Holy Basil: Phyto-TESTOSTERONE, Progesterone and thyro-mimetic ?

Mauritio

Interpretation:

If you look at study 2. , you might conclude that holy basil contains some exogenous androgen in high amounts that increases blood testosterone to such an extent that it suppresses their pituitary hormonal output as a feedback mechanism and decreases their sperm count, similarly to exogenous testosterone.

But if that was the case, we would see a strong virilazation in study 1 and the females rats testosterone would be through the roof as well. But we don't see that, only progesterone increased.

Study 3 begs to differ as well. We see no signs of shut down whatsoever here. All measures of sperm health increased.

So it's hard to say what holy basil exactly does, only one way to find out

Joop3000

@Mauritio Very interesting Mauritio. Always a good read when you post something. I have a bottle of holy basil laying around, maybe I will try. Will report then ofcourse.

Mauritio

@Joop3000 you're welcome . Looking forward to your testimony.
I'm surprised it's not talked about more often !

Mauritio

In this study even very small doses of basil were able to almost double testosterone. They gave rats 2 and 4 mg /kg of a basil powder, which translates to just 25 and 50mg for a human. Surprisingly 25 mg was even slightly superior in terms of testosterone-enhancement.
I don't know if they used holy basil in this study. They just refer to it as basil. But it seems that different kinds and especially different dosages are effective, as the other studies I posted used much higher doses.

AnxiousMess

@Mauritio

Very interesting studies, would love to see some human studies

wester130

@Mauritio the problem is if you go down this path, you end up taking 20 supplements and herbs

Mauritio

@AnxiousMess I agree
Number 5 actually is a human study.

That being said, I would also love to see some human studies on its effect on hormones . But for now it seems safe enough to play around with for a while.

Luke

I have been drinking tulsi (holy basil) tea on and off for years. It has a calming and stress-relieving effect. Maybe not instantly with one cup. But if I was in a chronic high stress state and drank multiple cups a day for a week or so, it made me continuously more relaxed.

Also tried capsules, but funnily enough I didn't get the same effect as with tea, although I'd think the extract in the capsules is more potent.

It's also a natural anti-histamine.

Edit:
If someone tries the tea, the quality of the different products is pretty hit-and-miss. The flavor can also be pretty different. A few bad products look like someone has picked dirty weeds from the side of the road and put them in a bag. I have had the best experience with tea bags from 'Lebensbaum', but I don't know if that's available in other parts of the world. On iherb you can find multiple products in capsule form.

Mauritio

@Luke hey thanks for sharing .
Did you notice any subjectively androgenic effects ?

Thanks for the suggestion. Seems like your from Germany as well, I might try the tea. I ordered the extract from Sunday naturals, usually they're pretty good.

But it seems like with holy basil the quality and the content of phytochemicals varies a lot, so in this case it might be good to try a few different sources .

Luke

@Mauritio
No, I didn't really notice androgenic effects (but also not the opposite), just the calming and relaxing effects. And I didn't do any blood tests.

Yes, I'm from Germany. I was also on the old forum. The tulsi tea that you can get on amazon.de is pretty hit-and-miss like I said. Sometimes the taste is so different that it almost seems to be another tea.

I had the extract from Organic India a few years ago and didn't notice much. Please let me know if the product from Sunday naturals is good, I might try it as well. Too much tea is a bit inconvenient when you also drink a lot of juice.

Mauritio

@Luke oh no I remember you I think we chatted in the DMs didn't we? And didn't I also send you some protest stickers during covid ? Good times

Sure, I'll let you know !

Kvirion

Thanks @Mauritio!

Also
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4296439/

here is mounting evidence that tulsi can address physical, chemical, metabolic and psychological stress through a unique combination of pharmacological actions. Tulsi has been found to protect organs and tissues against chemical stress from industrial pollutants and heavy metals, and physical stress from prolonged physical exertion, ischemia, physical restraint and exposure to cold and excessive noise. Tulsi has also been shown to counter metabolic stress through normalization of blood glucose, blood pressure and lipid levels, and psychological stress through positive effects on memory and cognitive function and through its anxiolytic and anti-depressant properties. Tulsi's broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity, which includes activity against a range of human and animal pathogens, suggests it can be used as a hand sanitizer, mouthwash and water purifier as well as in animal rearing, wound healing, the preservation of food stuffs and herbal raw materials and traveler's health.

https://examine.com/supplements/tulsi/

Tulsi (also known as Ocimum sanctum or holy basil) is an aromatic plant in the mint family (Lamiaceae) native to India and Southeast Asia.[5] It is rich in various bioactive phytochemicals, including rosmarinic acid, apigenin, ursolic acid, caffeic acid, ferulic acid, and eugenol.
[...]
The anti-inflammatory effects are thought to be due to the inhibition of the cyclooxygenase (COX)

BTW COX is also inhibited by Aspirin...