EFFECTS OF OCIMUM SANCTUM IN RELIEVING ANXIETY: AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY

It?s almost impossible to live without some stress and anxiety. Stress has mostly negative effects on the health of an individual. Commonly used anxiolytics in practice are like Alprazolam or other benzodiazepines, have undesirable effects, like Abuse liability, dry mouth, tolerance, addiction, drowsiness, dyskinesia. Our objective was to test an alternate naturally available medicine. Plants like ?Ocimum Sanctum? (Tulsi, Holy Basil) are being tried for relieving stress, anxiety and do not possess the mentioned undesirable effects. Stress induces a variety of autonomic, visceral, immunological and neurobehavioral responses ; such as anxiety, depression, anorexia and there is activation of the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis including elevated corticosterone levels. The present study was aimed at investigating the anti-anxiety effects of ocimum sanctum and compare it with diazepam in rats. Ocimum sanctum leaf extract was found to produce an effect indicative of anti-anxiety activity which was similar to those produced by low doses of barbiturates in other pharmacological studies. The effects were comparable to some earlier studies and showed anxiolytic effect second to diazepam. Despite multiple studies the effects of Ocimum Sanctum are not yet fully established .