₀ of the aqueous extract (62%) from fresh leaves orally in mice was 2081 mg/kg¹³.

The ethanolic extract (62%) from dried leaves administered orally in Swiss albino mice (18 to 22 g) showed an LD₅₀ =2081 mg/kg according to the OECD-1987²⁶.

The LD₅₀ of the ethanolic extract (50%) from dried aerial parts administered orally in mice was 2.5 g/kg²⁷.

The LD₅₀ of the hydroalcoholic extract (50%) intraperitoneally in mice was 1 mg/kg²⁸.

The fluid extract (30%) from the foliage showed no genotoxic effects in vivo in the micronucleus induction test in mouse bone marrow²⁹.

There is no information available documenting the safety of medicinal use in children, during pregnancy or breastfeeding.

TRAMIL Work⁵
Preliminary phytochemical screening (leaf)

alkaloids:	-	saponosides:	-
steroids, terpenoids:	+	phenolic compounds:	+
quinones:	-	tannins:	-
flavonoids:	+

The leaves contain essential oil: β-caryophyllene (39%), germacrene D (30%), β-bourbonene, δ-cadinene, α-copaene, β-elemene, humulene, γ-muurolene⁶, thymol (46%), γ-terpinene (23%)⁷.

This species, like the rest of the species in the genus, contains essential oil that determines many of its pharmacological and toxicological properties. There are three chemical races, with variations in the essential oil content of thymol, eugenol, citral^8-9, borneol, carvacrol, caryophyllene, para-cymene, β-
farnesene, linalool, myrcene, α and β-pinene, sabinene, terpinene, terpineol, thujone and thymol^10-12
.

The water-soluble fraction from fresh leaves (25%) decreased intestinal motility and inhibited the contractile effect induced by acetylcholine, nicotine and histamine in the isolated guinea pig ileum model¹³.

The aqueous extract from dried leaves (23.2 mg/kg), orally in mice, showed statistically significant analgesic activity¹⁴.

The methanolic extract from dried leaves (1.5 g/kg) orally in chickens showed antihelminthic activity (55.8%) against Ascaridia galli¹⁵.

The essential oil from the leaves (0.1-1000 μg/ml) caused reversible dose-dependent relaxation in isolated guinea pig ileum and inhibited tonic contraction induced by KCl (60 millimoles) and acetylcholine (10 micromoles); a mean inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 23.8 ± 5.2, 18.6 ± 4.0 and 70.0 ± 4.6 μg/ml was determined¹⁶.

A clinical study designed to determine the clinically effective concentration and most appropriate base for a formulation of topical O. gratissimum oil in the treatment of acne vulgaris, used 126 young people with acne vulgaris. The test samples were applied on an area of between 0.25 and 3 cm2 on the face after washing in the morning and at night for 4 weeks, obtaining a greater effectiveness in the reduction of the lesions by having a faster effect than the reference product¹⁷.

Topical application of the essential oil present in the leaves for 15 days on the surface of the excision and incision wound created under anaesthesia on the posterior part of the backs of adult albino rabbits, with continuous observation for a further 6 days, promoted healing of the wounds^18.

In a randomised, parallel and double-blind clinical trial, with samples from 10 individuals, the effect of O. gratissimum on the reduction of dental plaque and gingivitis was measured with the use of a mouthwash for 3 months, proving to be effective¹⁹.

Thymol is attributed with antihelminthic and antiseptic activity²⁰.

A chemical compound isolated from leaves, whose tentative molecular formula is C21H37O4 or C19H35N3O3, is reported to stimulate contractility in models of isolated guinea pig ileum and rat colon²¹.

Pharmacopoeia

Ed.3

References

1 WENIGER B, 1987-88
Encuesta TRAMIL. enda-caribe, Santo Domingo, Rep. Dominicana.
2 WENIGER B, ROUZIER M, 1986
Enquête TRAMIL. Service Oecuménique d’Entraide SOE, Port au Prince, Haïti.
3 JEAN-PIERRE L, 1988
TRAMIL survey. St. Lucia national herbarium, Castries, St Lucia.
4 GIRON L, 1988
Encuesta TRAMIL (Costa atlántica). Centro Mesoamericano de Tecnología CEMAT, Guatemala, Guatemala.
5 WENIGER B, SAVARY H, DAGUIHL R, 1984
Tri phytochimique de plantes de la liste TRAMIL. Laboratoire de chimie des substances naturelles, Faculté de Médecine et de Pharmacie, Université d’Etat d’Haïti, Port au Prince, Haïti.
6 ZAMUREENKO VA, TOKAREVA VY, KLYUEV NA, KARPOVA TI, GRANDBERG
TI, 1981 Identification of sesquiterpene hydrocarbons of essential oil from Ocimum gratissimum L. Izv Timiryazevsk S-Kh Akad 1981(4):153-155.

7 NTEZURUBANZA L, SCHEFFER JJC, BAERHEIM-SVENDSEN A,
Composition of the essential oil of Ocimum gratissimum grown in Rwanda. Planta Med
53(5):421-423.
8 ARCTANDER S, 1960
Perfume and flavor materials of natural origin. Elizabeth, USA: Stephen Arctander.
9 HEGNAUER R, 1973
Chemotaxonomy der Pflanzen. Basel, Schweiz: Birkhauser Verlag. 6:882.
10 MAIA JGS, RAMOS LS, LUZ AIR, DA SILVA ML, ZOGHBI MG, 1988
Uncommon Brazilian essential oils of the Labiatae and Compositae. In: Flavors and fragrance: a world perspective, Proceedings of the 10th International Congress of Essential Oils. Lawrence BM, Mookherjee BD, Willis BJ, Eds. New York, USA: Elsevier Sci Publ. pp:177-188.
11 JANSSEN AM, SCHEFFER JJC, NTEZURUBANZA L, SVENDSEN AB, 1989
Antimicrobial activities of some Ocimum species grown in Rwanda. J Ethnopharmacol 26(1):57-63.
12 NIGAM M, KHOSLA MK, BRADU BL, TANDON N, 1988
Hydration of terpene fraction of “Clocimum” oil and isolation of pure myrcene. Parfume Kosmet 69(5):285-286.
13 OFFIAH VN, CHIKWENDU UA, 1999
Antidiarrhoeal effects of Ocimum gratissimum leaf extract in experimental animals. J. Ethnopharmacol 68(1-3):327-330.
14 AZIBA PI, BASS D, ELEGBE Y, 1999
Pharmacological investigation of Ocimum gratissimum in rodents. Phytother Res 13(5):427-429.
15 NJOKU CJ, ASUZU IU, 1998
The anthelmintic effects of the leaf extract of Ocimum gratissimum (L.). Phytomedicine 5(6):485-488.
16 MADEIRA SV, MATOS FJ, LEAL-CARDOSO JH, CRIDDLE DN, 2002
Relaxant effects of the essential oil of Ocimum gratissimum on isolated ileum of the guinea pig. J Ethnopharmacol 81(1):1-4.
17 ORAFIDIYA LO, AGBANI EO, OYEDELE AO, BABALOLA OO, ONAYEMI O, 2002
Preliminary clinical tests on topical preparations of Ocimum gratissimum Linn. leaf essential oil for the treatment of acne vulgaris. Clinical Drug Investigation 22(5):313-319.
18 ORAFIDIYA LO, AGBANI EO, ABEREOJE OA, AWE T, ABUDU A, FAKOYA FA, 2003
An investigation into the wound-healing properties of essential oil of Ocimum gratissimum Linn. J Wound Care 12(9):331-334.
19 PEREIRA SL, DE OLIVEIRA JW, ANGELO KK, DA COSTA AM, COSTA F, 2011
Clinical effect of a mouth rinse containing Ocimum gratissimum on plaque and gingivitis control. J Contemp Dent Pract 12(5):350-355.
20 BUDAVARI S (Ed.), 2001
The Merck index: an encyclopedia of chemical, drugs, and biologicals. 30th ed. White House Station, New Jersey, USA: Merck & Co., Inc. p1676.
21 ONAJOBI FD, 1986
Smooth muscle contracting lipid-soluble principles in chromatographic actions of Ocimum gratissimum. J Ethnopharmacol 18(1):3-11.
22 GUERRA MJ, LOPEZ M, BOUCOURT E, FUENTES V, MORON F, 2002
Toxicidad aguda (DL50) de decocción de hojas frescas de Ocimum gratissimum L. Informe TRAMIL. Laboratorio Central de Farmacología. Facultad de Medicina “Dr. Salvador Allende”. Ciudad de La Habana, Cuba.
23 GUERRA MJ, LOPEZ M, BOUCOURT E, FUENTES V, MORON F, 2002
Clases toxicas agudas de decocción (30%) de hojas frescas de Ocimum gratissimum L. Informe TRAMIL. Laboratorio Central de Farmacología. Facultad de Medicina “Dr. Salvador Allende”. Ciudad de La Habana, Cuba.
24 GUERRA MJ, LOPEZ M, BOUCOURT E, FUENTES V, 2002
Toxicidad aguda (DL50) de extracto fluido 30% de hojas secas de Ocimum gratissimum L. Informe TRAMIL. Laboratorio Central de Farmacología. Facultad de Medicina “Dr. Salvador Allende”. Ciudad de La Habana, Cuba.
25 GUERRA MJ, LOPEZ M, BOUCOURT E, FUENTES V, 2002
Genotoxicidad in vivo: ensayo de micronúcleos en médula ósea de extracto fluido 30% de hojas secas de Ocimum gratisimum L. Informe TRAMIL. Laboratorio Central de Farmacología. Facultad de Medicina “Dr. Salvador Allende”, Ciudad de La Habana, Cuba.
26 LOGARTO A, SILVA R, GUERRA I, IGLESIAS L, 2001
Comparative study of the assay of Artemia salina L. and the estimate of the medium lethal dose (LD50 value) in mice, to determine oral acute toxicity of plant extracts. Phytomedicine 8(5):395-400.
27 LOGARTO A, TILLAN J, VEGA R, GONZALEZ YC, 1999
Toxicidad aguda oral de extractos hidroalcohólicos de plantas medicinales. Rev Cubana Planta Med 4(1):26-28.
28 DHAWAN BN, PATNAIK GK, RASTOGI RP, SINGH KK, TANDON JS, 1977
Screening of Indian plants for biological activity. VI. Indian J Exp Biol 15(3):208-219.
29 PILOTO J, VIZOSO A, RAMOS A, GARCIA A, REMIGIO A, VEGA Y, GONZALEZ
ML, RODRIGUEZ C, CARBALLO C, 2009 Plantas medicinales. Diez años de evaluaciones toxicogenéticas en el CIDEM. Boletín Latinoamericano y del Caribe de Plantas Medicinales y Aromáticas 8(5):428-434.

Disclaimer

The information provided is for educational purposes only for the benefit of the general public and health professionals. It is not intended to take the place of either the written law or regulations. Since some parts of plants could be toxic, might induce side effects, or might have interactions with certain drugs, anyone intending to use them or their products must first consult with a physician or another qualified health care professional. TRAMIL has no responsibility whatsoever towards the user for any decision, action or omission made in relation to the information contained in this Pharmacopoeia.

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Ocimum gratissimum

Vernacular names

Dominican Republic:

Haiti:

Guatemala:

Saint Lucia:

Haiti:

Geographical distribution

Botanical description

Voucher(s)

Pharmacopoeia

References

Disclaimer