Basil and its Health Benefits

Basil is delicious. It's great in pasta, chicken, and of course who doesn't like pesto? But I bet you didn't know that basil is a super awesome medicinal herb, did you?

Most people don't know the extent behind the usefulness of basil, in fact, most people when they think of regular cooking herbs they don't think there's really much behind them at all except specific flavors and scents. But there usually is a lot more to our cooking spices than we realize.

Basil is all of the following: "Antispasmodic, antidepressant, antiseptic, stimulant, tonic, febrifuge, diaphoretic, nervine, antibacterial, expectorant, appetizer, carminative, galactagogue, stomachic." Okay cool. So, what does all of that mean? I won't explain all of them as some of them are pretty self-explanatory and terms we've heard all of our lives. But as for the others that are less common I'll go over pretty simply.

As an antispasmodic and nervine basil helps calm the muscle nerves. It also helps with digestion and for the stomach to be calm, so if you experience frequent stomach spasms -basil is an herb for you! A febrifuge reduces fever, and a diaphoretic makes you sweat - so it also falls in line with helping break that fever or trying to get that excess sodium or toxins out of your system.

What carminative means it helps you expel gas from the stomach. So if you're feeling gassy but just can't get it out... basil could help. A galactagogue aids a woman who is breastfeeding in making milk. It stimulates hormones that produce breast milk - so mommies of brand-new tiny humans, if you're feeling your supply is running low eat yourself some pesto or maybe even a salad with lots of basil!

And of course, a stomachic means it helps with your stomach and overall digestion issues. But that's not all. It also helps relieve stress and headaches. Basil, in other words, is a beneficial herb that you may want to consider growing in your medicinal garden, not just your veggie and herb patch. It's an all-around helpful herb with an aromatic presence and a zesty flavor.

So, in a nutshell, it keeps you from getting sick, calms the stomach and gets rid of gas, relieves nerve muscles, reduces fever and helps flush out toxins, helps mommies make milk for their babies, and makes my Italian food taste great. Since it's January, I am going to definitely be putting basil in my herb garden this year.

Basil Tomato Garlic Dip

I can't tell you about the benefits of basil, without of course offering a dish for you to make with it. This recipe is one of my absolute favorites. It's refreshing a refreshing summer dish, it's light, easy, and it's flexible, and cheap. You can use it as a salad topping/mixer or you can use it for crackers and chips. It's one of those mysterious dishes that taste like sunshine and fun times, while still being completely healthy and low-carb!

What you need:

• Tomatoes
• Garlic
• Fetta Cheese
• Fresh Basil
• Lime or Lemon (preference)
• Salt
• Pepper.

Process:

It's really easy. Dice up the tomatoes to chunks. Any size! It doesn't matter, whatever your preference. Dice the garlic up really small. Chop the basil up (or just tear it into chunks like me, I love the taste of fresh basil so I put lots of it in!) Squeeze in the lime on top (I usually make enough to use two lemons or limes, depending on how much I make), then throw in the feta, however, you like it. Now, it's important to put the feta in when you are ready to serve, because it'll get soggy otherwise,.Sprinkle some salt and pepper to taste and enjoy!