TULSI-A PROMISING HERB IN DENTISTRY

The plants are used for medicinal purpose since ancient times. In ancient India the traditional medicine practitioners observed tulsi as greatest healing herb with high therapeutic potential. The tulsi plant is an erect softy hairy aromatic herb or under shrub of labiatae family belonging to genus ‘Ocimum’ and is found throughout India. Tulsi has been proven for management of many medical disorders due to its properties like expectorant, analgesic, anticancer, antiasthmatic, antiemetic, diaphoretic, antidiabetic, antifertility, hepatoprotective, hypotensive, hyolipidimic and antistress agent by many research studies. Tulsi can be promising herb in treatment of many oral disorders due to its anti-inflamatory, antibacterial, antioxidant and immuno-modulatory properties however more research and studies are needed to establish this miraculous herb as treatment modality in dentistry. This paper focuses on dimension and scope of Tulsi in management of oral disease.