Basil

Ocimum basilicum

Other Names:

Thai Basil, Sweet Basil,garden Basil, St. Joseph’s Wort, Basilicon, Joy Of The Mountain

Benefits

Antioxidant
Anti-inflammatory
Antitumor
Antibacterial
Antifungal
Antidepressant
Antiviral
Antibacterial
Antiseptic
Insect-repellent
Immunity

Basil (Ocimum basilicum) is a well-known, commonly grown, bushy annual kitchen herb that belongs to the Lamiaceae family. Many different varieties of basil exist. Basil has many other beneficial uses, other than adding flavor to food. In Asia and Africa, basil has been traditionally used in the treatment of many ailments, including headaches, coughs, diarrhea, constipation, warts, worms, and kidney malfunctions. Basil contains many beneficial polyphenolic flavonoids, essential oils, vitamins, and minerals. Specific applications studied in poultry include:

Egg quality: 15 to 30 g/kg of basil added to laying hens' diet has shown to be of benefit for egg production and egg quality. It is also proven to increase the yolk n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid levels. Holy basil leaf meal is a good feed supplement for increasing the yolk l-linolenic acid level by reducing the yolk saturated fatty acid levels proportionately.
Antibacterial: Oil of basil herb has been found to be beneficial in inhibiting many pathogenic bacteria like Staphylococcus, Enterococci, Shigella and Pseudomonas.
Insect repellent: Basil is said to be useful for repelling mosquitoes.

Poultry Specific Studies

Type	Plant Part	Dosage	Specific use	Results	Ref
Chickens	oil	500 ppm of feed	antioxidant	Improved intestinal integrity and nutrient utilization.	S Thuekeaw et al., 2022
Chickens		up to 2% of feed	antimicrobial	may be safely added to chicken feed.	R Beier et al., 2014
Hens	leaves	15-30 g/kg	egg production	resulted in increased egg production and eggs of high and differentiable quality.	M Hammershoj et al., 2012

References

El-Ghffar, Eman Ali Abd, et al.. "The protective role of Ocimum basilicum L. (Basil) against aspirin-induced gastric ulcer in mice: Impact on oxidative stress, inflammation, motor deficits and anxiety-like behavior " Food & function 9.8 (2018)
Císarová M, Taninová D, Medo J, Kaániová M.. "The in vitro effect of selected essential oils on the growth and mycotoxin production of Aspergillus species." J Environ Sci Health B. (2016)
Rabbani M, Sajjadi SE, Vaezi A.. "Evaluation of anxiolytic and sedative effect of essential oil and hydroalcoholic extract of Ocimum basilicum L. and chemical composition of its essential oil." Res Pharm Sci (2015)
Hassan MI, Hammad KM, Saeed SM.. "REPELLENT EFFECT OF OCIMUM BASILICUM AND GLYCYRRHIZA GLABRA EXTRACTS AGAINST THE MOSQUITO VECTOR, CULEX PIPIENS (DIPTERA: CULICIDAE)." J Egypt Soc Parasitol (2015)
Araújo Silva V, Pereira da Sousa J, de Luna Freire Pessôa H, Fernanda Ramos de Freitas A, Douglas Melo Coutinho H, Beutt. "Ocimum basilicum: Antibacterial activity and association study with antibiotics against bacteria of clinical importance." Pharm Biol (2015)
Scazzocchio F, Garzoli S, Conti C, Leone C, Renaioli C, Pepi F, Angiolella L.. "Properties and limits of some essential oils: chemical characterisation, antimicrobial activity, interaction with antibiotics and cytotoxicity." Nat Prod Res (2015)
Beier RC, Byrd JA 2nd, Kubena LF, Hume ME, McReynolds JL, Anderson RC, Nisbet DJ.. "Evaluation of linalool, a natural antimicrobial and insecticidal essential oil from basil: effects on poultry." Poultry Science (2014)
Govindarajan M, Sivakumar R, Rajeswary M, Yogalakshmi K.. "Chemical composition and larvicidal activity of essential oil from Ocimum basilicum (L.) against Culex tritaeniorhynchus, Aedes albopictus and Anophel" Experimental Parasitology (2013)
Hammershøj M, Steenfeldt S.. "The effects of kale (Brassica oleracea ssp. acephala), basil (Ocimum basilicum) and thyme (Thymus vulgaris) as forage material in organic egg prod" British Poultry Science (2012)

Basil

Ocimum basilicum

Other Names:

Benefits

Poultry Specific Studies

References

PoultryDVM.com

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