By Benprince Ezeh

SCENT leaf, which is botanically known as Ocimum gratissimum is a tropical plant species that belongs to the family of Labiates. This is a home grown shrub used mainly as spices for cooking delicacies due to its unique aromatic taste.

It is also known as clove basil, African basil, and in Hawaii as wild basil, is a specie of Ocimum.

It is originally a native to Africa, Bismarck Archipelago, Madagascar, southern Asia, and naturalized in Polynesia, Hawaii, Mexico, Panama, West Indies, Brazil, and Bolivia.

African countries like Nigeria, Ghana and Cameroon use Ocimum gratissimum ‘scent leaf’ for both nutritional and medicinal purposes. Each Nigerian tribe has different name for scent leaf. The Ibibios call it Ntonng, Yoruba call it Efinrin, Hausa call it Daidoya, while in Igbos call it Nchanwu.

The leaf has played and continues to play a prominent role in the treatment of certain ailments and diseases.

These vital bioactive substances include; tannis, oligosaccharides, phenols, flavonoids and alkaloids. In Congo, scent leaf decoction is used for diarrhoea, gonorrhoea infection, and vaginal douches for vaginitis and used in treatment of mental illness. Extract of scent leaves is reported to lower blood pressure, has strong insect repellent effects and kills many micro-organisms that cause diseases and also contain anti-fungal properties.

Filicita Ogbu, a doctor said that scent leaf helps in fighting gastritis, colitis and flatulence. “It can help to reduce stress, strengthen the nervous system and also stimulates the immune system.

“Studies show that with the help of scent leaf, growth of malignant tumours and HIV can be restrained,” she said.

Ogbu said that scent leaf is contraindicated for pregnant women. “Extracts from scent leaf have been reported to have a negative effect on ovulation and pregnancy, these extracts affect the regulation of estrogen cycle, leading to the development of fewer follicles, thus affecting conception and reproduction.

“People, who have had a heart attack, stroke, should not use this plant. Those who have diabetes or hypertension, thrombophlebitis and ischemic heart disease, should not abuse scent leaf too,” she stressed.

Jennifer Ani, a nutritionist said that all she sees in a scent leaf are health benefits.

“When one takes so much sugar, the water extracted from the leaf is used in curing it. It helps in treating of malaria, fever, high blood pressure, weight loss, epilepsy,” she said.

According to Ani, essential oils from all the Ocimum species have both insect and reptiles repellent powers.

“This is due to the presence of some compounds like camphor, limonene, Mycenae, caryophyllene oxide, cineole, methyl eugenol and others which were seen to present in the plant during gas chromatographic analysis.

‘This was what my doctor told me,” she added.

– June 28, 2018 @ 19:45 GMT |