Health Benefits of Basil

6. Has Antimicrobial Properties

Basil has volatile compounds in the form of essential oils present in the leaves of the plant. Each species of basil has different concentrations of eugenol, linalool, estragole, limonene, citral, methyl chavicol, and methyl cinnamate. Lemon basil, for example, has mostly citral and limonene phytochemicals present in its essential oils, while Italian large-leaf basil has mostly linalool and methyl chavicol. In nature, these phytochemicals protect the plant from invasive bacteria and fungi, and they do the same in the human body. Basil has long been used in traditional medicine to fight bacterial infections.