TULSI can!!

The 2009 flu pandemic is a global outbreak of a new strain of influenza virus, officially named the "new H1N1", first identified in April 2009, and commonly called "Swine flu." The control of swine influenza by vaccination has become more difficult in recent decades, as the evolution of the virus has resulted in inconsistent responses to traditional vaccines.

When every other stream of medicine fails, the traditional 'science of life', Ayurveda, has a remedy for this disease. Now, when swine flu is spreading like wildfire across the globe and creating panic, Ayurveda has the remedy in the form of the miraculous herb, the basil leaves commonly known as Tulsi. Tulsi has again proved to be the 'the incomparable' medicine - this time, in the prevention and cure of swine flu.

Dr Bhupesh Patel, a lecturer at Gujarat Ayurved University, Jamnagar is of the view that Tulsi can play Copernican role in controlling swine flu. He further said that "Three varieties of Tulsi leaves - Krishna (Ocimum sanctum), Vana (Ocimum gratissimum) and Katuki (Picrorriza kurroa) can improve cell mediated immunity. These are anti-viral agents and improve body's resistance against various diseases including swine flu".

Tulsi is a heavy branched having hair all over. It attains the height of about 75 – 90 cm. It has round oval shaped leaves which are up to 5 cm long. The leaves are 2- 4 cm in length. Its seeds are flat. Its flowers are purple and creamish in colour. The Tulsi with the green leaves is called the Shri Tulsi and one with the reddish leaves is called the Krishna Tulsi. Its seeds are yellow to reddish in colour.

Tulsi, the purest plant, has been worshipped in Indian subcontinent for more than five millennia for its remarkable healing properties. According to the 'Gandharv Tantra,' the grounds overgrown with tulsi plants, inspire concentration and is a ideal place for worship. Vaishnavs or believers of Lord Vishnu, Lord Jagannath, Lord Ram, Lord Krishna or any incarnations of Lord Vishnu worship tulsi because it's the one that pleases Lord Vishnu the most. Indian women water the plant, light up the diya near it and worship it daily. Jeevan Kulkarni, the author of 'Historical Truths & Untruths Exposed,' is of the opinion that when Hindu women worship tulsi, they in effect pray for "less and less carbonic acid and more and more oxygen - a perfect object lesson in sanitation, art and religion". It is said that a medium size plant of tulsi can provide oxygen for a family of six and more. The tulsi plant is even known to purify or de-pollute the atmosphere. Tulsi is said to be the incarnation of a princess, who fell in love with Lord Krishna, and so had a curse laid on her by his consort Radha. there is also a mention of this tulsi in Jayadev's Gita Govinda. The story of Lord Krishna has it that when Krishna was weighed in gold, not even all the ornaments of Satyabhama could outweigh him but a single tulsi leaf placed by Rukmani on the pan could able to... Tulsi is ceremonially married to Lord Vishnu annually on the 11th bright day of the month of Karttika in the lunar calendar. This ritual, called the 'Tulsi Vivaha' inaugurates the annual marriage season in India. Tulsi is also considered to be an incarnation of Maha Lakshmi, who was born as Vrinda in her previous birth. Tulsi was married to a demon king Jalandhar. She offered prayers to Lord Vishnu to protect her husband from being harmed by any God. In Vrindabati Sthuti, it is said that tulsi or Vindabati was Satyabati, Malati, Tripura in Satya, Tretaya and Dwapara Yuga respectively.

The Sastras and Puranas attach this plant with the religion because of its medicinal significance. Tulsi is a pillar of the traditional Ayurvedic holistic healing system and known as an adaptogen. An adaptogen is an agent that helps our bodies "adapt" to different forms of stressors (environmental, physical, mental and emotional). Marked by its strong aroma and a stringent taste, tusli is a kind of "the elixir of life" as it promotes longevity and now it has claimed to keep the deadly swine flu at bay and help fast recovery in afflicted persons. "The anti-flu property of Tulsi has been discovered by medical experts across the world quite recently. Tulsi improves the body's overall defence mechanism including its ability to fight viral diseases. It was successfully used in combating Japanese Encephalitis and the same theory applies to swine flu," Dr U K Tiwari, a herbal medicine practitioner says.

Apart from acting as a preventive medicine in case of swine flu, Tulsi can help the patient recover faster. "Even when a person has already contracted swine flu, Tulsi can help in speeding up the recovery process and also help in strengthening the immune system of the body," he claims.

Amid growing panic in the wake of rising death toll from swine flu, yoga guru Baba Ramdev said that yoga had the power to cure Influenza (H1N1). "People with strong immune system cannot be affected with swine flu. Through yoga and pranayama, you can keep your immune system, particularly the respiratory system, strong," he added.