When it comes to anti-aging products, you may have all kinds of lotions and potions piled up in your bathroom cabinet and on the nightstand. Anything that claims to look after the wellness and wellbeing of your skin as you get older has got to be worth a try, right? What if we told you that one simple plant could be the key to the youthful glow you have been seeking?
Basil is a herb that is commonly used in cooking. It has a sweet and distinctive smell, and is commonly used in pesto, where it is mixed with pine nuts and parmesan cheese to make a delicious accompaniment for pasta.
Basil originally comes from Asia’s tropical regions, and nit is absolutely packed with nutrients and antioxidants. For this reason, it has all kinds of different health benefits. Amongst other things, it is known to have fantastic anti-bacterial properties, antimicrobial properties and, most importantly of all for you, anti-aging properties. Not only this, but basil helps to fight against serious health conditions such as type 2 diabetes and even cancer.
Having been used in Ayurvedic medicines for several hundreds of years, the effects of basil have been studied extensively. It is no surprise then, that the latest studies carried out at the College of Pharmacy in Maharashtra in India prove, once again, that basil can help stop the body from aging prematurely.
Researchers found that basil worked by protecting the body against the effects of free radicals. Basil contains something called flavonoids, which stopped the free radicals from causing damage to the body. The study showed quite clearly that the herb helped to keep the cells young and intact.
As well as the flavonoids, basil contains volatile oils, which help to fight against strains of bacteria called Staphylococcus, Pseudomonas and Enterococcus.