People's relationship to basil has been divided for thousands of years. While the herbal plant is still revered as sacred in its country of origin, India, it has repeatedly been accused of being a health hazard throughout its history.
As part of current research, it turned out that royal herb has a carcinogenic effect on mice from a certain dosage. The Federal Office for Risk Assessment therefore recommends preventively:
- Only use basil as a spice in the kitchen
- do not use the herbal plant to prepare tea for infants and young children
- refrain from therapeutic use as a remedy in adults
It should be noted that this is purely a precautionary measure, since there is still a lack of scientific knowledge regarding the effect on human physiology. If the values from animal research are extrapolated to a human, the toxic dose starts at 20 basil leaves per day. For hobby gardeners, the all-clear is clear, because there is nothing wrong with growing in the garden or on the balcony.
GTH