Gender: Masculine
Planet: Mars
Element: Fire 
Deity: Vishnu, Ezrulie
 
Medicinal Use:  As a tea for calming the nerves, settling the stomach, and easing cramps; good for the bladder. Use as a poultice on chest for bronchitis and chest colds.  All basils are antibacterial, act as good insect repellents, and, as Culpepper noted, “Being applied to the place bitten by venomous beasts, or stung by a wasp or hornet, it speedily draws the poison to it.”. Basil, Ocimum sanctum, was originally a native plant of India and its use only spread outwards to Europe and the West in the sixteenth century. Ocimum sanctum, or Tulsi as it is known in Hindi, is used in traditional religious ceremonies and in ayurvedic medicine for common colds, headaches, stomach disorders, inflammation, heart disease, various forms of poisoning, and malaria.
 
Sacred Use: It is sacred to the Hindu god Vishnu and his avatar, Krishna. Magical herbals occasionally refer to it as St. Joseph's Wort. It's best known for its properties that aid and strengthen love. Although known to bring about prosperity, love spells are the general domain for basil. It is used to soothe cmmunication and heal relationships between two people. Basil is originally native to India and other tropical regions of Asia, having been cultivated there for more than 5,000 years; it reached Europe in the sixteenth century. Basil brings prosperity and happiness when planted in the garden. In Europe, they place basil in the hands of the dead to ensure a safe journey. In India, they place it in the mouth of the dying to ensure they reach God. The ancient Egyptians and ancient Greeks believed that it would open the gates of heaven for a person passing on.