Ocimum selloi essential oil (2, 20, and 200 mg/kg; p.o.) reduced, in a dose-dependent way, the abdominal contraction induced by acetic acid (0.6%; i.p.) and the diarrhea episodes induced by castor oil in mice. At the higher dose (200 mg/kg; p.o.), the essential oil significantly reduced intestinal
BACKGROUND
Ocimum basilicum L. (Lamiaceae) commonly known as sweet basil, has been used as a traditional medicinal plant for the treatment of headaches, coughs, diarrhea, constipation, warts, worms, and kidney malfunctions.
METHODS
The essential oil of the flowering aerial parts of O. basilicum