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Holy basil

Supplement botanical general nutritionsleep
Aka: tulsi, Ocimum sanctum, Ocimum tenuiflorum
Brands seen in Singapore: Swanson Vitamins, NOW Foods, Organic India, Nutricost, Himalaya
Not medical advice. Check with your doctor or pharmacist before you start, stop or change the timing of anything you take.
How to use
What it’s for
Sold for stress and general wellbeing · trials are small
Pros & cons
Pros
  • 2022 RCT, 100 adults: lower perceived-stress scores
  • SAMe RCT: better athens insomnia scale scores
  • 2017 review of 24 studies logged no major harms
Cons
  • Review authors: dosage and dose form still unclear
  • Sleep finding needs objective measures, say authors
  • One branded extract carries the stress and sleep data
Sources
  1. The Clinical Efficacy and Safety of Tulsi in Humans: A Systematic Review of the Literature (Jamshidi N, Cohen MM; Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 2017; PMID 28400848) · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “A total of 24 studies were identified … All studies reported favourable clinical outcomes with no studies reporting any significant adverse events … Further studies are required to explore mechanisms of action, clarify the dosage and dose form”
  2. Randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of an Ocimum tenuiflorum (Holy Basil) extract (Holixer) on stress, mood and sleep (Lopresti AL, Smith SJ, Metse AP, Drummond PD; Front Nutr 2022; PMID 36185698) · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “One hundred volunteers … received either 125 mg of Ocimum tenuiflorum twice daily … greater improvements in PSS (p = 0.003) and AIS (p = 0.025) scores … further research using gold-standard objective sleep measures will be required”
  3. HSA — Guidelines on Prohibited and Restricted Ingredients in Health Supplements and Traditional Medicines (Oct 2025), Annex A (118 rows, Abrus to Zinc) and Annex B (4 rows) — both searched, no row for this ingredient · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “The objective of this guideline is to highlight the substances of concern when used in HS and TM and is not meant to be an exhaustive list.”
  4. HSA Singapore — Health Supplements Guidelines (January 2026), clause 4.8 and Tables 4–5 (vitamins and minerals only) · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “HS for use by the general adult population should not contain vitamins and minerals exceeding the stipulated limits stated in Tables 4 and 5.”
  5. iHerb Singapore — Supplements > Herbs > Ayurvedic Herbs > Holy Basil (Tulsi) category page, default order (1 - 24 of 24 results); first 5 distinct brands: Swanson Vitamins, NOW Foods, Organic India, Nutricost, Himalaya · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Swanson Vitamins, Full Spectrum® Holy Basil Leaf, 400 mg … NOW Foods, Holy Basil Extract, 500 mg … Organic India, Tulsi-Holy Basil … Nutricost, Holy Basil, 500 mg … Himalaya, Holy Basil, 60 Vegetarian Capsules”
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Updated 2026-08-29. Every line above traces to a numbered source. Kozen-X is not a medical device and does not give medical advice. It lists what published sources have written down — nothing more. A pair not listed is unrecorded, not cleared. Before you start, stop or re-time anything, talk to your doctor or pharmacist.