Control Stress-Hormone Cortisol with Holy Basil

by Lauren Rae, CPT

Did the holidays have you stressed out? Year-round do you find yourself tired of feeling bad, fighting your body and stubborn belly fat? Stress hormones can be responsible for sabotaging your weight loss goals and it’s no secret that the stress can also age you far beyond your years. High levels of these stress hormones can also make you anxious and irritable while depleting energy levels, wreaking havoc on your digestion, and causing weight gain.

What happens when Cortisol is the culprit:

When cortisol gets too high your body goes into a “fight or flight” response which kicks your adrenal glands and sympathetic nervous system into overdrive. This can cause your digestive tract to stop working properly and increase your blood pressure. All of this internal stress will cause you to age more rapidly. Mix it with the stress of over exercising and you can block any chance of fat burning potential. Plain and simple, if you want to feel better, stay leaner, and look younger, it is imperative you get your stress and cortisol levels under control. Normal fasting cortisol levels should be taken by blood draw in the morning and lab results should range between 6–23 micrograms per deciliter (mcg/dL). However always talk to your doctor about the meaning of your specific test results.

The Herbal solution:

Supplementing with the herbal remedy holy basil (Ocimum sanctum) just might be the answer you’ve been looking for. Not just an ingredient for cooking anymore, the seeds, stems and leaves are used in making herbal medicine. Originating in India and seen in ancient eastern ayurvedic medicine, holy basil is used as an adaptogen to help the body handle life’s stressors. In fact, this plant is so sacred that it can often be found surrounding Hindu temples. The Hindus also call the holy basil plant from which they make medicine “Tulsi,” which means “the incomparable one” because of its health and anti-aging benefits.

Recommended Dosage for Holy Basil:

Herbal Supplementation

While there is no tested and proven safe or effective dose of holy basil, traditionally 300–2,000 milligrams as a single dose can be used daily for preventive therapy and 600–1,800 milligrams (divided throughout the day) has been used daily for curative therapy.

Herbal Tea

According to Healthline.com, holy basil can be consumed as a tea with the recommended dosage being two grams holy basil infused in one cup of water. Also, 10–20 milliliters fresh leaf juice, or one ounce of dried herb , in sixteen ounces of water three times daily in five ounce doses has been used.

How Sunwarrior Raw Vitamins can help:

Sunwarrior Raw Vitamins for Him and Her contain holy basil in combination with other vitamins, minerals, and the longevity blend of superfoods. With all Sunwarrior products you can be sure you’re consuming pure goodness with no synthetics, no chemicals, no binders, and no fillers.