Holy Basil is one of the oldest natural stress relievers in the world. It is a medicinal herb originally from India that has been proven to reduce stress levels. Holy Basil is most commonly used as a sleep aid or anxiety relief supplement. It can be found in many supplements due to the fact that it truly relaxes and sedates the body and mind, which makes it perfect for people with insomnia and high stress levels.
Holy Basil Benefits
Since Holy Basil is an ancient stress relief herb, most of the Holy Basil benefits are related to calm and relaxation. However, it has been shown to have some other benefits as well. Here is a complete list of the most common Holy Basil benefits:
- Eliminates stress
- Reduces cortisol levels
- Helps cure anxiety
- Can induce sleep
- Optimizes your body’s stress response
How Does Holy Basil Work?
Holy basil is an adaptogen, which means it improves the body’s response to stressful events and situations. When you get stressed out, your body produces cortisol, and when levels of cortisol get too high, you may experience anxiety and restlessness.
Through reducing cortisol levels and optimizing the way you respond to stress, holy basil can really have a significant effect on your anxiety levels. It is actually most effective as a sleep aid in our opinion due to the way it makes you feel. Taking holy basil before going to sleep can help put you into a heavily relaxed state.
Holy Basil Supplements
Holy Basil supplements are not hard to find, and you can use them to experience any of the benefits listed above. The dosage you use can be dependent upon what exactly you are trying to achieve.
The most effective Holy Basil dosage for stress relief and sleep aid is around 400-500 milligrams. However, we don’t often advise taking Holy Basil on its own for sleep simply because it is not strong enough. We recommend taking it as part of a comprehensive sleep supplement instead of using Holy Basil alone, especially since you could build a tolerance to it if you use it on its own.
Holy Basil Side Effects
Holy Basil rarely ever causes any side effects due to the fact that it simply an herb. Usually, natural supplements do not produce many side effects. However, some of the Holy Basil side effects that have been reported in rare cases are dizziness, nausea, and racing heart. Again, it is not common to experience Holy Basil side effects, but it’s important to be aware of the possibility.
Conclusion: Should You Use Holy Basil?
Holy basil is an awesome herb with a long list of benefits. People everywhere have been using it to cure anxiety for ages. However, we actually see it as more beneficial when used as a natural sleep aid. If you’re someone with anxiety or sleep troubles, then we definitely recommend using holy basil to help correct your body’s stress response and rebalance your hormones.
With that being said, holy basil has been shown to be most beneficial when combined with certain other nutrients, which is why we tend to recommend taking it as part of a comprehensive supplement as opposed to taking it on its own.
I’m not just a supplement analyst. I’m an extremely qualified one! I am a Certified Nutrition Coach (CNC) and actually received my certification directly from the National Academy of Sports Medicine. I am also a Nutrition & Wellness Consultant, certified by the American Fitness Professionals Association (AFPA).
