Ocimum gratissimum, from Brazilian Amazon

Alfavaca, Ocimum gratissimum (Labiatae), ap­ pears to have been introduced by slaves from Afri­ ca by the Portuguese in the 16th or 17th century or it may be a geographical variety native to Brazil, its origin is still doubt. The shrub-like plant is cul­ tivated in the country-sides of the State of Para and sold in the “Ver-o-peso” market in Belem. It is utilized as a condiment in regional dishes of the cuisine of Brazil. Decoctions of the leaves or of the whole herbs are used in the treatment of fever and coughs, as a diaphoretic and stomachic, and par­ ticularly in treating diarrhoea [1] in native medi­ cine in Nigeria. Aqueous solutions of O. gratissi­ mum have been shown to have appreciable anti­ bacterial activity [2], antimicrobial efficiency against bacteria was found for the essential oil in ref. [3], the oil of a new strain of O. gratissimum showed toxicity against betelvine pathogenic fungi [4]Oil distilled from experimentally cultivated Ocimum gratissimum from Albania consisted of 67-73% eugenol [5], 54-94% eugenol content is reported from Ocimum oil from Eastern and