Purple and red basil: description with photos, application, beneficial properties and contraindications, planting and care, and how to use it in cooking? Russian farmer

What is it and how is it different from green?

Basil is a relative of mint. Depending on the color of the leaves, purple and green varieties are distinguished. However, their difference lies not only in color - spices have different taste properties and aromas.

The green variety is sweetish, softer, fresher. Its taste contains notes of licorice and cloves. The most common variety is sweet or Ligurian basil. This spice is used in many Mediterranean recipes.

Purple basil has a brighter, richer flavor with a hint of bitterness. It is used in cooking in Asian countries and the Caucasus. The dense stems are used for canning vegetables, and the leaves and shoots are used as a spice for various hot and cold dishes and drinks.

The methods of growing and caring for basil of different varieties and shades are practically the same.

Green and purple spices differ in their chemical composition and benefits for the human body. Thus, purple varieties are much more often used for medicinal purposes. Both varieties have a positive effect on:

digestive system;
cardiovascular system;
skin and hair condition;
immune system.

Read more about the differences between green and purple basil here.

How and when should you collect basil seeds?

When basil is in bloom, you can collect seeds for planting next season.

Important: Seeds can be collected when the inflorescences become dry and brown. This indicates that they are mature. If you collect raw seeds, they may not sprout.

Seed collection should be done in dry weather. It is difficult to name a specific date for collecting seeds; basil bushes can bloom at different times. Plants must be inspected regularly after flower stalks appear. It is important not to miss the moment and prevent the seeds from falling to the ground.

Collect basil seeds as follows:

Cut off dry inflorescences.
Place them in a ventilated, dry place for final ripening.
The inflorescences should be threshed and debris removed.
Place the seeds in paper bags or fabric bags.
Seeds must be stored in a dry place at room temperature. When properly stored, seeds can retain their properties for up to 5 years.

Important: Do not store seeds in plastic bags, they may be banned.

Types and varieties: description with photo

Below you can see photos and descriptions of various varieties of basil, including red. Among the varieties of purple basil are the following:

Ordinary

Low growing variety. An adult plant rarely grows above 50 centimeters. Grows in garden beds or indoors in pots. The leaves have a pleasant aroma with a hint of clove. It is used in any form as part of various marinades, salad dressings and hot dishes.

Yerevan

A sought-after productive variety. Over the course of one season, several harvests are harvested from this plant. The leaves have a tart taste with notes of allspice. Perfect for soups, salads, meat dishes and sauces.

Red

A variety bred by breeders half a century ago. Has a pronounced spicy aroma. Suitable for growing at home on a windowsill and in open ground. It is used as an additive to dressings and marinades.

Sacred

A variety that is widely used in Indian cuisine. Has a mild spicy taste. In India it is used for sacred rituals.

Osmin

A southern variety, it has a minty flavor and is used as a spice for meat, fish dishes and drinks. This variety of basil loves warmth, so it grows better at home.

How is purple basil used in healing?

The significance of the article, we have already said that basil is often used to prepare various preparations and tinctures. To properly use basil for healing, you need to understand how to do it. Let's consider several options for using this variety in treatment.

Basil can be used as an appetite enhancer. You will need dried basil, add hot water and leave for about twenty minutes. After infusion, strain the resulting mixture and drink one teaspoon before meals.

Basil is used during various inflammations. Four basil leaves need to be poured with boiled water and left for forty minutes. The tincture is used three times a day, daily.

Basil can be used to treat otitis media. To do this, the leaves of the plant are mixed with honey and hot water is added to them. All this must be put on the stove and heated over the fire for half an hour. Then a compress is made from this.

Useful properties and composition

Now about the benefits for the body, harm and contraindications of different varieties of basil, including red. The pronounced pleasant smell of the plant is due to the presence of a complex essential oil in its foliage and shoots. The oil concentration in different varieties ranges from 0.3 to 1.5 percent. The chemical composition contains the following substances:

Cineole.
Eugenol.
Tannins.
Ocimen.
Linalool.
Camphor.
Methyl havinol.
Acid saponin.
Phytoncides.
Glycosides.
Sahara.

Basil leaves contain the following vitamins:

Ascorbic acid.
Carotene.
Rutin.
Vitamin K
Folic acid.
Vitamin E.
A nicotinic acid.

Thanks to such a rich chemical composition, basil is an effective anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and tonic. The use of the spice is useful for hypotensive patients when they have a loss of strength, as it raises blood pressure.

Unique properties of anthocyanins

Purple basil, whose beneficial properties and contraindications are varied, is rich in anthocyanins. These plant pigments determine the color saturation of flowers. Thanks to anthocyanins, basil flowers can be:

brown;
lilac;
red;
pink;
brown;
blue.

The intensity of the shade of basil flowers is determined by the acidity level of the soil. When growing on alkaline soil they are colored yellow-green, on acidic soil they are reddish, and on neutral soil they are pale purple.

The shade of a plant’s flowers also depends on the type of greenery and the level of illumination. The benefits of purple basil are largely due to the presence of anthocyanins in the stem and leaves of the bush. Special pigments eliminate inflammation in the intestines and normalize the barrier functions of the organ.

Harm and contraindications

The use of basil is limited by a number of contraindications:

Low blood clotting.
Post-infarction state.
Vascular thrombosis.
Hypertension.
Any pathology of the cardiovascular system.
Pregnancy, since basil can cause increased blood pressure and tachycardia.

Even in the absence of these contraindications, basil should be taken in reasonable doses. Excessive consumption may cause intoxication of the body.

Another name for basil

A popular spice distributed throughout the world is called differently:

ocimum – official designation in Latin;
royal grass - this name is found in literature - this is a direct translation of the word basileus (“king”, “king”);
popular names reflect its inherent rich smell: fragrant cornflower, smelly, dushki;
the ancient Greek name for the herb is okimon;
Eastern names that sound similar to each other: reyhan, rean, regan, raikhon - all this is basil.

Each of the names refers to all plants of the genus, regardless of color, type or variety. The most common of them are basil and regan.

Application

In cooking: where do you add fresh leaves?

Purple basil is widely used in cooking. It is preferable to use fresh leaves, which are finely chopped or torn by hand and added to food. You can also use dried or frozen spices. What do you eat basil with? The spice is suitable for cooking:

Lamb, beef.
Seafood.
Salatov.
Drinks.
Canned vegetables.

The spice harmonizes perfectly with tomato, cream and sour cream sauces. A good combination is basil and green vegetables in a salad. Tea brewed with the addition of basil leaves has an unusual aroma and purple hue.

In cosmetology

Basil is used in cosmetology for the preparation of masks and products for hair, skin, and nails. Compositions containing this plant have the following advantages:

Relieves inflammation on the skin.
Improves blood microcirculation in the cells of the epidermis and scalp.
Resists premature aging.
They have antibacterial properties.
Relieves redness and age spots.
With regular use, they improve the general condition of the skin, hair and nails.

Masks and care products use both the plant itself and ready-made basil essential oils.

How to store for the winter

Fragrant basil is used for canning fruits and vegetables. Fresh leaves of the bush are put into jam and berry compotes. When pickling cucumbers for the winter, use a combination of horseradish root and basil.

Basil jam with mint and raspberries helps improve immunity and reduces the symptoms of colds. To prepare the treat you need the following ingredients:

1 kg raspberries;
6 basil leaves;
6 mint leaves;
2 tablespoons lemon zest;
500 grams of sugar.

Raspberries are thoroughly washed and covered with sugar. After about 15-25 minutes, the berry releases juice. After this time, place the container with the dessert on a gas stove and bring it to a boil. After this, the delicacy is removed from the heat and cooled. The heating procedure is repeated twice more.

Then basil and mint leaves and lemon zest are placed in a gauze bag. During subsequent heating, this bag is placed in a bowl with jam. Calorie content of 100 grams of delicacy is 160 kcal.

Planting and growing

Seeds in open ground

You can sow basil seeds in open ground only in mid-May, when there is no longer a threat of night frosts. The plant loves sunlight, fertile and fertilized soil.

It is recommended to choose cloudy or cloudy weather for planting. It is important to ensure regular watering and fertilizing. With this method of cultivation, the grass grows slowly, and you will have to wait a long time for the harvest.

How to grow using seedlings?

They begin to sow seeds for seedlings in April.

First, nutritious soil is prepared, which can be bought in stores. It is important that the soil is light and loose, allowing air and moisture to pass through.
The seeds are not buried deeply - just sprinkled with a little soil. Germination will not take long to come.
As soon as the first leaves appear, you can pick the seeds.
When warm weather sets in, the seedlings are planted in the garden.

This method will produce a harvest much faster than growing from seeds.

Growing in greenhouses

You can plant basil in a greenhouse with both seeds and seedlings. In warm climates, seedlings can be planted as early as early March. In the middle zone of the country, mid-March would be a good time. When sowing seeds, it is important that the greenhouse warms up sufficiently, so they are sown no earlier than mid-April.

Step-by-step instructions: how to plant

So, how to plant seeds and seedlings correctly in order to get beautiful and fragrant bushes in greenhouse conditions? This is discussed in detail below.

Seeds

In order for the seeds to germinate, proper processing is necessary. The following manipulations are performed:

place the seeds in a cloth napkin;
watered with water at a temperature of +50 to +60 degrees;
The well-wrung out material is placed in a warm place for half an hour.

A slippery coating should form on the seeds. It appears as a result of the dissolution of the essential oils of the shell.

Sowing order:

the soil prepared in the fall is shed with warm water;
make grooves up to 1 cm deep, maintaining a distance of 30 cm between them;
seeds are sown at a distance of 5 cm from each other;
covered with mulch;
cover with film.

After about 10 days, shoots will be visible. After a pair of full leaves appear, some plants are removed, leaving 10 cm between plantings.

Diseases and problems

Basil is resistant to damage by pathogenic microorganisms, but sometimes it can be affected by the following diseases:

Fusarium.
Gray rot.
Blackleg.
Damage to aphids.

Why does it turn green?

Many people are interested in the answer to the question why violet basil sometimes turns green. If suddenly the purple basil begins to take on green shades, or new greenish leaves appear, you need to pay attention to the conditions of detention. Most likely, the plant does not have enough sunlight. In this case, you need to transplant it to a more illuminated area.

What varieties are suitable for marinades?

Basil varieties for marinades have a rich, fragrant aroma, do not lose taste and smell for a long time, and can be subjected to heat treatment.

Basil varieties for marinades

How to store?

You can preserve basil so that it does not lose its taste and medicinal properties in the following ways:

Refrigerate for a short period of time (up to 2 weeks).
Drying in natural conditions: dry in a dry, warm place, without direct sunlight.
Freezing.

Basil is an aromatic herb that can enhance the taste of various dishes and drinks. Growing and caring for this herb will not bring much trouble, and eating it will provide the body with a large amount of useful substances.

Benefits for women

Purple basil is especially beneficial for women. Spicy leaves help prolong youth, prevent premature aging, and preserve the beauty of the skin.

The spice is actively used in cosmetology. The plant contains components that help smooth out fine wrinkles, nourish and tone the skin, remove pimples and inflammation. To maintain youth, basil is used not only externally, but also consumed internally.

Purple greens stimulate breast milk production. But the possibility of using this plant during lactation is controversial. The fact is that the plant can provoke an allergic reaction in a baby. The mercury contained in basil also negatively affects the body of infants.

The best varietal species

There are many varietal varieties of basil, but according to the color of the foliage they are all divided into 2 types: purple and green. The first, unlike green, has a very bright aroma, it contains 2 times more esters. The best varieties of purple basil most often cultivated by vegetable growers:

Thai. The seed material produces a compact plant crop with bright purple smooth leaves with serrated edges. A dense bush grows. The foliage is very tart, aromatic with notes of cinnamon. The spice is added to salads, marinade dressings and pickles, and to meat.
Yerevan purple. One of the best varietal species in terms of cooking. The leaves are bright, purple-reddish. During the flowering period, the bushes are decorated with soft pinkish flowers, so this variety is often grown in flower beds. You can cut the leaves two or three times per season. Harvest – 3-3.5 kg per 1 m2.
Basil Dark Opal. A favorite varietal species with leaves of a dense purple, violet hue. It blooms with crimson flowers, they are picked so that the color does not interfere with the growth of foliage. The leaves have a subtle aroma of pepper and cloves. Used in sauce, salad, vinegar, and oil dressings. From 1 m2 you can remove up to 2 kg of spicy product.
Peppery aroma. An herbaceous annual with original red leaves. This healthy product is used as a substitute for peppers when preparing sauces and meat dishes. The leaves can be cut off after three weeks of hatching. Harvest from 1 m2 – up to 4.2 kg.
Vegetable basil Ararat. A very spicy varietal species that forms tall branching bushes with lilac flowers. Its leaves have a light purple hue and are enriched with carotene and esters. They are used in the manufacture of cheese products, salad dishes, and light soups. They season cooked dishes before serving. Leaves can be trimmed after 2-2.5 months. You can grow it at home.
Purple stars. This variety is mid-season, ripens 1.5 months after planting. The bushes grow up to 450 mm, covered with ovoid leaves of a rich purple hue. The variety is used to add spice to meat or salad dishes.
Black. The difference between this variety is the dark leaves of a purple hue with teeth along the edge. They have a cinnamon aroma that can be felt immediately after the plant has ripened.

On a note!

Black basil is used to create marinade dressings, canning and cooking fish.

Holy basil is also popular. The properties of the plant are the main difference. The plant culture is rich in antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins; this basil is most often used in alternative medicine.

What cures

Great benefit for migraines. For therapy, you need to take a bath, adding a little aroma oil. To enhance the healing effect, it is recommended to add a little cream and a couple of drops of honey to the aroma oil. Consumption of the spice will also have a good effect on the retina. Enriched with vitamin A, red basil will preserve the health of the mucous membranes of the eyes and improve vision.

The plant culture has powerful antimicrobial properties. The presence of the substances linalool, cineole, and myrcene in the basil ether makes it possible to stop harmful microbacteria and dangerous organisms. In surgery, the properties of the plant crop are used during the rehabilitation period after surgery. Applications with the addition of basil preparation:

stimulate tissue development;
sutures heal well;
prevent keloids from forming.

Many people today are infected with yeast and fungal infectious pathologies. The skin disease Candidiasis affects not only older people, but also young people. Red Ruby basil esters are “not friendly” with the opportunistic fungus of the genus Candida and destroy it.

On a note!

The spice helps well with pain in the head caused by overstrain of muscle tissue, as it can act as a relaxant, relaxing muscles, blocking excitation centers and at the same time without negatively affecting a person.

A tea drink made from Purple Stars basil leaves is used for headaches; simply apply the leaves to the temporal region. If pain is not expressed, you can chew a basil leaf or massage it using aroma oil.

Many people are interested in the benefits of seasoning and whether it has healing qualities. This plant crop has been known for its medicinal properties for many years. Many years ago, the spicy herb was called royal, as it was often used by healers in the treatment of various pathologies. Since the herb contains many vitamins, it is taken to strengthen the nail plate, restore the skin and seal the vascular wall.