Supplement
Tulsi, also called holy basil, is a leafy herb used for centuries in Ayurvedic practice, traditionally valued as an adaptogen that helps the body respond to stress. People mostly look at it for generalized anxiety, and the evidence is limited: in one small trial of 35 people, anxiety symptoms improved. That is a single study with few participants, so it says little about who would benefit or for how long, and larger trials are needed to confirm it.
Sources: PMID 19253862
- Updated
- How we grade
- Best evidence
- Grade C
- Conditions studied
- 3
- Outcomes
- 5
- Graded outcomes
- 0030
Evidence by condition
- Strong
- Moderate
- Limited
- Very limited
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blood glucose Small Improvement | Improves (the measure goes down) | Small effect | 1 study | 16 people | ||
Studies that measured blood glucose | ||||||
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anxiety Symptoms Small Improvement | Improves (the measure goes down) | Small effect | 1 study | 35 people | ||
Studies that measured anxiety symptoms | ||||||
| Depression Symptoms | Improves (the measure goes down) | 35 people | ||||
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Immunity Small Improvement | Improves (the measure goes up) | Small effect | 24 people | |||
| Natural Killer Cell Content | Improves (the measure goes up) | 1 study | 24 people | |||
Studies that measured natural killer cell content | ||||||
Key findings
- Blood glucoseImproves (the measure goes down)
- Anxiety SymptomsImproves (the measure goes down)
- ImmunityImproves (the measure goes up)
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Third-party tested Tulsi products. The evidence above is limited, so read it before you buy.
- Grade C
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