The very essence of summer — sweet basil (ocimum basilicum) — This fine herb has found many friends all over the world. It is native to India, Africa, and Asia. Basil is an annual plant with leafy stems. The leaves are fra- grant, spicy when fresh, on the sweet side when dried. - Many cooks would find it hard to cook without the tasty leaves of basil. The French call basil herbe royale, meaning the kingly herb. In Italy it is still being used as a sign of love. There is a tradition in Italy that when a woman puts a pot with basil on her window sill or balcony of her home she is ready for romance _and consequently ready to receive her adorer. Another tradition holds that a woman will fall in love with the man who gives her a sprig of basil. She will never leave him. Fine dining and romance has not always been connected to basi]. There was a time when people even rejected this herb, fearing it because some ancient herbalists claimed that basil dam- aged the intemal organs and eyes, caused insanity, coma and an acute generation of lice and scor- pions in one’s brain. | Basil also had its defenders. The first century A.D. Roman naturalist Pliny was one of them. He wrote that basil indeed was a healing plant, he suggested to use it for the relief of flatulence. Modern pharmacologists hold up this claim, however hard it is to prove. Basil had a reputation for both good and evil in ancient folklore. Peoples in some lands associated basil with the legendary reptile RAFFLE WINNERS Richard and Peggy Williams and their known as the basilisk. It was believed. that its breath and glance would kill a person. Ancient Greeks and Romans vilified basil while sowing it. They believed that it only germi- nates when cursed at, hence the French semer the basilic, mean- ing to use abusive language. Another theory claims that the name was derivative of Basilicus, Greek for king. Basil is a sacred herb in India and even more highly worshipped than kings. It was dedicated to their gods Vishnu and Krishna. Sprigs of the sacred basil were laid on the chests of the dead in order fo protect them from harm on their trip to the next world and to ensure entrance to para- . dise. In other countries people cher- ish basil as a protection against witchcraft, and, like the Italians, as a symbol of love. Basil has become one of the most used herbs in modern kit- chens around the world. More and more people plant it in their gardens, on window sills and balconies. Medicinal uses Basil, a member of the mint family, is medicinally recom- mended for digestive problems. An after-dinner cup of basil tea will aid digestion and expel gas. Herbalists also claim that it helps to relieve cramps and constipa- tion. It is recommended for ner- vous headaches and anxiety as it is believed to have a sedative action. Poultices made from basil seeds have been used externally on sores. Clinical studies have shown that extracts from basil leaves do indeed have an anti- ~“"