Sweet basil can batter bacteria

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Sweet basil can batter bacteria

CSU study finds herb kills germs that cause fatal lung infections

By Bill Scanlon, Rocky Mountain News

November 13, 2002

Sweet basil, which adds zest to pesto and zing to tomatoes, also can kill

bacteria that cause fatal lung infections, a Colorado State University

research team has found.

And for good measure, it can kill the bacteria that causes many plant

diseases, said horticulture professor Vivanco, the lead investigator.

Rosmarinic acid is an antioxidant found in sweet basil. It kills pathogen

cells that attack the lungs of cystic fibrosis patients and others with

damaged immune systems.

The CSU team also found that the acid, which previously had been known to

exist in sweet basil leaves, also is secreted from the roots when they're

close to harmful bacteria.

The sweet basil compound could be used when cystic fibrosis patients become

resistant or allergic to antibiotics.

The potential for medicinal benefits of sweet basil could have a big impact

on the health, horticulture and agricultural industries, Vivanco said.

Rosmarinic acid, also found in catnip and rosemary, could become an

environmentally friendly way of spraying plants against disease.

Although the research is promising, more experiments in conditions more

closely simulating the environment of the human lung must be done, Vivanco

said.

The study was published in the November issue of Plant Physiology and

Biochemistry.