Syn. Ocimum sanctum

Family:  Mint (Lamiaceae)

Hardy to Zones 10 to 12, otherwise grown as a potted plant and brought in for the winter

(Tea basil from India, Shyama Tulasi, Krishna Tulsi) Perennial tea basil originally from India.  The plants are grown at our farm here in the USA, in seclusion, in order to produce the seed offered here.  An outstanding cultivar for producing the true tropical-type tulsi tea (as opposed to tea of temperate tulsi).  Leaves dark purple.  Many people prefer this dark-colored cultivar*.  According to ancient folklore, the Tulsi (tulasi) plant is a manifestation of the Divine Mother on Earth, for the benefit of all creation.  Tastes good and provides gentle stimulation to body, mind and spirit. Growing tea basils brings many blessings to the household!  The tea made from this plant is very satisfying, with taste and aroma most appealing.   Traditional usage (Ayurveda): stress, anxiety, heart disease, arthritis, diabetes, and dementia.  Drinking tulsi tea in the morning is a fantastic way to get started.  If you want to be an herbalist and are afraid you might tell somebody to take the wrong thing, then tell them to drink tulsi tea and you will be right every time.  Prepare a flat of potting soil or a fine seedbed in spring.  Remember that tulsi is a light-dependent germinator, so it actually helps to hold the seeds in the palm of your hand up to the sunlight to get them started.  Then plant not too deeply, so they still get light. Scatter seeds on surface, press in and keep evenly moist, in the light and very warm until germination, which is rapid.  Transplant or thin to 2 feet apart.

Packet of 20 seeds, Certified Organically Grown

• for a discussion of morphological variability of tulsi in India, see the research article by Malay, Pandey, Bhatt, Krishnan and Bisht “Morphological variability in holy basil (Ocimum tenuiflorum) from India, Genet Resour Crop Evol (2015) 62:1245-1256.  Cluster analysis techniques were applied to identify three main types (green type Rama, intermediate type (such as our cultivar called Amrita) and black type Shyama (Krishna)).  You can find the comparative photos on page 1251)