Sorry to see no one else responding about Holy Basil, but very glad to see you sharing your experience. Thanks for that.

I haven't given Holy Basil, Ashwagandha, or Rhodiola rosea a try, though I know these are considered good "adaptogens" for "Adrenal Fatigue".

I have tried licorice, though, and that's worked well for me.

I will have to remember that your experience seems to correlate Holy Basil with improved sleep. Is there any testing you can do to isolate whether it's the Holy Basil?

From my understanding, holy basil is supposed to have some anti-stress properties but in Ayurveda I believe it is most often used as an anti-viral/anti-bacterial and not as a means to re-balance the body. Holy basil will reduce vata and pitta but if over-used can increase pitta. Valerian root is not normally used in ayurveda because of the possible side effects, valerian requires a healthy liver to process and eliminate otherwise it will stay in the body for a very long time. Ashwaghanda can help to decrease vata and also increases pitta. The best way to know which herbs are best for you is to go to a qualified ayurvedic practitioner so you can get an exact picture of what is happening inside your body and which herbs will be the most helpful for you.

I tried Holy Basil about a week ago and found it amazing.

I took it 30 minutes before meditation (I had no idea it is used for that, I just thought it's going to help me relax). I recently quit my ADHD meds so my meditation practice was awful because my mind was all over the place.
With Holy Basil I noticed that I could sustain my attention on the mantra with such ease that I could sit and continue to meditate for hours and didn't feel restless at all.
It helps me relax without making me drowsy but I'm not sure if it works for sleep though.

Looking at your meds I think I have an idea why you are not sleeping well.

You should consider tapering off klonopin. I found out that I have AF because I've been on Xanax for years.

PM me if you need an advice on that

Hi Preston's Mom,

I happened upon your post while doing a google search on user's experiences with Holy Basil. I noticed that you take Klonopin. I had to sign up with CureZone in order to tell you this: Klonopin is causing your anxiety and insomnia. Not the parasite cleanse, but Klonopin. It is a very addictive benzodiazepine. When your body becomes used to a dosage, it wants more. When you stay at that dosage, you are effectively going through withdrawal. The withdrawal is very, very uncomfortable. I know. I was prescribed Valium by an ignorant psychiatrist. I became dependent upon it. Long story .... nearly died trying to ween off of it too quickly... then, with the help of the Ashton Manual (free on the internet), I tapered slowly and am now benzo free. I still have insomnia, but it is nothing compared to the pure HELL I went through on that nasty benzo. Please email me if you want to talk about it. I can also give you my phone number. I wish you all the best.

Holy basil is a weak adaptogenic medicine, it can used for long term use with no side effects but the main purpose is for respiratory problems . You should try ashwagandha 500 mg 1 or 2 at night time.

More than Tulsi , ashwagandha can solve two endocrine disorders - adrenal and pituitary, both most needed for sleep. I tried organic India ashwagandha , other brands seem to be ineffective or gives hard pain near my kidney area.

If you ayurvedically increase serotonin levels , melatonin and other tablets can be also kept at bay.

A few years ago I bought some powdered tulsi root direct from India via Amazon. I was under a little stress at work and decided to see just what this tulsi stuff could do for me. It turned into a remarkably unpleasant night. The effect was episodic (that is it came and went), alternating periods of intense vigilance decaying into a feeling of normalcy to the point of returning to bed to go to sleep. All too soon I was launched out of bed into a state of anxiety and preoccupied with my physical state. This scenario played itself out over and over again in short episodes of 15 to 40 minutes. This started at about 9:30 pm after taking approx. one heaping teaspoon of the tulsi powder mixed in water at 8PM.
Eventually the episodes faded away. As morning approached the waves of vigilance/anxiety continued, but they were less intense. The idea of not going to work was out of the question. As the day wore on I felt fatigued but more normal. I tossed the bag of tulsi into the trash when I got home. Then I got some sleep.

Hello, After two years following a bereavement, (my mother), and dealing with the will and relatives, followed by a flu from hell last year, I decided that as my mother died with a Priest present and after receiving Holy Communion and the sacrements for the dying, that her death was so ultra peaceful, I felt that she was now peaceful and extremely happy living in paradise and that I WOULD see her again one day. Because of this, I never faced head on, the realities of bereavement. I didn't realise the effects of the 'Journey of bereavement' would have on my body. The memories were particularly bad to cope with, but I kept putting them aside and getting on with anything else that came along, so long as I didn't have to deal with memories. This 'boost of energy' which I now know to be adrenaline, went on for a year followed by a virus at the beginning of winter and then a bad flu, followed by a very bad Rheumatoid Flare up. This was the straw that broke the camels back. My nerves were shot. I take 1 tablet of GR Lanes 'Quiet Life' which are excellent, 125 mg of GABA which takes away all those racing thoughts and choline with inositol. read about Tulsi tea and took it in capsule form. It gave me a wonderful feeling of centred calm and I was happy. Then, a few days later, I started the awful detox symptoms. My tongue is always coated, so I suspect I have candida. Oregano oil and Olive leaf kills of candida, but the detoxon't use magnesiu symptoms of candida die off are awful, including a rapid heartbeat. I looked up Tulsi to see what it contains and it is anti viral anti bacterial anti fungal amongst other things and it contains the same substances as are in Olive leaf and Oregano oil. So die off it was. I stopped taking it and in a few days the symptoms subsided. So, I started taking it again while waiting for my chelated magnesium to arrive, EXCELLENT FOR RESTORING THE BODY SUFFERING FROM ADRENAL FATIGUE) Look it up . Stress depletes the body of magnesium. And if the adrenals haven't got enough magnesium, it produces cortisol instead and so the vicious circle goes on. Anyway, once again peace descended on my body, but now, again a few days later, the detox has started again and I feel stressed again. I asked a natural practioner about it and he said that as tulsi is an adaptogen, it restores the function of the body to normal, including the adrenals, but when it starts restoring the adrenals, signals are sent to detox all those toxins and things that are in the body which the body is mot able to remove because of poor adrenal function. Look it up. I stopped taking tulsi for now. My magnesium chelate has arrived and I have taken two yesterday and one this morning. It makes you calm/drowsy after two hours and then goes away. I takes about a week to start to kick in but 1 – 2 months to really work with stress. I have bought some Epsom Salts which is magnesium sulphate and I am going to use ¼ cup of Epsom Salts to 1 cup of water to make magnesium oil. This is absorbed into theskin much easier and quicker that taking magnesium orally. Don't use magnesium hydroxide which is what makes the magnesium oil that you can buy online, as it stings and can make you itch. God bless you and bring you peace.

I love Holy Basil, Tulsi. I use it as a female aide to revive my spirits and energy. I have had many thoughts of riffling through my herbs to find mine. But, I use Saffron, a few leaves in boiling water and add heavy whipping cream and stevia, it turns a pretty butter cream color. The Hindu that told me about it said it is a great woman's aide a sensual female booster and relaxer. He said to use warm milk and honey to sweeten, I made it to fit my no Sugar diet. When I have trouble sleeping I drink that and it works wonders. A little goes a long way.