Ocimum gratissimum, also known as Clove Basil, African Basil, and in Hawaii

Hawaii

Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...

 as Wild Basil, is a species of Ocimum

Ocimum

Ocimum is a genus of about 35 species of aromatic annual and perennial herbs and shrubs in the family Lamiaceae, mostly native to the tropical and warm temperate regions of the Old World.Some species include:...

. It is naturalized in Hawaii.

Pharmacology of extracts and essential oils

The essential oil of Ocimum gratissimum contains eugenol

Eugenol

Eugenol is a phenylpropene, an allyl chain-substituted guaiacol. Eugenol is a member of the phenylpropanoids class of chemical compounds. It is a clear to pale yellow oily liquid extracted from certain essential oils especially from clove oil, nutmeg, cinnamon, basil and bay leaf. It is slightly...

 and shows some evidence of antibacterial activity. Leaf extract of O. gratissimum showed antidiabetic properties in streptozocin-induced in diabetic rats. A test on guinea pigs found evidence that the essential oil relaxes the muscles of the small intestine, consistent with the traditional use of the plant to treat gastrointestinal disorders. Antitumor and anti-cancer effects have been reported in in vitro

In vitro

In vitro refers to studies in experimental biology that are conducted using components of an organism that have been isolated from their usual biological context in order to permit a more detailed or more convenient analysis than can be done with whole organisms. Colloquially, these experiments...

experiments. A study on rats also found evidence that a leaf extract of the plant prevented diarrhea. Ocimum gratissimum has anti-fertility effects in male

Male

Male refers to the biological sex of an organism, or part of an organism, which produces small mobile gametes, called spermatozoa. Each spermatozoon can fuse with a larger female gamete or ovum, in the process of fertilization...

 mice. Ocimum gratissimum ethanolic extracts showed a hepatoprotective effect in rats. A polyherbal preparation of a water extract obtained from the leaves of Gongronema latifolia, Vernonia amygdalina and Ocimum gratissimum showed analgesic activity. O. gratissimum has mosquito-repellent and mosquitocidal potential. A study on goats also found that the essential oil has anthelmintic

Anthelmintic

Anthelmintics or antihelminthics are drugs that expel parasitic worms from the body, by either stunning or killing them. They may also be called vermifuges or vermicides .-Pharmaceutical classes:...

 activity. The ethanolic extract of Ocimum gratissimum produced a significant and sustained increase in the sexual activity of normal male mice, without any adverse effects. "Thus, the resultant aphrodisiac effectivity of the extract lends support to the claims for its traditional usage in sexual disorders." The essential oil has potential for use as a food preservative, and is toxic to Leishmania

Leishmania

Leishmania is a genus of Trypanosomatid protozoa, and is the parasite responsible for the disease leishmaniasis. It is spread through sandflies of the genus Phlebotomus in the Old World, and of the genus Lutzomyia in the New World. Their primary hosts are vertebrates; Leishmania commonly infects...

.